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Synthetic

5F-MDMB-PICA

A synthetic cannabinoid, a full CB1 agonist, a narcotic: human data are lacking.

Narcotic: named in schedule
Level of detail

Harm-reduction warning

No characterised human dose: animal / in vitro data only. Effect profile, safety margin and acute toxicity are not documented in human clinical practice. Extremely potent compound: severe effects, seizures and deaths reported in the literature.

C₂₁H₂₉FN₂O₃

CAS 1971007-88-1

Family
Synthetic CB receptor agonistNew psychoactive substance
Molar mass
376.47 g/mol

Updated on

In plain terms

5F-MDMB-PICA has nothing in common with CBD: it is a laboratory molecule found in smoking plant mixtures, powders and liquids. It acts on the same receptors as cannabis. It was found in mass-overdose episodes in the United States in 2018 and in death cases, almost always together with other substances. It is classed as a narcotic in France and is in Schedule II of the 1971 Convention.

Receptors and activity

Target network

CB1AgonistEC50 = 0.5 nM · humanmembrane potential (FLIPR), Emax 110%
  • Activates

The lower the cited value, the closer the target sits to 5F-MDMB-PICA: one ring per factor of 100. A target with no measured value stays on the edge.

Where these targets live

Where each target has been found in humans, according to the cited studies. The map shows the target, not an effect of 5F-MDMB-PICA.

Brain, side view
Body, front view
Blood

CB1CB1 found in 7 regions of the body

  1. Basal gangliadenseMost dense in basal ganglia outflow nuclei1
  2. CerebellumdenseVery dense in the cerebellum1
  3. HippocampusdenseVery high concentrations in the hippocampus2
  4. AmygdaladenseHigh concentrations in the amygdala2
  5. CortexpresentPresent throughout the neocortex2
  6. Adipose tissuepresentExpressed in adipose tissue3
  7. GutpresentColonic epithelium, smooth muscle and plexus4

Map sources

  1. Herkenham M et al. Cannabinoid receptor localization in brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 1990 (new tab)
  2. Glass M et al. Cannabinoid receptors in the human brain: a detailed anatomical and quantitative autoradiographic study in the fetal, neonatal and adult human brain. Neuroscience, 1997 (new tab)
  3. Engeli S et al. Activation of the peripheral endocannabinoid system in human obesity. Diabetes, 2005 (new tab)
  4. Wright K et al. Differential expression of cannabinoid receptors in the human colon: cannabinoids promote epithelial wound healing. Gastroenterology, 2005 (new tab)

Cited values

  1. CB1AgonistEC50 = 0.5 nM · human89 out of 100

    Banister et al. 2016, ACS Chem Neurosci (value reported by WHO, 42nd ECDD, 2019) (new tab) · membrane potential (FLIPR), Emax 110%

  2. CB2AgonistEC50 = 7.4 nM · human69 out of 100

    Banister et al. 2016, ACS Chem Neurosci (value reported by WHO, 42nd ECDD, 2019) (new tab) · membrane potential (FLIPR), Emax 94%

Bar length follows the measured value (Ki, Kd, EC50 or IC50), on one scale shared by every entry, from 100 µM to 0.1 nM. A target with no cited value has no bar.

Pharmacology

5F-MDMB-PICA belongs to the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists of the indole-3-carboxamide type, tert-leucinate subfamily, and is the indole analogue of 5F-ADB. The in vitro assays reported by WHO describe it as a full agonist at human CB1, with an EC50 of 0.45 nM and a maximal effect of 110%, where Δ9-THC shows an EC50 of 171 nM for a maximal effect of 50%; at CB2, the EC50 is 7.4 nM. In 2019, WHO identified no clinical study, no human pharmacokinetic data, no dependence study and no experimental toxicology. The available data come from the field: in August 2018 in New Haven (Connecticut), 52 patients made 109 emergency visits (altered mental status in 51 of them, agitated delirium in 13, seizures in 5); urine from 21 patients contained 5F-MDMB-PICA (5 cases), 5F-ADB and FUB-AMB metabolites (20 cases) and fentanyl (4 cases). In September 2018, at least 244 overdoses were reported within six days in Washington, with 5F-ADB and other synthetic cannabinoids. WHO stresses that the published information is aggregated and that a causal link specific to 5F-MDMB-PICA cannot be established.

Key sources.

History

Source
A wholly synthetic molecule, absent from cannabis and from any living organism. According to the WHO report (2019), it was found in seizures of plant mixtures and powders in thirteen European countries; synthetic cannabinoids are generally imported from Chinese suppliers and prepared locally as plant-based mixtures.

Origin

Laboratory synthesis

No known biological pathway: this molecule is not biosynthesised and exists in no living organism. It is a synthetic molecule of the indole-3-carboxamide class, described here by its chemical class only.

Classification

Family, origin and source verification

Family

Synthetic CB receptor agonist › New psychoactive substance

Class

indole-3-carboxamide

Verification

Classification, sources and binding values checked on 20 October 2026; text read against its sources and Wikipedia.

Wikipedia (English)

5F-MDMB-PICA (new tab)

Article paired by the molecule's structure (InChIKey), revision read on 19 October 2026. Read as a second opinion, never cited as a source.

References

  1. WHO, Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, 42nd meeting: critical review report on 5F-MDMB-PICA (2019) (new tab)
  2. Banister et al. · ACS Chem Neurosci 2016 (new tab)PMID 27421060
  3. Sommer et al. · Addiction 2026 (new tab)PMID 41423817
  4. Noble et al. · Drug Test Anal 2019 (new tab)PMID 30280499
  5. Mogler et al. · Drug Test Anal 2018 (new tab)PMID 28371476
  6. Truver et al. · Drug Test Anal 2020 (new tab)PMID 31461219
  7. UNODC, entry into force of the decisions of the 63rd session of the CND (3 November 2020) (new tab)

Identifiers

Names

IUPAC name
methyl (2S)-2-[[1-(5-fluoropentyl)indole-3-carbonyl]amino]-3,3-dimethylbutanoate
Other names
5F-MDMB-2201 · 5-Fluoro-MDMB-PICA

Identifiers

Formula
C₂₁H₂₉FN₂O₃
CAS
1971007-88-1
PubChem CID
129597835(new tab)
InChIKey
CHSUEEBESACQDV-GOSISDBHSA-N
SMILES
CC(C)(C)[C@@H](C(=O)OC)NC(=O)C1=CN(C2=CC=CC=C21)CCCCCF

Machine-readable entry (JSON)

LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.