Polysubstance use patterns and novel synthetics: A cluster analysis from three U.S. cities

Abstract The rapid emergence of novel psychoactive substances within the past decade has raised new concerns about the harms associated with unregulated drug use. Synthetic analogues—chemically related to established psychoactive substances like cannabis sativa and catha edulis—in particular have proliferated rapidly, allowing little opportunity for scientific research or the establishment of informal guidelines for safe use among consumers. To explore how synthetic substance use relates to other forms of use, this paper presents an analysis of polysubstance use among a