The accidental drug designer

John W. Huffman wants the world to know that he isn’t a drug lord, said David Zucchino in the Los Angeles Times. Over the past 27 years, the Clemson University scientist has created more than 400 synthetic cannabinoids—compounds that have the same effects on the body as marijuana. His goal was to study the effects of these chemicals on the brain’s regulation of pain, mood, and appetite using lab animals. Unfortunately, entrepreneurial drug dealers used Huffman’s formulas to create their own superstrong varieties of artificial marijuana, such as Spice and K2, which have surged in popularity in recent years.

“I always had a hunch that someday somebody would say, ‘Hey, let’s try smoking them,’” says the bearded 79-year-old. Three of Huffman’s formulas have been banned by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and critics have portrayed him as an evil mastermind. “I had a TV station in Moscow accuse me of trying to poison America’s youth.”

Huffman has never considered ingesting his compounds. “These things are dangerous.” But in the 1990s, he did smoke some “very high-quality Dutch hash” supplied by two colleagues from Amsterdam. The effects were similar to two martinis, he recalls, but the smoke burned his throat. “I decided to stick to martinis. They’re legal.”

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