{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T10:41:17Z","timestamp":1785840077559,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,6]],"date-time":"2022-01-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1641427200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,24]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n               <jats:p>Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) have been a concern to forensic toxicologists since their emergence as drugs of abuse in the mid-late 2000s. The extent of their use in Scotland appears to be low especially when compared to other drug groups such as opioids and benzodiazepines. There is a concern, however, that the use is widespread in prison populations in particular. In this work, samples of blood and urine collected during routine postmortem examination between April 2017 and March 2019 were subjected to analysis of SCRA compounds. Circumstantial and demographic information was collected on positive cases to build up a body of evidence for where SCRAs may be most likely to contribute to the cause of death. Thirteen out of 133 cases (10%) tested were positive for one or more compound in one or more matrix. Overall, the detection of 5F-MDMB-PINACA or its O-desmethyl acid metabolite was most common, followed by the metabolite shared by AB-FUBINACA and MMB-FUBINACA. SCRA-positive cases were predominantly males (92%), and the age range of all decedents was 21\u201349\u2009years old (median 36\u2009years). The majority of cases were certified as drug-related deaths (DRDs, 38%), natural\/medical (31%) or suicide (23%), and two of the DRDs mentioned SCRAs specifically in the cause of death. The concentrations of SCRAs detected did not seem to be as important to the determination of the cause of death as their mere presence, but quantitative results were reported (where possible) in order to build up a body of evidence for SCRA concentrations in different case types.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/jat\/bkac002","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,5]],"date-time":"2022-01-05T20:12:23Z","timestamp":1641413543000},"page":"1066-1072","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists in Postmortem Casework in Scotland"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"46","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4547-1618","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alice","family":"Seywright","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine and Science, University of Glasgow, Joseph Black Building, University Place , Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alexander F. D","family":"Irvine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine and Science, University of Glasgow, Joseph Black Building, University Place , Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Denise A","family":"McKeown","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine and Science, University of Glasgow, Joseph Black Building, University Place , Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fiona M","family":"Wylie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine and Science, University of Glasgow, Joseph Black Building, University Place , Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hazel J","family":"Torrance","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Forensic Medicine and Science, University of Glasgow, Joseph Black Building, University Place , Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"2023012411400978600_R1","article-title":"Synthetic Cannabinoids in Herbal Products","author":"United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime","year":"2011"},{"key":"2023012411400978600_R2","article-title":"The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2009","author":"United Kingdom Parliament","year":"2009"},{"key":"2023012411400978600_R3","article-title":"Psychoactive Substances Act 2016","author":"United Kingdom Parliament","year":"2016"},{"key":"2023012411400978600_R4","article-title":"Harms of Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists (SCRAs) and Their Management","author":"Abdulrahim","year":"2016"},{"key":"2023012411400978600_R5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1080\/16066359.2020.1730820","article-title":"The use of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) within the homeless population: motivations, harms and the implications for developing an appropriate response","volume":"29","author":"Gray","year":"2021","journal-title":"Addiction Research and Theory"},{"key":"2023012411400978600_R6","article-title":"Changing Patterns of Substance Misuse in Adult Prisons and Service Responses","author":"Prime","year":"2015"},{"key":"2023012411400978600_R7","article-title":"Spice: The Bird Killer - What Prisoners Think About the Use of Spice and Other Legal Highs in Prison","author":"Johnson","year":"2016"},{"key":"2023012411400978600_R8","article-title":"Understanding the Patterns of Use, Motives, and Harms of New Psychoactive Substances in Scotland","author":"MacLeod","year":"2016"},{"key":"2023012411400978600_R9","article-title":"United Kingdom Drug Situation - Focal Point Annual Report 2017","author":"Crawford","year":"2017"},{"key":"2023012411400978600_R10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"236","DOI":"10.1093\/jat\/bkv142","article-title":"Death associated with the use of the synthetic 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