UK ban on psychoactive substances did not change hospital presentation rates for synthetic cannabinoid poisoning
After the UK's 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act banned the sale of synthetic cannabinoids, hospital presentations for severe synthetic cannabinoid toxicity showed no significant increase or decrease.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
SCRAs were detected in 35.7% (224/627) of patients with suspected novel psychoactive substance exposure. After adjusting for seasonality and active sites, no significant trend changes were found before or after the PSA for SCRA presentations (post-PSA IRR 0.97, p=0.202) or non-SCRA presentations.
Key Numbers
627 patients (79.9% male); SCRAs detected in 35.7%. Pre-PSA SCRA trend: IRR 1.12 (p=0.068). Post-PSA trend: IRR 0.97 (p=0.202). No significant changes.
How They Did This
Observational study across 34 UK hospitals (IONA study), July 2015-December 2019. 627 patients with severe acute toxicity and suspected NPS exposure. Toxicological analysis by LC-MS/MS. Poisson segmented regression for time-series analysis.
Why This Research Matters
The PSA was designed to reduce harm from novel psychoactive substances, but this study suggests banning sales did not reduce severe synthetic cannabinoid toxicity, possibly because supply shifted from retail to illicit channels.
The Bigger Picture
The failure of the PSA to reduce SCRA hospital presentations mirrors findings from other drug prohibition efforts, where banning substances may shift distribution channels without reducing harm.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Only participating hospitals included. Voluntary consenting may miss some cases. Cannot capture deaths or cases not reaching hospital. Limited pre-PSA data period. May not capture changes in SCRA types.
Questions This Raises
- ?Did the PSA shift SCRA use to harder-to-reach populations (homeless, prisoners)?
- ?Would decriminalization with harm reduction be more effective?
- ?Has the chemical composition of SCRAs changed post-ban?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- No significant change in SCRA hospital presentations after UK ban
- Evidence Grade:
- Multi-site observational study with analytical confirmation, though limited by voluntary participation and consent.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2022 with data from 2015-2019.
- Original Title:
- Trends in hospital presentations following analytically confirmed synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist exposure before and after implementation of the 2016 UK Psychoactive Substances Act.
- Published In:
- Addiction (Abingdon, England), 117(11), 2899-2906 (2022)
- Authors:
- Craft, Sam(5), Dunn, Michael, Vidler, Dan, Officer, Jane, Blagbrough, Ian S, Pudney, Christopher R, Henderson, Graeme, Abouzeid, Ahmed, Dargan, Paul I, Eddleston, Michael, Cooper, Jamie, Hill, Simon L, Roper, Clair, Freeman, Tom P, Thomas, Simon H L
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03773
Evidence Hierarchy
Looks back at existing records to find patterns.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Did banning synthetic cannabinoids reduce hospital visits?
No. Despite the UK making the sale of synthetic cannabinoids illegal in 2016, this study of 34 hospitals found no significant change in the number of patients presenting with severe synthetic cannabinoid toxicity.
Why didn't the ban work?
The researchers suggest that while the PSA may have reduced over-the-counter sales, supply likely shifted to illicit online and street markets, maintaining availability among vulnerable populations.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03773APA
Craft, Sam; Dunn, Michael; Vidler, Dan; Officer, Jane; Blagbrough, Ian S; Pudney, Christopher R; Henderson, Graeme; Abouzeid, Ahmed; Dargan, Paul I; Eddleston, Michael; Cooper, Jamie; Hill, Simon L; Roper, Clair; Freeman, Tom P; Thomas, Simon H L. (2022). Trends in hospital presentations following analytically confirmed synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist exposure before and after implementation of the 2016 UK Psychoactive Substances Act.. Addiction (Abingdon, England), 117(11), 2899-2906. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15967
MLA
Craft, Sam, et al. "Trends in hospital presentations following analytically confirmed synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist exposure before and after implementation of the 2016 UK Psychoactive Substances Act.." Addiction (Abingdon, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15967
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Trends in hospital presentations following analytically conf..." RTHC-03773. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/craft-2022-trends-in-hospital-presentations
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.