AM-1220.

AM-1220 belongs to the aminoalkylindoles, naphthoylindole subfamily: an indole nucleus bearing a naphthalene-1-carbonyl group at position 3 and a (1-methylpiperidin-2-yl)methyl group on the nitrogen. Marusich et al. (Neuropharmacology 2018) measure an affinity Ki = 2.40 nM at the human CB1 receptor, with an EC50 of 44.4 nM in stimulation of [35S]GTPγS; Δ9-THC appears there with a Ki of 40.7 nM, a value from Showalter et al. (1996) reproduced in the table, a ratio of about seventeen. In mice, AM-1220 fully substitutes for THC in drug discrimination, with a median effective dose of 0.26 µmol/kg against 4.96 µmol/kg for THC, a potency about nineteen times higher. In the same [35S]GTPγS assay, its maximal response at CB1 (131.5%) is lower than that of the reference CP55,940 (163.3%): the study therefore does not allow the molecule to be classed as a partial or full agonist. The CB2 profile is atypical: sub-nanomolar affinity (Ki = 0.26 nM) without measurable stimulation of [35S]GTPγS through CB2. Andersen et al. (Eur J Pharmacol 2021) add a target outside the cannabinoid system: at a concentration maximal for CB1, AM-1220 is one of only three synthetic agonists tested to significantly activate the TRPV1 channel. Beyond these in vitro measurements and the animal model, human data are lacking: no controlled study, no pharmacokinetics in volunteers, and the only forensic case published that we found associates AM-1220 with two other synthetic agonists (MAM-2201 and AM-2232), which rules out attributing causality to it alone.

Source

Laboratory. No natural occurrence: a molecule arising from pharmaceutical research, diverted to the market for smokable herbal mixtures, where it is sprayed onto dried plant material sold under fanciful names. It was identified in 2012 in a « research chemical » bought online and in illegal products in Japan (Kneisel et al., 2012; Uchiyama et al., 2012), then in German herbal mixtures analysed in the autumn of 2012 (Langer et al., 2014).

No biosynthetic pathway: AM-1220 exists neither in hemp nor in any living organism. It is obtained by wholly synthetic means, within the aminoalkylindole chemical class. Described here by chemical class only.

European Union

The substance is not listed in the Annex to Council Framework Decision 2004/757/JHA (consolidated version of 12 January 2026), which lists the new psychoactive substances controlled at European Union level; control is a matter for national law. It does not appear in the schedules of the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances (green list of the INCB, 35th and 36th editions). France cites this molecule by name in annex IV of its list.

France

A narcotic in France, but through a generic family, with a mention as an example. AM-1220 is cited (« notamment ») in the ANSM consolidated list (updated 16 February 2026), in annex IV, under the generic family of the « indol-3-yl methanones »: a substituent on the nitrogen of the indole ring of the alkyl, haloalkyl, cycloalkylmethyl, 1-(N-methylpiperidin-2-yl)methyl or 2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl type, and a naphthyl, benzyl, phenyl, cyclopropyl or adamantyl group on the carbon of the methanone bridge. AM-1220, which bears a 1-(N-methylpiperidin-2-yl)methyl on the nitrogen and a naphthyl on the methanone bridge, meets this definition. The « indol-3-yl methanone » family was introduced into annex IV by the decree of 31 March 2017 (JORF of 6 April 2017); according to a reading of the decree of 3 October 2017 (JORF of 10 October 2017), which replaces the text of annex IV, AM-1220 was added to this list of examples on that date (it does not appear in the text of the decree of 31 March 2017). Possession, transfer and use fall under the criminal regime for narcotics.

Sources: EUR-Lex, UNODC, CND, ANSM, IUPHAR/BPS, ChEBI, EUDA. Our method.

Family

Synthetic CB receptor agonist › New psychoactive substance

Class

naphthoylindole

Verification

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

Wikipedia (English)

AM-1220 (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.

1. 1Marusich JA et al., Finding order in chemical chaos: continuing characterization of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists, Neuropharmacology 2018: CB1/CB2 affinity, [35S]GTPγS and THC substitution for AM-1220 (new tab)PMID 29113898
2. 2Andersen HK et al., Molecular signaling of synthetic cannabinoids: comparison of CB1 receptor and TRPV1 channel activation, Eur J Pharmacol 2021: activation of the TRPV1 channel by AM-1220 (new tab)PMID 34224700
3. 3Watanabe S, Kuzhiumparambil U, Fu S, Forensic Toxicol 2018: in vitro metabolism of AM1220 (human liver microsomes, Cunninghamella elegans) (new tab)PMID 29963209
4. 4Zaitsu K et al., Int J Legal Med 2015 (erratum 2016, PMID 26718839): determination by LC/Q-TOFMS of MAM-2201, AM-1220 and AM-2232 in post-mortem plasma and urine (new tab)PMID 26349566
5. 5Deng H et al., J Med Chem 2005: cannabinergic indole analogues (AM-2233 series); values for AM-1220 at rat CB1 and mouse CB2 read in ChEMBL (new tab)PMID 16190764
6. 6Langer N et al., Drug Test Anal 2014: identification and quantification of synthetic agonists in « spice »-type mixtures in Germany (autumn 2012) (new tab)PMID 23723183
7. 7D'Ambra TE et al., C-Attached aminoalkylindoles: potent cannabinoid mimetics, Bioorg Med Chem Lett 1996;6:17-22 (new tab)DOI 10.1016/0960-894X(95)00560-G
8. 8Kneisel S et al., Identification of the cannabimimetic AM-1220 and its azepane isomer in a research chemical and several herbal mixtures, Forensic Toxicol 2012;30:126-134 (new tab)DOI 10.1007/s11419-012-0137-6
9. 9Uchiyama N et al., Identification of two new-type synthetic cannabinoids (APICA, APINACA) and detection of five synthetic cannabinoids, including AM-1220 and AM-1248, in illegal products, Forensic Toxicol 2012;30:114-125 (new tab)DOI 10.1007/s11419-012-0136-7
10. 10ANSM, consolidated list of substances classified as narcotics, updated 16 February 2026 (annex IV, « indol-3-yl methanone » family, AM-1220 cited as an example) (new tab)
11. 11Order of 31 March 2017 amending the order of 22 February 1990: « indol-3-yl methanone » family of annex IV (Légifrance, JORF of 6 April 2017) (new tab)
12. 12INCB, Green List of psychotropic substances under international control, 36th edition, 2025: AM-1220 is not listed (AM-2201 and JWH-018 are) (new tab)
13. 13ChEMBL CHEMBL68641 (AM-1220): measured activities and source publications (new tab)

SMILES

CN1CCCCC1CN2C=C(C3=CC=CC=C32)C(=O)C4=CC=CC5=CC=CC=C54

Machine-readable entry (JSON)

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