A new class of synthetic cannabinoids called OXIZIDs has emerged in recent years. This class consists of compounds with oxindole cores and hydrazide/hydrazone linker moieties and has often been described as being designed to circumvent a Chinese class-wide ban that was effective as of July 1, 2021. However, through hair testing of nightclub attendees in New York City—a high-risk population for recreational drug use—we have evidence suggesting exposures to an OXIZID called BZO-4en-POXIZID (4en-pentyl MDA-19) prior to the effective ban. Through analysis of 6 cm segmented hair samples from attendees collected in 2021, we detected five cases of exposure. Specifically, we detected a cluster of three cases based on hair samples collected on June 20, 2021, and then two additional cases from samples collected on July 16, 2021. Four of these hair samples were long enough to analyze two 6 cm hair segments (representing approximately two six-month timeframes) and three of four of these cases tested positive for repeated exposure (for an estimated exposure over six months prior to hair collection). All cases included young adult females reporting past-year cannabis use but all tested negative for THC exposure. Three cases also reported past-year use of cocaine, ecstasy, and/or ketamine, and four cases tested positive for exposure to cocaine, MDMA, MDA, methamphetamine, and/or eutylone. These subjects were exposed to BZO-4en-POXIZID—likely as an adulterant in other drugs, and these cases are among the first documented cases which occurred approximately half a year before the Chinese legislative ban.
Five cases of unintentional exposure to BZO-4en-POXIZID among nightclub attendees in New York City
Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 48 (1), 75-80. doi: 10.1093/jat/bkad086. PMCID: PMC10981447.