EAM-2201
EAM-2201 (4'-ethyl-AM-2201, 5"-fluoro-JWH-210) is a drug that presumably acts as a potent agonist for the cannabinoid receptors. It had never previously been reported in the scientific or patent literature, and was first identified by laboratories in Japan in July 2012 as an ingredient in Synthetic Cannabis smoking blends. Like the closely related MAM-2201 which had been first reported around a year earlier, EAM-2201 thus appears to be another novel compound invented by designer drug suppliers specifically for recreational use. Structurally, EAM-2201 is a hybrid of two known cannabinoid compounds JWH-210 and AM-2201, both of which had previously been used as active ingredients in synthetic cannabis blends before being banned in many countries.
Pharmacology
Nothing has been published on the pharmacology of EAM-2201, though it presumably has similar properties to the closely related AM-2201 and JWH-210, which are both full agonists and unselectively bind to CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors with low nanomolar affinity.
Legal status
EAM-2201 was banned in New Zealand as a temporary class drug from 6 December 2012, after reports of addiction and psychosis associated with use of products containing EAM-2201 as an active ingredient, however this has been protested by some users who claim to have found medical benefits in the treatment of conditions such as phantom limb pain, since medicinal marijuana is not available in New Zealand and synthetic cannabis products are used as a legal alternative.
Detection
A forensic standard of EAM-2201 is available and commonly used in mass spectrometry, and the compound has been cited on the Forendex website of potential drugs of abuse
