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AB-FUBINACA
Ab-fubi
AB-FUBINACA is a synthetic cannabinoid of the indazolecarboxamide class.1 Originally developed by Pfizer in 2009citation needed as an analgesic, it was never pursued for human use and first surfaced in synthetic cannabinoid blends in Japan in 2012. It is a highly potent cannabinoid receptor agonist,2 and its extreme potencycitation needed—combined with its widespread inclusion in unregulated herbal blends—poses significant overdose risk, with fatalities reported.
Dosage & Duration
Dosage
Doses are population estimates that vary widely between individuals.
Threshold~0.25 mg
Light0.25-0.5 mg
Moderate0.5-1.5 mg
Strong1.5-3 mg
Heavy3+ mg
Subjective Effects
Legacy content. A statistically backed ontology from Mindstate Design Labs is coming soon.
Effects vary widely by individual, dose, and context.
Physical
Cognitive
Auditory
Pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics
AB-FUBINACA acts as a potent agonist at both major cannabinoid receptors, with notably high affinity and potency at CB1 (Ki of 0.9 nMcitation needed, EC50 of 1.8 nM3). It also binds CB2, though with lower affinity (Ki of 23.2 nM). Its pronounced CB1 activity at sub-nanomolar concentrations underlies its extremely high potency relative to many other cannabinoid receptor ligands.
Pharmacokinetics
Absorption & half-lifenot documented yetMetabolitesnone documented yet
Interactions
Interactions not written up yet
An unlisted combination is an unknown one, not a safe one. Check a dedicated combination chart before mixing.
Tolerance
Tolerance timelines are rules of thumb, not exact schedules, and vary widely between individuals and use patterns.
Cross Tolerance
Cannabinoids (both synthetic and plant-derived)
Harm Potential
Addiction & Dependence
Psychological
LowClassified as habit-forming. Psychological dependence may develop with regular use, similar to other synthetic cannabinoids.citation needed
Toxicity
Lethal Dosage
Its extremely high potency and inclusion in synthetic cannabinoid blends make it dangerous, and it has caused death in overdose, with use linked to hospitalizations and fatalities. In an August 2018 event in New Haven, Connecticut, over 100 people required emergency transport after using synthetic cannabis containing AB-FUBINACA, with several in critical or life-threatening condition; no deaths resulted from that incident, and first responders attributed those overdoses to opiate adulterants.
History & Culture
AB-FUBINACA was initially synthesized by Pfizer in 2009 during research into novel analgesic compounds.citation needed The pharmaceutical company never advanced the substance to human clinical trials, and it was subsequently abandoned as a potential medication.…
Legality
International
AB-FUBINACA is included in Schedule II of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances. It was placed under international control in 2020.
By Country
Illegal14
United StatesIllegalControlled Substances Act; 21 CFR 1308.11(d)34
AB-FUBINACA is expressly listed as a Schedule I hallucinogenic substance in 21 CFR 1308.11(d)(53), with DEA drug code 7012.
AustriaIllegalSuchtgiftverordnung, Anhang IV.17
AB-FUBINACA is expressly listed in Anhang IV.1 of the Suchtgiftverordnung. Section 2(2) of that regulation treats substances listed under IV.1 as Suchtgifte under § 2(2) Suchtmittelgesetz, so it is subject to Austria's narcotic-drug controls.
BrazilIllegalRDC ANVISA nº 999, de 24 de novembro de 20258
AB-FUBINACA is expressly named at item 74 of Lista F2 in RDC ANVISA nº 999/2025. The resolution labels Lista F as substances of prohibited use in Brazil and Lista F2 as psychotropic substances; its F2 addendum also controls the listed substances’ salts and isomers where their existence is possible.
CanadaIllegalSchedule II, Controlled Drugs and Substances Act9
AB-FUBINACA is listed in Schedule II of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act as a synthetic cannabinoid receptor type 1 agonist. The Act makes unauthorized possession, production, trafficking, importation, and exportation of Schedule II substances offences.
DenmarkIllegalBekendtgørelse om euforiserende stoffer, BEK nr. 405 af 26/03/2026, Liste B, nr. 315
AB-FUBINACA is expressly listed as no. 3 on Liste B of the Danish order. Liste B substances may only be used for medical and scientific purposes; the order subjects their import, export, manufacture, trade, receipt, and possession to its permit and certificate rules.
