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In late August 2024, FTIR-based drug checking programs in Seattle and New Mexico identified an insecticide in street samples. It has also been reported in the midwest. This is a toxin and should not be in the drug supply.

Our Take On This

Insecticides-in-dope is a trope, and doesn't feel inherently unsurprising. But "insecticide" is a marketing label given to a set of commercial chemicals that are pharmacologically diverse. Therefore, we urge us to focus on the specific substance (acetamiprid) and the specific experience of people exposed right now.

Machine-based drug checking within harm reduction settings gives us new power. By having more precise and rapid chemical identification, we also have heightened responsibility: Stay calm and be critical/skeptical of any information before you provide to participants.

It's naturally tempting to draw connections between the current circumstance and what we shows up on google scholar "insecticide fentanyl" - or linking back to street stories. But these superficial connections have been a routine driver of Drug War moral panic. Let's do better. Right now this is a local concern. If you are seeing it in your area based on drug checking results, you know how best to communicate to your people. If you don't have access to drug checking equipment and suspect acetamiprid in your supply, reach out to us for 5 free kits (even if you've previously done you starter 5 in the past, mention this blog post). We got your back, and appreciate y'all for looking out for the people we serve and love.

Molecular Identity

UNC Samples

Column names

Blank values indicate no response was received by UNC.

sampleid is the UNC tracking number

date_collect is the date sample was collected by local harm reduction program

state_county is the state and county of sample collection

abundance designates if bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate was detected in primary or trace abundance. "Trace" is designated is the peak is less than 5% peak height of most abundant species detected on chromatogram

expectedsubstance are the substances it was sold as or expected to be based on participant experience or harm reduction program FTIR analysis

total_substances are the number of unique molecules detected by GCMS. "1" means that only bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate was identified on GCMS.

other_drugs is other substances detected on GCMS in the sample beyond bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate

color relates to the physical appearance of the original power/rock form of the street drug

sensations and overdose are self-reported by the participant donating the sample.

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A note on geography. Seeing more samples from one location doesn't mean that that location is seeing more of this substance than other places. These are early days, and programs are preferentially sending us samples that they think might contain it. The widespread nature of the substance does provide clues about the extent of its distribution. There are plenty of places we don't get samples from, so not seeing a state on this list doesn't mean the substance is not present there.

Timeline

August 29: We've seen 5 samples at UNC, still only from NM and WA. Two samples (one from each state 806556 and 806239) contain no other substances detected on GCMS, not even fentanyl. We were a disheartened to see acetamiprid showing up alongside BTMPS in this sample, and the local program communicated this info to the local community as needed. (Which, we think, is exactly the way we think this process should work!)
August 20: We have been alerted that acetamiprid has appeared in street drug samples from Missouri and Michigan analyzed by local crime labs.
Index Samples: The first identification of acetamiprid in the drug supply was Georgia Phillips with Kings County Health Department in Washington, in late July 2024. The first sample of acetamiprid that we handled at UNC came from the Mountain Center in Española, New Mexico in mid-August, flagged by Kelly Mytinger, who saw putative library match on FTIR for acetamiprid on samples collected around August 8, 2024. https://www.streetsafe.supply/results/p/806239
Kudos to heroes Georgia and Kelly for attention to detail and alertness! 🙏🏽

Harm Reduction Notes

In both NM and WA, samples tested positive on benzodiazepine test strips (immunoassay), but no benzos were detected (806420, 806239, 805072).
Samples have been found to contain mixtures as well as just acetamiprid itself (806239). Other compounds also detected include gabapentin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and with 🤔 another emergent substance we are tracking bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl) sebacate.
Samples were described as being "weird" and "unusual" and causing headaches.
No overdose cases have been reported to us.

Scientific Literature

From: D.R. Wallace, in Encyclopedia of Toxicology (Third Edition), 2014

Abstract

Acetamiprid belongs to a relatively new class of insecticide that developed in the late 1980s, the ‘neonicotinoids’. The precise structure of acetamiprid is that of a chloronicotinyl compound and it has been shown to be a potent agonist at the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in insects. The primary use for acetamiprid is to control insects such as aphids, which have been known to attack and damage leafy plants. Acetamiprid is available as a ready-to-use formulation in addition to wettable powders and water-dispersible granules. Although acetamiprid has shown to have higher affinity for nicotinic receptors in insects compared to mammals, there have been some reports of imidacloprid (another neonicotinoid) undergoing biotransformation in rodents resulting in a compound that has higher affinity for then the nicotinic receptor compared to (−)-nicotine. This could potentially lead to toxicity in mammals. There have been no reports of chronic toxicity or of bioactivation of acetamiprid so far in mammals. A recent report has shown that acetamiprid can undergo transepithelial absorption across intestinal cells, possibly resulting in toxicity if acetamiprid accumulates within the body. It is not thought that acetamiprid contamination of soil is persistence and the general thought is that acetamiprid presents low hazard risks to human/vertebrate populations under normal conditions.

Talking Points

It is too early to tell what is going on with this.
Rapid identification occurred in harm reduction drug checking programs.
Drugs do not spread like inevitable weather. At this time this is not a
Positive identification in multiple regions of the US simultaneously do not mean it will spread inevitably elsewhere.
If drugs sold as fentanyl taste "chemically" or like "bug spray" – stop using them. Dispose of them. And provide feedback to your plug.
😑 This is not the same substance as Appalachian wasp dope (pyrethroid-containing insecticides). Do not conflate them. They happen to be chemicals that have industrial uses as insecticides, but not much else in common chemically or behaviorally.
At the current time, to avoid sensationalism, we strongly caution against news media mentioning pyrethroid insecticides in reporting on acetamiprid.

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Bookmark this page -- we will be updating with FTIR and GCMS spectra, scientific literature, and other information.