ABSTRACT

Cannabis has been a widely favored recreational drug throughout history. It has also been used as medicine, due to its analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Following the discovery of its main ingredient, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), studies focused on synthesizing new cannabinoids to be used in medicine. However, possessing the highly demanded qualities of a recreational drug, synthetic cannabinoids are nowadays being marketed as safe, natural and legal alternatives of cannabis around the world. Turkey is one of the countries in which these synthetic cannabinoids are readily available and the rate of abuse continues to increase. This review focuses on these misperceptions, examining the acute and long-term effects of synthetic cannabis abuse in addition to the medical and forensic advancements necessary to prevent this growing trend of cannabinoid abuse.