The chemistry of synthetic cannabinoids

Abel Pharmboy has a post over at Terra Sigillata about JWH-018, the synthetic cannabinoid that is the active ingredient in Spice and K2. Much of what he has to say has graced the electrons of DoseNation before. But he does point to an interesting paper finding that the synthetic stuff binds more strongly to CB1 receptors (which are implicated in psychotropic effects) than CB2 (which are more involved with pain and inflammation), whereas THC binds equally to both. Abel points out that the implications of this are not clear for psychonauts:

So while JWH-018 has four-fold greater potency for CB1 receptors than THC in an isolated receptor binding study, how its effect compares to plain-old marijuana depends on other factors such as the relative amount in the product, how stable it is to combustion, how it's metabolized in the body, among others.

He goes on to briefly criticize the hysteria of lawmakers' reactions to their burgeoning awareness of this chemical. The comments have an interesting discussion of various Huffman compounds as possible carcinogens that those with a particular interest in the chemistry of synthetic cannabinoids will likely want to check out.