FinlandBannedScheduled in a government decree on psychoactive substances prohibited from the consumer market, effective 19 October 2017. Production, import, sale, and possession for sale are prohibited.16
IrelandIllegalS.I. No. 176/2022, Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (Controlled Drugs) (Declaration) Order 2022; S.I. No. 210/2022, Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Regulations 2022; S.I. No. 211/2022, Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (Controlled Drugs) (Designation) Order 2022, as amended by S.I. No. 406/202519202122
Ireland declares AB-FUBINACA to be a controlled drug under S.I. No. 176/2022. It is listed in Schedule 1 to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 as substituted by S.I. No. 210/2022, and in the Schedule 1 drugs designated under section 13(1) by S.I. No. 211/2022. The designation order states that manufacture, production, preparation, sale, supply, distribution and possession of its Schedule 1 drugs are unlawful except for research or other specified special purposes; S.I. No. 406/2025 subsequently amends that Schedule by insertions without removing AB-FUBINACA.
JapanIllegalNarcotics, Narcotic Raw Materials Plants, Psychotropics and Narcotic and Psychotropic Raw Materials Designation Order (Cabinet Order No. 238 of 1990), art. 1(10)232425
AB-FUBINACA is a narcotic under Article 1(10) of the current Designation Order, which names its chemical substance and salts. The MHLW Controlled Substances List dated 12 December 2024 identifies AB-FUBINACA as category N, meaning Narcotic. MHLW's 8 July 2020 notice says that it was then a designated drug, but became a narcotic on the amended order's commencement and was no longer a designated drug.
NetherlandsIllegalOpiumwet, lijst I (artikel 2)26
AB-FUBINACA is expressly listed in lijst I of the Opiumwet under its chemical name. Article 2 prohibits importing or exporting, preparing, processing, selling, supplying, transporting, possessing, and manufacturing lijst I substances, subject to statutory exemptions and exemptions granted under the Act.
NorwayIllegalForskrift om narkotika (narkotikaforskriften) (FOR-2013-02-14-199)27
AB-FUBINACA is listed by name in chapter 1 as a P II substance. Its entry is marked "Forbudt etter § 5" (prohibited under section 5), so it is prohibited in Norway.
PhilippinesIllegalRepublic Act No. 9165, §§ 3(j), 93; Dangerous Drugs Board, Updated Lists of Scheduled Controlled Substances (6 July 2025)2829
The Dangerous Drugs Board's current list places AB-FUBINACA in Schedule II of the 1971 Convention and labels it ‘New 2020.’ Republic Act No. 9165 defines dangerous drugs to include substances in the Convention schedules and gives the Board power to add drugs to that list. Unauthorised importation, sale, manufacture, and possession of dangerous drugs are penalised under the Act.
SingaporeIllegalMisuse of Drugs Act 1973, First Schedule (Class A Drugs, paragraph 21(18))30
Singapore's Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 places AB-FUBINACA in the First Schedule as a controlled drug. It is expressly named in Class A Drugs, paragraph 21(18), by its chemical name and the alias AB-FUBINACA. Paragraph 21 also covers salts and stereoisomeric forms of its listed compounds, as well as preparations or products containing them.
ThailandIllegalThailand's FDA current controlled-substances table expressly lists AB-FUBINACA in Category I. The table identifies the controlled psychotropic-substance categories as being under the Narcotics Code. Thai FDA describes Category I psychotropic substances as having no medical use and a high likelihood or potential for abuse.
Controlled / restricted3
AustraliaRestrictedCustoms (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956, regulation 5 and Schedule 4 item 14AA6
The federal border-control restriction applies only to importation; it does not establish an export restriction or any domestic Australian legal status. Importation is prohibited unless the regulation 5 licence, permission, production, timing and quantity requirements are met.
GermanyRestrictedAB-FUBINACA ist in Anlage II des Betäubungsmittelgesetzes als verkehrsfähiges, aber nicht verschreibungsfähiges Betäubungsmittel aufgeführt. Der Umgang, einschließlich Herstellung, Handel, Ein- und Ausfuhr, Abgabe, Veräußerung, sonstigem Inverkehrbringen und Erwerb, bedarf grundsätzlich einer Erlaubnis des Bundesinstituts für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte nach § 3 Absatz 1 BtMG.
