JWH-200 (WIN 55,225) is an

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...

chemical from the

aminoalkylindole Aminoalkylindoles (AAIs) are a family of cannabinergic compound that act as a cannabinoid receptor agonist. They were synthesized by the pharmaceutical company Sterling-Winthrop in the early 1990s with a commercial potential as a new family of n ...

family that acts as a

cannabinoid Cannabinoids () are several structural classes of compounds found primarily in the ''Cannabis'' plant or as synthetic compounds. The most notable cannabinoid is the phytocannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (delta-9-THC), the primary psychoact ...

receptor agonist. Its binding affinity, ''K''_i at the CB₁ receptor is 42 nM, around the same as that of THC, but its analgesic potency ''in vivo'' was higher than that of other analogues with stronger CB₁ binding affinity ''in vitro'', around 3 times that of THC but with less sedative effect, most likely reflecting favourable

pharmacokinetic Pharmacokinetics (from Ancient Greek ''pharmakon'' "drug" and ''kinetikos'' "moving, putting in motion"; see chemical kinetics), sometimes abbreviated as PK, is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to describing how the body affects a specific subs ...

characteristics. It was discovered in 1991 by

Sterling Drug Sterling Drug was an American based global pharmaceutical company. It was also known as Sterling Winthrop, Inc., after the merger with Winthrop-Stearns Inc. which itself resulted from the merger of Winthrop Chemical Company Inc. and Frederick Ste ...

as a potential

following the earlier identification of related compounds such as

pravadoline Pravadoline (WIN 48,098) is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug with an IC50 of 4.9 μM and a ''K''i of 2511 nM at CB1, related in structure to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as indometacin. It was developed i ...

and

WIN 55,212-2 WIN 55,212-2 is a chemical described as an aminoalkylindole derivative, which produces effects similar to those of cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but has an entirely different chemical structure. WIN 55,212-2 is a potent cannab ...

Legal status

Australia

JWH-200 is considered a Schedule 9 prohibited substance in Australia under the Poisons Standard (October 2015). A Schedule 9 substance is a substance which may be abused or misused, the manufacture, possession, sale or use of which should be prohibited by law except when required for medical or scientific research, or for analytical, teaching or training purposes with approval of Commonwealth and/or State or Territory Health Authorities.

Canada

In July 2015, JWH-200 became a controlled substance in Canada.

United States

The US

DEA The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domes ...

temporarily declared JWH-200 a

schedule I controlled substance The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) is the statute establishing federal U.S. drug policy under which the manufacture, importation, possession, use, and distribution of certain substances is regulated. It was passed by the 91st United State ...

on 1 March 2011 through 76 FR 11075, and permanently instated the same schedule on 9 July 2012 in the Section 1152 of the

Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act The Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act of 2012 (FDASIA) is a piece of American regulatory legislation signed into law on July 9, 2012. It gives the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to collect user ...

Germany

JWH-200 has been classified under the

BtMG The Narcotic Drugs Act (, or BtMG) is the controlled substances law of Germany. In common with the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971 of the United Kingdom and Controlled Substances Acts of the US and Canada, it is a consolidation of prior regulati ...

as Anlage II.

References