JWH-018 (1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole)

JWH-018 Information

1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole is the chemical name of the substance more commonly known as JWH-018. The JWH part of the name comes from the initials of the man who first synthesized it, John W. Huffman. The principal emphasis in Dr. Huffman's research group is on the synthesis of analogues and metabolites of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (more commonly known as THC).

Although the chemical structure of JWH-018 is not related to that of THC (so it is not an analogue), both bind to the same cannabinoid receptors in the human body and produce similar pharmacological effects. Because it binds to cannabinoid receptors, JWH-018 is considered a cannabinoid. It does not occur in nature so it is a synthetic cannabinoid.

In addition to JWH-018, other related chemicals synthesized by John W. Huffman include: JWH-007, JWH-015, JWH-030, JWH-051, JWH-073, JWH-081, JWH-122, JWH-133, JWH-147, JWH-171, JWH-182, JWH-200, JWH-203, JWH-210, JWH-250, JWH-307, JWH-359, and JWH-398. Some of these substance have properties that are similar to JWH-018.

JWH chemicals (and other synthetic cannabinoids like HU-210 and CP 47,497) have been found to be the primary active ingredients in at least 30 products sold legally as herbal incense, smoking blends, and other names. This does not mean that any substance sold as an herbal incense or smoking blend contains JWH-018 or any other psychoactive compound, unless the manufacturer says it does.

Although JWH-018 is similar to THC (the main psychoactive component of cannabis products), it does not produce the exact same effects as marijuana. Besides THC, marijuana contains other naturally occurring chemicals that contribute to the high. These other chemicals are not present in substances sold as herbal incense.

You are safer ingesting natural cannabis products (marijuana or hashish or hash oil) than you are JWH-018 or any synthetic cannabinoid. Marijuana and other cannabis products like hashish and hash oil are among the safest medications on the planet. They have been consumed by humans for thousands of years without causing a single death from an overdose.

The major threat from natural cannabis products are the laws that some countries impose on people that use them. While JWH-018 and other synthetic cannabinoids are probably just as safe, in comparison they have just recently been synthesized and may have negative long term health consequences that are not yet known.

The best use for JWH-018 (and other synthetic cannabinoids) is as a short term substitute for marijuana, if someone can't access the real thing or for someone who is going to be tested for marijuana. JWH-018 will not make a person fail a drug test for marijuana use.

However, a test to detect JWH-018 (and JWH-073) metabolites in urine samples is available. Although not part of the standard drug test (that tests for 5 different drug types), by administering another separate test it is possible to determine if someone has ingested JWH-018.

How To Consume JWH-018

If you choose to ingest any synthetic cannabinoid, it would be best to start with small doses, especially if it is in its pure form. If you purchase an herbal incense that contains any type of synthetic cannabinoid, smoke it a few hits at a time rather than smoking an entire joint or bowl at one time. Once you know how you react to small doses, you can increase the amount you take.

When consumed in pure form, the dose of JWH-018 required to produce psychoactive effects is measured in milligrams (abbreviated mg). Being able to weigh a milligram by eye is impossible so you will need a milligram scale if you plan on working with pure JWH-018.

The recommended initial dose for smoking purposes is 1 mg of pure JWH-018 per toke, waiting 5 minutes or more between tokes. Continue the same routine until you don't want any more. To give you an idea of how little a milligram is, if you divided a gram into 1000 equal sized portions, each portion would weigh 1 milligram. That's 1000 portions from a single gram.

3-5 tokes (weighing 1 milligram each) of pure JWH-018 will make most people feel buzzed. 6-10 will get most people very high. After 11-20 tokes, most people will get messed up. The closest thing to compare getting messed up on JWH-018 to is acid or mushrooms. Although the experience is not the same (nor does it last as long) as acid or mushrooms, the intensity is on the same level.

The above amounts are a rough guide for people that are regular marijuana users. People with little or no tolerance to marijuana will need less than those stated above. Be prepared for a powerful experience and do it with people you trust in an environment where you feel comfortable.

