Kronic less risky than alcohol but merits R18 rating

Synthetic cannabinoids such as Kronic have been the focus of attention lately, after a boy aged 14 managed to acquire the drug known as CP47497 for $24 or so at a local dairy.
There have been calls for prohibition of this substance, which in the medical literature has been noted to cause cannabis-like effects such as red eyes, increased pulse rate, dry mouth and an alteration in mood and perception.
This would have happened to this boy in two or three puffs on a Kronic "joint".
Drugs like Kronic were developed after the discovery of human cannabis receptors in 1984, in an attempt to manufacture therapeutic agents for pain.
Developing a suitable painkiller has proved difficult because of the unwanted psychoactive effects associated with the drug - and the same limitation occurs with medicinal use of cannabis sativa.
In late 2008, several cannabinomimetics were detected in "herbal" smoking mixtures often marketed as incense or room odorisers under the mane of "Spice". Once on the market, they were analysed and found to have up to 18 different synthetic cannabis-like substances, the majority being CP47497.
The Misuse of Drugs Amendment Act 2000 established the Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD) to provide expert advice to the Minister of Health regarding drug classification issues.
The EACD: conducts reviews of controlled drugs and other narcotic or psychotropic substances; recommends to the Minister of Health whether and how such substances should be classified; and increases public awareness of its work by (for instance) releasing papers, reports and recommendations.
The factors that the EACD consider when examining a substance follow a consistent format and include information and evidence on: likelihood or evidence of abuse (eg, prevalence of the drug, seizure trends and potential appeal to vulnerable populations); specific effects of the drug risk (eg, pharmacological, psychoactive and toxicological) if any, to public health; therapeutic value of the drug; potential for death upon use; ability to create physical or psychological dependence; international classification; and experience of the drug in other jurisdictions.
Kronic has been through this process, and the various experts in the committee comprising police, customs, scientists and addiction specialists have decided that it is a low-risk drug, and that it should not be classified even at class C - moderate risk to pubic health, the current classification for cannabis.
Alcohol, if classified according to the EACD, would be a high risk to public health, or class B.
The calls to specifically ban Kronic are not based on evidence and knowledge, more a gut reaction to our innate fear of drugs that we don't know.
We have interesting days ahead as the EACD is faced with more and more legal chemicals coming on to the market. And therein lies the rub.
Our current system places no onus on a manufacturer or merchant to demonstrate the safety of any psychoactive substance that their product may contain, leaving this to the EACD.
Further, the Advertising Standards Authority doesn't censure advertising of our most popular drug, alcohol - without cancer, violence and overdose warnings - even though their code says that all advertisements must have a high degree of social responsibility.
The same code applies to Kronic, but I was pleasantly surprised that when I visited its website there was a safety page and warnings about not using Kronic with alcohol, and to use small amounts first before taking larger doses.
There is a paradox: Alcohol companies do not label the dangers of their class B equivalent drug, but marketers of Kronic are at least trying not to hurt people who choose their low-risk drug.
This is not to say that Kronic is without harm. There have been reports of dependence and withdrawal symptoms in heavy users, as is seen with cannabis. Intoxication of young people is associated with more mental health and addiction problems, so keeping minors away from intoxication with Kronic and alcohol are paramount for healthy lives.
Current drug testing kits do not account for Kronic, so this drug may go undetected at work and other places of responsibility.
It simply should not be sold in dairies or supermarkets. The same, of course, applies to booze. Alcohol Action is trying to persuade the select committee on alcohol law reform that selling a class B drug in supermarkets is asking for trouble, but there is resistance to change. It will take time for our drug and alcohol laws to become consistent with their aim of reducing harm.
Associate Minister Peter Dunne has accepted the classification of Kronic as R18, which is a reasonable start. Meanwhile, it is important to keep focusing on legislative changes around New Zealand's number one drug problem, the stuff so many of us love and enjoy - alcohol.
Dr Tony Farrell is a local GP with a special interest in addiction medicine and assisting people who suffer harm from drugs.