AM-679.

AM-679 is a benzoylindole: a synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist built on an indole nucleus bearing a pentyl chain on the nitrogen and a 2-iodobenzoyl group at position 3. In the characterisation by Marusich and colleagues (2018) at human receptors, it binds with an affinity of 39.6 nM at the CB1 receptor, the lowest of the eight compounds tested, and 2.10 nM at CB2, with a low-potency activation of G proteins at CB1 (EC50 of 880.6 nM). In mice, the molecule substitutes for THC in drug discrimination, which signals cannabinoid-type effects, but its median effective dose (5.80 µmol/kg) is the highest of the eight compounds and close to that of THC (4.96 µmol/kg): it is the least potent of the series. The original patent reports higher affinities in rodent tissues (13.5 nM at CB1 and 49.5 nM at CB2); the two datasets diverge, notably for CB2. Nothing has been published on any activity at TRPV1, GPR55, PPARγ or 5-HT1A, and human data are entirely lacking.

Source

No natural origin. AM-679 exists neither in cannabis nor in any plant: it is a laboratory product. It was identified in powders seized in Hungary (Jankovics et al., 2012), then in Italy in illegal products (Gregori et al., 2013); a 2018 synthesis lists it among the compounds detected in Europe in powders, plant products, hair and serum samples (Marusich et al., 2018).

No known biosynthetic pathway: the molecule is entirely synthetic and has no plant equivalent.

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 appears in the lists of the EUDA and of UNODC recording the synthetic cannabinoids reported (Zangani et al., 2020), which is monitoring and not control. 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

AM-679 is classified as a narcotic in France, and cited by name. The ANSM consolidated list (updated 16 February 2026) cites it in annex IV, under the entry « AM-679 ou (2-iodophenyl) (1-pentyl- 1H-indol-3- yl)- méthanone », as an example (« notamment ») of the generic family of the « indol-3-yl methanones » (a substituent on the nitrogen of the alkyl, haloalkyl, cycloalkylmethyl or related type, and a naphthyl, benzyl, phenyl, cyclopropyl or adamantyl group on the carbon of the methanone bridge). This family was introduced into annex IV by the decree of 31 March 2017 (JORF of 6 April 2017); the date on which AM-679 was cited there as an example was not found. It is not a case of the clause covering tetrahydrocannabinols (annex III since the decision of 6 February 2026): the molecule is not a THC and appears on the list under its own name.

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

Family

Synthetic CB receptor agonist › New psychoactive substance

Class

benzoylindole

Verification

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

Wikipedia (English)

AM-679 (cannabinoid) (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, Wiley JL, Lefever TW, Patel PR, Thomas BF. Finding order in chemical chaos: continuing characterization of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists. Neuropharmacology, 2018 (AM-679 tested: human CB1/CB2 binding, [35S]GTPγS, stimulus discrimination in the mouse; table 1) (new tab)PMID 29113898
2. 2Makriyannis A, Deng H. Cannabimimetic indole derivatives. US patent 7241799 B2, University of Connecticut (priority 18 October 1999), table 2: AM679, Ki CB1 13.5 nM, CB2 49.5 nM (new tab)
3. 3Jankovics P, Váradi A, Tölgyesi L, Lohner S, Németh-Palotás J, Balla J. Detection and identification of the new potential synthetic cannabinoids 1-pentyl-3-(2-iodobenzoyl)indole and 1-pentyl-3-(1-adamantoyl)indole in seized bulk powders in Hungary. Forensic Science International, 2012 (new tab)PMID 21813254
4. 4Gregori A, Damiano F, Bonavia M, Mileo V, Varani F, Monfreda M. Identification of two cannabimimetic compounds WIN48098 and AM679 in illegal products. Science & Justice, 2013 (new tab)PMID 23937936
5. 5Mercier G, Mohamed KA, Zagzoog A, et al. In vitro pharmacological activity of twenty-eight synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists at the type 1 and 2 cannabinoid receptors. Neurochem Int. 2025 (abstract: full agonism and high potency of the synthetic agonists, THC a partial agonist) (new tab)PMID 40876783
6. 6Zangani C et al. The e-Psychonauts' 'Spiced' World: assessment of the synthetic cannabinoids' information available online. Curr Neuropharmacol 2020 (AM-679 in the UNODC, EUDA and NPSFinder lists) (new tab)PMID 32116194
7. 7ANSM, consolidated list of substances classified as narcotics, updated 16 February 2026 (annex IV, « indol-3-yl methanone » family, AM-679 cited as an example) (new tab)
8. 8Order of 31 March 2017 amending the order of 22 February 1990 (annex IV, « indol-3-yl methanone » family), Légifrance, JORF of 6 April 2017 (new tab)
9. 9PubChem, CID 57458891: AM-679, identifiers and formula (new tab)

SMILES

CCCCCN1C=C(C2=CC=CC=C21)C(=O)C3=CC=CC=C3I

Machine-readable entry (JSON)

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