When consumed orally a dose of 3-5 mg is recommended for your first try. If a stronger effect is needed you can increase the dose size by 1-3 milligrams per attempt in future experiments. Wait a few days between attempts.

Unlike cannabis products, JWH-018 does not have to be taken with oil based foods or alcohol to be orally effective, but it can take 2-4 hours to hit. In order to speed things up, JWH-018 can be taken with a single shot (1 ounce) of vodka or some other type of 40% (or higher) alcohol.

When smoked the peak effects last about 30-60 minutes. If consumed orally the peak effects last about 2-4 hours. The most common negative side effect of ingesting JWH-018 is anxiety and/or paranoia, but this is usually at high doses. Another complaint is that compared to marijuana, JWH-018 is too strong.

If you are pre-disposed to either anxiety and/or paranoia it is best to avoid JWH-018, or try JWH-073 which is a milder form of JWH. The effects of JWH-073 don't last as long or hit as hard as JWH-018, but most people who try both consider JWH-073 a more pleasant experience.

When consumed on a regular basis, JWH-018 (and probably at least a few other JWH chemicals) can cause withdrawl symptoms when abruptly discontinued.

Physical withdrawl symptoms are minor and similar to marijuana withdrawl. However, psychological addiction (similar to that of gambling addiction) can occur in people with addictive personalities.

If you choose to consume JWH-018 or any other type of cannabinoid, it is best to limit intake to a maximum of once or twice a week. For obvious reasons, people with addictive personalities should avoid any type of drug.

JWH-018 In The News

Here are some excerpts from news articles about JWH-018. They show how crazy people can be when it comes to drug use. Scare people by any means possible, especially by lying or misleading the truth, and maybe the majority will go along with making another relatively harmless substance illegal.

--- From Gainesville.com: A man (age 20) said he smoked herbal incense that contained JWH-018 every other day for two weeks (estimated dose about a half a gram in each sitting) and experienced extreme paranoia to the point of hearing voices talking about him. His heart was racing and he thought something was wrong. Overall, it was not a comfortable high, he said.

--- From Zacks.com: Medical reports indicate negative usage consequences such as rapid pulse rate, nausea and elevated agitation. In this regard, American Association of Poison Control Centers issued, in March 2010, a warning about the ill effects arising from the usage of synthetic marijuana products.

--- From The Jamestown Sun: Stacy Huberty found her son on the floor in a bathroom sweating and vomiting, after smoking synthetic marijuana. He was rushed to the Regina Medical Center emergency room, where nurses and doctors saved him. A few days later, Huberty wrote a letter to the Hastings Star-Gazette.

A follow-up story was written, and State Senator Katie Sieben announced she planned to introduce legislation in 2011 that would make the substances illegal. "Teens are ending up in the emergency room, in a coma, or even dying. After the close call with the boy in Hastings, we need to take action in Minnesota to keep this drug out of the hands of our kids."

The article says nurses and doctors saved him. But what did they save him from? It implies that he would have died. Later in the article it reports Senator Katie Sieben says teens are ending up in the emergency room, in a coma, or even dying. The strange thing is no one has ever died from ingesting JWH-018.

There are teens killed by alcohol overdose everyday. Even though alcohol can be fatal, if a teenager drank alcohol and was found in a bathroom sweating and vomiting, would they be taken to a hospital and would there be any thought of legislation being introduced to make alcohol illegal?

Thanks to stories like the ones above that focus on negative experiences rather than the majority of cases that are positive, it was probably just a matter of time before JWH-018 and similar substances were made illegal in most countries and all American states (see below).

As of September 2010, products that contain JWH-018 are illegal in the following countries: Austria, Belarus, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom.

On March 1 in 2011, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) exercised its emergency scheduling authority to control five chemicals (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497, and cannabicyclohexanol).

Except as authorized by law, this action makes possessing and selling these chemicals or the products that contain them illegal in the United States. These chemicals will be controlled for at least 12 months, with the possibility of a 6 month extension.

They are designated as Schedule I substances. Schedule I is reserved for those substances with a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use for treatment in the United States and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision.

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