JWH-048
Synthetic cannabinoid with high affinity for CB1 and CB2, classed as a narcotic in France through a generic clause.
C₂₆H₂₇NO
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.
Data sheet
Names
- IUPAC name
- (7-methylnaphthalen-1-yl)-(2-methyl-1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone
- Other names
- ZLS6Q88UQ8
Identifiers
- Formula
- C₂₆H₂₇NO
- Molar mass
- 369.50 g/mol
- CAS
- 316189-66-9
- PubChem CID
- 11280135(new tab)
- InChIKey
- HSGMJSSWGKDWNA-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Class
- Family
- Synthetic cannabinoid (SCRA)
Updated on
Receptors and activity
- CB1Agonist85 out of 100
Ki 10,7 nM, cerveau de rat (De Freitas et coll., 2009)
- CB2Agonist95 out of 100
Ki 0,49 nM, CB2 humain cloné (De Freitas et coll., 2009)
Subjective signature
- Calm
- 10 out of 100
- Relaxation of body and mind; reduced mental noise without marked drowsiness.
- Clarity
- 5 out of 100
- Sustained attention and clear thinking; functional lucidity, not euphoria.
- High
- 8 out of 100
- Euphoria and sensory intensity; altered perception of time and space.
- Appetite
- 10 out of 100
- Stimulation of hunger and of taste appreciation (the “munchies” effect).
- Sleep
- 10 out of 100
- Sedative effect: aids sleep onset and the continuity of deep sleep.
Pharmacology
JWH-048 is a synthetic cannabimimetic indole from the JWH series, combining an N-pentylated indole, a methyl group at position 2 and a naphthoyl group carrying a methyl at position 7. Published measurements place it among high-affinity ligands, with a Ki of 10.7 nM at CB1 and 0.49 nM at CB2. Its functional efficacy is not documented in the sources consulted, and no pharmacokinetic, toxicological or detection data is published in them.
Key sources.
- De Freitas et coll., modèles CoMFA et CoMSIA d'affinité et de sélectivité des ligands indoliques pour CB1 et CB2, Eur J Med Chem 2009 (new tab)PMID 19249138
- Aung et coll., influence de la longueur de la chaîne N-1 des indoles cannabimimétiques sur la liaison aux récepteurs CB1 et CB2, Drug Alcohol Depend 2000 (new tab)PMID 10940540
- Huffman et coll., relations structure-activité des 1-alkyl-3-(1-naphtoyl)indoles aux récepteurs CB1 et CB2, Bioorg Med Chem 2005 (new tab)PMID 15582455
- PubChem, CID 11280135 (JWH-048) (new tab)
- ChEMBL, CHEMBL564066 (JWH-048) (new tab)
- ANSM, liste consolidée des substances classées comme stupéfiants, mise à jour du 16 février 2026 (new tab)
- INCB, Green List 2026 (Convention de 1971) (new tab)
- JWH-048, Wikipédia (repère tertiaire) (new tab)
History
- Source
- Synthetic molecule, from the series of 1-alkyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indoles prepared in the laboratory. No source consulted reports it in cannabis or in another plant, nor in seized products or commercial mixtures.
Origin (pharmaceutical research → illicit market)
No known biosynthetic pathway: the molecule comes from organic synthesis, by acylation of an N-alkylated indole bearing a methyl group at position 2, using a naphthalene-1-carbonyl unit.
Legal framework
- European Union
No harmonised European Union control measure is documented for this molecule in the sources consulted: control rests with national legislation.
- France
Not named in the consolidated ANSM list of narcotics (updated 16 February 2026). It nonetheless falls under the generic definition of indol-3-yl methanones in that same list: an alkyl substituent on the indole nitrogen, and a naphthyl group, substituted or not, on the methanone carbon. Both conditions are met here (pentyl chain, naphthyl bearing a methyl at position 7). The methyl at position 2 is not excluded by the definition, which cites JWH-007, a 2-methylindole. It is therefore classed as a narcotic under this clause.
Sources: EUR-Lex, UNODC, CND, ANSM, IUPHAR/BPS, ChEBI, EUDA. Our method.
References
- De Freitas et coll., modèles CoMFA et CoMSIA d'affinité et de sélectivité des ligands indoliques pour CB1 et CB2, Eur J Med Chem 2009 (new tab)PMID 19249138
- Aung et coll., influence de la longueur de la chaîne N-1 des indoles cannabimimétiques sur la liaison aux récepteurs CB1 et CB2, Drug Alcohol Depend 2000 (new tab)PMID 10940540
- Huffman et coll., relations structure-activité des 1-alkyl-3-(1-naphtoyl)indoles aux récepteurs CB1 et CB2, Bioorg Med Chem 2005 (new tab)PMID 15582455
- PubChem, CID 11280135 (JWH-048) (new tab)
- ChEMBL, CHEMBL564066 (JWH-048) (new tab)
- ANSM, liste consolidée des substances classées comme stupéfiants, mise à jour du 16 février 2026 (new tab)
- INCB, Green List 2026 (Convention de 1971) (new tab)
- JWH-048, Wikipédia (repère tertiaire) (new tab)
Structured data
- SMILES
- CCCCCN1C(=C(C2=CC=CC=C21)C(=O)C3=CC=CC4=C3C=C(C=C4)C)C
- InChIKey
- HSGMJSSWGKDWNA-UHFFFAOYSA-N
LLM ingestion format: a structured superset of the entry (identifiers, binding, versioned legal status). Full corpus.