By Kevin Shanks, D-ABFT-FT It has been a little over 4 years since Axis mentioned synthetic cannabinoids on this blog. So, briefly, synthetic cannabinoids are man-made compounds that bind to cannabinoid receptors 1 (CB1) and 2 (CB2) in the body and mediate effects of...
In October 2025, toxicologist Kevin Shanks made presentations at both the National Association of Medical Examiners 2025 Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, and at the Society of Forensic Toxicologists 2025 Conference in Portland, Oregon. NAME 2025 Recap:...
By Stuart Kurtz, D-ABFT-FT Axis Forensic Toxicology has previously written on kratom and cases involving kratom fatalities. As a quick recap, Mitragyna speciosa, is a tree or shrub that grows in southeast Asia. It’s part of the Rubiaceae family which includes coffee...
By Kevin Shanks, M.S., D-ABFT-FT We have previously discussed both fentanyl and 4-ANPP in this blog (1-2), but briefly, fentanyl is a mu opioid receptor agonist that is used as both a pharmaceutical medication and as an illicit drug found on the street typically as a...
By Kevin Shanks, M.S., D-ABFT-FT As mentioned in several previous posts on this blog, novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are arranged into different families. Opioids, cannabinoids, stimulants, hallucinogens, and benzodiazepines are the main ones we encounter in...
