Marketing of Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists

"This study provides evidence of a rapidly evolving and active online marketplace from which SCRA vaping products seem to be easily obtainable, but also difficult to identify as controlled substances. Using simple search terms on a widely used search engine, we identified 62 websites selling SCRA vaping products, with 1225 individual listings and 128 unique brands. Although not a direct comparison, a survey of SCRA availability on the “dark web” in 2016 and 2017 which used different methodology to this study [15] found 32 individual SCRA branded vape products, which may suggest that this market has grown in the interim and/or that suppliers are increasingly marketing these on the surface web rather than the dark web.

"There was evidence of both UK-based and international production and trade of these products. There was also evidence of companies competing for custom by offering incentives and discounts, including a wide variety of payment methods, measures to evade detection by law enforcement, and methods of ensuring anonymity in both payment and delivery.

"As found in previous SCRA studies [31], products were heavily marketised, with colourful branding and abstract names that gave little or no hint of the contents of the product. Several SCRA vaping product brand names found in this survey have been listed in a previous survey of SCRA vaping products, such as “Bizarro”, “Diablo” and “Green Giant” [15], and in a survey of non-vape SCRA products, such as “K2” and “Mr Nice Guy” [31]. However, many previously common SCRA brand names were not found and many new brand names had appeared. This suggests a rapidly changing marketplace with ongoing product development and marketing."