New drug discovery, seized from students

According to initial descriptions from parents and schools in Hanoi, after using these substances, students had unusual symptoms such as dizziness, headache, and some even fainted...

Immediately after that, the leaders of the Institute of Biological Sciences directed the professional departments to analyze and appraise. The results showed that the subjects had dissolved psychoactive substances into bottles and jars containing sample electronic cigarette solutions (including the entire bottle, jar; color, taste of the solution...); the psychoactive substances were sprayed and soaked into tobacco fibers (a type of tobacco available on the market); conventional electronic cigarette smoking tools were abused to use this psychoactive substance.

With the above tricks, it is impossible to distinguish with the naked eye, only the user or through analysis and appraisal can detect this mixing trick. The appraisal results determined that the above samples all contained the substance 5F-MDMB-PICA.

Among them, 5F-MDMD-PICA is one of the synthetic cannabis types, also known as “American Weed”, which has the effect of stimulating the central nervous system and causing strong hallucinations. “American Weed” is created by using synthetic chemicals that have similar effects to the active ingredient Delta 9 – THC found in cannabis plants.

Then, mix it into a solution and spray it on dry plants and herbs (not plants or herbs containing narcotics). Then, dry it to create a product called “American Weed”.

Thus, here the subjects used the "carrier" containing the drug, which was the solution commonly used for electronic cigarettes or sprayed and soaked into the tobacco fibers available on the market... instead of the traditional method of spraying and soaking into dry plants and herbs as before.

According to the Institute of Criminal Science, through discussions with the Department of Investigation Police on drug crimes, currently in our country, no such methods or tricks have been discovered.

Currently, 5F-MDMD-PICA is not on the list of narcotics in Vietnam, but it was included in the list of controlled narcotics in Japan in December 2014 and Singapore in May 2018.

In the United States, 5F-MDMD-PICA has been included in the list of controlled drugs. In August 2018, the Institute of Science and Technology of Vietnam tested and discovered this substance for the first time in Vietnam.

Up to now, the Institute of Criminal Science and the Department of Investigation Police on Drug-related Crimes are coordinating with functional units to research and report to the competent authority to request the Government to add this substance along with a number of other new narcotics to the list of narcotics in Vietnam according to the provisions of Section 3, Article 3, Decree No. 73/2018/ND-CP dated May 15, 2018 of the Government.

According to the Institute of Criminal Science, these are new methods and tricks. The subjects have taken advantage of the fact that this substance is not on the list of narcotics in Vietnam to transport, trade, and use it illegally, causing difficulties in handling and fighting this type of crime.

More dangerously, when 5F-MDMD-PICA and substances with similar structures appear more and more, exist in many different forms, and are used in simple tools such as cigarettes, tobacco, etc., especially with methods of use such as electronic cigarettes, it leads to a situation where students are easily lured and enticed to use them, and it is very difficult for authorities, people, and parents to detect, prevent, and combat them.