A fatal case involving several synthetic cannabinoids

Abstract

A 36-year-old man collapsed at home right after he had smoked an herbal blend named Mary Joy Annihilation. After arrival of the ambulance, the man already suffered seizures and died after admission to hospital despite continued attempts of resuscitation. In the decedent's apartment, the police found the residual of a joint, which was seized for analysis. The aim was to determine whether a synthetic cannabinoid intoxication could be considered as a contributing factor to the cause of death. METHODS: Femoral blood, bile fluid, gastric content, hair, brain, lung, kidney, liver, and adi- pose tissue samples were obtained during autopsy. Blood, bile fluid and gastric content sam- ples, homogenized tissues and pulverized hair were extracted liquid-liquidly and analyzed by LC-MS/MS (MRM/ESI+). The residual of the joint was macerated in ethanol and analyzed by GC-MS in scan mode. The femoral blood sample was also analyzed by GC-MS in scan and SIM mode. RESULTS: In femoral blood 0.1 ng/mL JWH-018, 0.3 ng/mL JWH-122, 1.4 ng/mL AM-2201, 1.5 ng/mL MAM-2201, approximately 6 ng/mL UR-144, and 250 ng/mL amphetamine could be detected. The synthetic cannabinoids were also found in other tissues. In addition, JWH- 210 could be detected in hair and adipose tissue samples. The joint contained the same syn- thetic cannabinoids except for JWH-018 and JWH-210. CONCLUSION: An acute influence of several synthetic cannabinoids and amphetamine can be assumed. Detection of JWH-210 in adipose tissue and hair and lack of it in blood and joint indicates that a previous consumption of other substances had occurred. Language: en