Between 2017 and 2019, the substituted cathinone N-ethyl pentylone (ephylone) was the most commonly encountered emergent synthetic stimulant to appear in forensic casework. Due to its prevalence and contributions to mortality, N-ethyl pentylone was federally scheduled by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in August 2019. This statute created a shift in the NPS drug market, noted by proliferation of two new synthetic stimulants: Eutylone and Benzylone. Eutylone was first identified in seized drug casework in the United States in Q2 2019, however, its popularity did not increase until the end of 2019, around the time when it was first reported in toxicology casework by NPS Discovery (September 2019). Similarly, benzylone was first identified in seized drug casework in the United States in Q2 2019, however, its positivity remained fairly low and stable in seized drug exhibits throughout 2019. To date in the United States, benzylone has been identified primarily in seized drug casework, whereas eutylone has been identified with higher frequency in forensic toxicology casework, including postmortem cases and driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) investigations.
(Publisher abstract provided.)
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