“Pète ton crâne” or PTC: what is this new drug vaped by teenagers ?

Pète ton crâne (PTC): what is this drug vaped by teenagers ?

It has been circulating for several years, but it seems that its consumption is intensifying. Buddha blue, or Pète ton crâne (PTC), is a synthetic cannabinoid, whose effects are powerful. Inexpensive, colorless, odorless, it is consumed in vaping by teenagers.

On October 8, the national police of the Hautes-Alpes warned about “the circulation of a new drug nicknamed Buddha blue or PTC”in the small town of Gap. In September, nine high school students from Ardèche, aged 15 to 17, were poisoned and hospitalized after vaping just before class. For its part, the Meuse Grand Sud Urban Community launched an awareness campaign as PTC “spreads across the territory”.

PTC ? For “Pète ton crâne”. This drug, popular among young people and especially high school students, is a synthetic cannabinoid, meaning that the effects of THC, which gives cannabis its psychoactive properties, were chemically created in the laboratory. “The affinity of these molecules to cannabinoid receptors leads to effects up to 200 times greater than THC, one of the main psychoactive substances in the cannabis plant”,writes in an article published on the website of Generalists and Addictions Hauts-de-France Dr. Antoine Canat, resource doctor within the structure.

Cheap and easy accessible

Buddha blue, or PTC, is colorless and odorless, it can be consumed in liquid or solid form (powder). But the most widespread form is the liquid form, vaped with an electronic cigarette. According to the Pablo-Picasso high school in Perpignan, which devotes a page to it on its website, “its low price facilitates access and rapid propagation”.

Thus, according to Jérôme Langrand, head of the Paris poison control center, between 2019 and 2022, French poison control centers had only recorded “a few dozen cases”. “We were approaching a hundred in 2023 and now, in 2024, we are already almost at 200”, he warns, interviewed by the continuous news channel BFMTV. However, 5F-AKB48, the scientific name of this drug, is a molecule classified on the list of narcotics in France since 2017 and illegal on the territory.

Minors widely exposed

In a report from the joint permanent scientific committee “vaping of psychoactive substances”, headed by the ANSM (National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products), organized on June 5, 2024, PTC appeared as the synthetic cannabinoid most frequently mentioned among psychoactive substances by vaping. Over the period from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022, “215 cases of addictovigilance with a method of administration of psychoactive substances by vaping (excluding nicotine) were identified (E-cigarettes and vaporizers)”. With an average age of 19.9 years, almost half of the cases were minors, aged 15 to 17, the report states.

In 58% of cases, PTC was used in a context of experimental use with a search for more powerful effects than cannabis, and in 42% of cases in the context of an addiction requiring a request for help (cannabis withdrawal, analgesic effect, etc.).

What are the risks ?

The desired effects are relaxation, euphoria, intensification of sensory perceptions, a change in the appreciation of reality and the impression of being high. The side effects of synthetic cannabinoids depend on the psychoactive product content of the batches, which is very variable. The cause: the difficulty of manufacturing a homogeneous mixture between chemical substances and plant substances, according to Drogues info service.

The most common effects are red eyes, dry mouth, vomiting, anxiety, irritability, agitation and hallucinations.

While natural cannabis contains cannabidiol, a cannabinoid that mitigates the adverse effects of cannabis, synthetic cannabis does not. The risk of overdose is higher and the complications can be much more severe. Among which:

vomiting;

anxiety, irritability, agitation;

hallucinations;

psychiatric disorders such as panic attacks, paranoia;

self-aggression that can lead to suicidal thoughts;

high blood pressure;

convulsions, loss of consciousness;

rhythm disorders cardiac (palpitations, increased heart rate, chest pain, myocardial infarction);

· acute renal failure;

· overdose that can lead to death. Some batches can be very concentrated, to the point of causing an overdose. In addition, some synthetic cannabinoids can remain in the body for a very long time, which also increases the risk of overdose.

Regular consumption leads to tolerance of the product, which pushes the user to increase the doses. Dependence sets in. In the medium term, it can lead to physical and intellectual fatigue, difficulty concentrating, memory, depressive mood, dropping out of school, isolation, violent behavior, relationship problems and cardiac risks.

Do not hesitate to contact the Samu (15) in case of emergency and to inquire with the Drugs Info Service if you or one of your loved ones needs help.