NM-2201.

NM-2201 is the naphthalen-1-yl ester of 1-(5-fluoropentyl)indole-3-carboxylic acid, a close relative of 5F-PB-22 from which it differs only by the replacement of the quinoline ring by a naphthalene. In the series studied by Hess and colleagues (Forensic Toxicology, 2016), the ester-linked compounds to which it belongs are the highest-affinity ones at CB1 (Ki of 0.217 to 0.468 nM), without marked selectivity between the two subtypes, and most compounds of the series behave as potent full agonists, whereas Δ9-THC is only a partial agonist. The same series finds no interaction with the orphan receptor GPR18, and nothing has been published on TRPV1, PPARγ or 5-HT1A. In mice, the molecule reproduces the effects of the cannabinoid tetrad, induces a conditioned place preference at low dose then an aversion at a higher dose, and a CB1 antagonist precipitates a withdrawal syndrome there. Beyond this, human data are lacking: no clinical study, no established dose-effect relationship, no pharmacokinetics measured in humans. The available knowledge rests on in vitro work, animal models and forensic observations.

Source

An entirely synthetic molecule, absent from cannabis as from any living organism. No plant produces it and no legally sold cannabidiol product contains it. According to the US drug enforcement agency, synthetic cannabinoids of this family come from foreign sources such as China and are smuggled in as bulk powder, then sprayed or mixed onto plant material or built into other products in clandestine workshops; NM-2201 has been found as a powder or mixed with dried leaves or herbal blends marketed for human use.

No known biosynthetic pathway: NM-2201 is produced by no plant or living organism. It belongs to organic synthesis alone. The description is deliberately limited here to the chemical class, the indole-3-carboxylates.

European Union

No act of the European Union names NM-2201: it is not among the substances named in the annex of Framework Decision 2004/757/JHA as supplemented by Directives (EU) 2017/2103, 2019/369, 2020/1687, 2021/802, 2022/1326 and 2025/2062, and its control rests with national law. Diao and colleagues noted in 2017 that it was already listed in Japan, Sweden and Germany. Internationally, the molecule is not in Schedule II of the 1971 Convention (Green List of the International Narcotics Control Board, 35th edition, 2024): there is no worldwide control measure. Outside Europe, the United States placed it in Schedule I on a temporary basis by an order of 10 July 2018, then permanently by a rule of 10 June 2021 (code 7221).

France

NM-2201 is scheduled as a narcotic in France, and by name. It appears in annex IV of the decree of 22 February 1990, in the consolidated list of ANSM (updated 16 February 2026), under the entry “NM-2201 or CBL-2201 or naphthalen-1-yl 1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indole-3-carboxylate”, among the examples given after the definition of the family “Derivatives of 3-carboxylate indole” (a substituent on the indole nitrogen, an 8-quinolinyl or 1-naphthalenyl group on the oxygen of the carboxylate bridge), alongside PB-22, BB-22, FUB-PB-22 and FDU-PB-22; 5F-PB-22 is named in annex III. The block of synthetic cannabinoids to which this entry belongs is tied in the list to several decrees (24 February 2009, 19 May 2015, 31 March 2017, 3 October 2017 and 14 October 2019), without the list saying which one scheduled this molecule. Production, import, possession, transfer and use fall under the criminal regime for narcotics, and no product legally sold in France may contain it.

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

Family

Synthetic CB receptor agonist › New psychoactive substance

Class

indole-3-carboxylate

Verification

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

Wikipedia (English)

NM-2201 (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. 1Hess et al., Forensic Toxicology, 2016: pharmacological evaluation of synthetic cannabinoids identified in « spice » (ester-linked subgroup including NM-2201: CB1 Ki 0.217 to 0.468 nM; GPR55, GPR18) (new tab)PMID 27429655
2. 2Diao et al., Forensic Toxicology, 2017: human in vitro and in vivo metabolism of NM-2201 (CBL-2201) (new tab)PMID 28286577
3. 3Kondrasenko et al., Forensic Science International, 2015: CBL-2201, report on a new designer drug, naphthalen-1-yl ester of 1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid (new tab)PMID 26386336
4. 4Shevyrin et al., Forensic Science International, 2014: new representatives of the indole-3-carboxylate and indazole-3-carboxylate series in smoking mixtures (new tab)PMID 25305529
5. 5Samra et al., BMJ Case Reports, 2017: acute disseminated encephalomyelitis after use of a product containing NM-2201 (new tab)PMID 28433979
6. 6Li et al., Psychopharmacology, 2025: pharmacological effects and abuse potential of 5F-EDMB-PICA, CUMYL-PEGACLONE and NM-2201 in mice (new tab)PMID 39402377
7. 7Bäckberg et al., Forensic Science International, 2023: in vitro CB1 activity of synthetic cannabinoids including NM-2201 (Swedish risk assessment strategy) (new tab)PMID 37116244
8. 8DEA, notice of intent of 30 May 2018: temporary placement of NM2201 and four other synthetic cannabinoids in Schedule I (83 FR 24696) (new tab)
9. 9DEA, final rule of 10 June 2021: placement of NM2201 (CBL2201) in Schedule I, code 7221; temporary order of 10 July 2018 (83 FR 31877) (new tab)
10. 10ANSM, consolidated list of substances classified as narcotics, updated 16 February 2026: NM-2201 or CBL-2201, annex IV, family of 3-carboxylate indole derivatives (new tab)
11. 11INCB, Green List of psychotropic substances under international control, 35th edition, 2024 (Schedule II: NM-2201 absent) (new tab)
12. 12PubChem, Compound Summary CID 91864534, NM-2201 (new tab)

SMILES

C1=CC=C2C(=C1)C=CC=C2OC(=O)C3=CN(C4=CC=CC=C43)CCCCCF

Machine-readable entry (JSON)

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