SpainRestrictedReal Decreto 2829/1977, anexo 1, lista II31
AB-FUBINACA figura expresamente en la lista II del anexo 1 del Real Decreto 2829/1977, en su texto consolidado vigente. La fabricación, tráfico e importación o exportación de las sustancias de las listas II–IV están sujetos a autorización y controles; la dispensación por farmacias de la sustancia requiere fórmula magistral prescrita en receta médica.
References
Source Pages
Citations
- Michael Hsin-Hung Chen, Aybike Dip, Mostafa Ahmed, Michael L. Tan, Jeffrey P. Walterscheid, Hua Sun, Ba-Bie Teng, & Ashraf Mozayani. (2016). Detection and Characterization of the Effect of AB-FUBINACA and Its Metabolites in a Rat Model. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 117(4), 1033–1043. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcb.254211
- Samuel D. Banister, Michael Moir, Jordyn Stuart, Richard C. Kevin, Katie E. Wood, Mitchell Longworth, Shane M. Wilkinson, Corinne Beinat, Alexandra S. Buchanan, Michelle Glass, Mark Connor, Iain S. McGregor, & Michael Kassiou. (2015). Pharmacology of Indole and Indazole Synthetic Cannabinoid Designer Drugs AB-FUBINACA, ADB-FUBINACA, AB-PINACA, ADB-PINACA, 5F-AB-PINACA, 5F-ADB-PINACA, ADBICA, and 5F-ADBICA. ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 6(9), 1546–1559. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.5b001121
- Sunjoo Kim, Dong Kyun Kim, Yongho Shin, Ji-Hyeon Jeon, Im-Sook Song, & Hye Suk Lee. (2020-10-08). In Vitro Interaction of AB-FUBINACA with Human Cytochrome P450, UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase Enzymes and Drug Transporters. Molecules, 25(19), Article 4589. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules251945891234
- World Health Organization. (2019). AB-FUBINACA: Critical Review Report. https://ecddrepository.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/final_ab-fubinaca.pdf1
- Dan Vergano. (2018). Experts Are Worried About A New Wave Of Dangerous Synthetic Cannabis. BuzzFeed News. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danvergano/synthetic-marijuana-spice-ab-fubinaca-overdoses1
- Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956. legislation.gov.au (n.d.). https://www.legislation.gov.au/F1996B03651/2026-03-26/2026-03-26/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html1
- Suchtgiftverordnung, Anhang IV. ris.bka.gv.at (n.d.). https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/eli/bgbl/ii/1997/374/ANL4/NOR402674551
- RDC ANVISA nº 999, de 24 de novembro de 2025. gov.br (n.d.). https://www.gov.br/anvisa/pt-br/assuntos/medicamentos/controlados/RDC9992025.pdf/@@display-file/file1
- Schedule II, Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. laws-lois.justice.gc.ca (n.d.). https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-38.8/section-sched95540.html?wbdisable=true1
- 我国管制毒品目录（2026年7月更新，540种+三大类）, Shenzhen Public Security Bureau, published 17 July 2026. ga.sz.gov.cn (n.d.). https://ga.sz.gov.cn/SZJDZX/SZBMFW/content/post_12898420.html1
Further Reading
NCBI: Overview of Synthetic Cannabinoids ADB-FUBINACA and AMB-FUBINACA- NCBI: The short-acting synthetic cannabinoid AB-FUBINACA induces physical dependence in mice
Trecki et al. 2015: Synthetic Cannabinoid-Related Illnesses and Deaths
WHO Expert Committee on Drug Dependence: AB-FUBINACA Critical Review
Article Status
Step 1 · Automated synthesisAn autonomous workflow built by Josie Kins compiled this article's foundation from information published across the web.
- Step 2 · First-pass reviewPending
Not yet reviewed — this article is pending editorial review by Lyrea.
- Step 3 · Citation reviewPending
No one has reviewed this article's citations yet. That second pass checks each claim against the source it cites.
Recent changes7 human edits · latest
Times are UTCNewest first
24 January 2026
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
Josie Kins · Updated the article · also 1,4-Butanediol, 1B-LSD, 1cP-AL-LAD and 573 more
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