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Synthetic

JWH-122

A synthetic cannabinoid of the JWH series, a very potent CB1 agonist, scheduled as a narcotic in France.

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.

C₂₅H₂₅NO

CAS 619294-47-2

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

Updated on

In plain terms

JWH-122 is a molecule made entirely in a laboratory, with no link to hemp. Sold from 2010 in smoking plant mixtures, it acts on the same receptors as THC and is a potent agonist of these receptors. It is scheduled as a narcotic in France and has no business being in a CBD product.

Receptors and activity

Target network

CB1Agonistpotent agonist; THC-like effects in rhesus monkeys antagonised by rimonabant (pKB 6.65, 10.7-fold shift), duration of action 1 to 2 h
  • Activates

The lower the cited value, the closer the target sits to JWH-122: 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 JWH-122.

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. CB1Agonistno measured value cited

    potent agonist; THC-like effects in rhesus monkeys antagonised by rimonabant (pKB 6.65, 10.7-fold shift), duration of action 1 to 2 h

  2. CB2Agonistno measured value cited

    potent agonist (Martínez 2021); no structured Ki value, not verified in an open source

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

JWH-122 is a naphthoylindole of the JWH series, the 4-methylated analogue of JWH-018. It is a potent agonist of the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors. In rhesus monkeys, its THC-like effects are antagonised by rimonabant, a selective CB1 antagonist, and last one to two hours, which confirms this pathway. Human data are almost entirely lacking: a single observational study, published in 2021 on eight participants who smoked 1 mg, describes a rapid rise in blood pressure and heart rate, for reported subjective effects that were minimal. No controlled clinical trial has been conducted, no therapeutic use is established, and nothing is documented on medium- and long-term consequences.

Key sources.

History

Source
An entirely synthetic molecule, absent from hemp as from any living organism. It was prepared in a university laboratory as part of pharmacological research on the cannabinoid receptors, then diverted to smoking plant mixtures sold under changing trade names, where it is sprayed onto plant material.

Origin

Laboratory synthesis

No biosynthetic pathway: JWH-122 exists in no plant or living organism, and hemp does not produce it. It comes exclusively from organic synthesis. No preparation protocol is described here.

Classification

Family, origin and source verification

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)

JWH-122 (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. Huffman et al., Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, 2005: structure-activity relationships of 1-alkyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indoles at the CB1 and CB2 receptors (JWH series) (new tab)PMID 15582455
  2. Martínez et al., Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2021: acute effects and salivary concentrations of JWH-122 and JWH-210 in humans after self-administration, observational study (new tab)PMID 34489699
  3. Hruba and McMahon, Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2017: effects of JWH-122 antagonised by rimonabant in rhesus monkeys (new tab)PMID 28533288
  4. Jang et al., Forensic Science International, 2014: major metabolites of MAM-2201 and JWH-122 for distinguishing their use (new tab)PMID 25195129
  5. Davidsen et al., AAPS Journal, 2019: in vitro metabolism and intrinsic hepatic clearance of JWH-122 and its four ω-halogenated analogues (new tab)PMID 31093790
  6. Coppola and Mondola, Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2017: a case of persisting perception disorder after use of JWH-122 (new tab)PMID 28441106
  7. Hutter et al., Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 2012: major urinary metabolites of seven aminoalkylindole-type synthetic cannabinoids, including JWH-122 (new tab)PMID 22282090
  8. ANSM, consolidated list of substances classified as narcotics, updated 16 February 2026, annex IV, entry JWH-122 (new tab)
  9. Order of 19 May 2015 amending the Order of 22 February 1990 setting the list of substances classified as narcotics (text cited by the ANSM list for this block of cannabinoids), Légifrance (new tab)
  10. INCB, Green List of psychotropic substances under international control, 35th edition, 2024 (Schedule II: JWH-122 absent) (new tab)
  11. PubChem, JWH-122, CID 44466638 (new tab)

Identifiers

Names

IUPAC name
(4-methylnaphthalen-1-yl)-(1-pentylindol-3-yl)methanone
Other names
JWH 122

Identifiers

Formula
C₂₅H₂₅NO
CAS
619294-47-2
PubChem CID
44466638(new tab)
InChIKey
HUKJQMKQFWYIHS-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES
CCCCCN1C=C(C2=CC=CC=C21)C(=O)C3=CC=C(C4=CC=CC=C43)C

Machine-readable entry (JSON)

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