The law enforcement neurobiology of the „bika” (bull) drug

Abstract

Recently, a new drug, called „bika” (bull) in Hungarian, received considerable media attention. The drug is notorious for driving its consumers into a deep state of delirium and even killing some of them. Law enforcement seizures revealed that the „bika” was in fact the synthetic cannabinoid called 4F-MDMB-BICA, which was identified for the first time in Hungary at the end of May 2020. Here we describe the effects and mechanism of action of the „bika”, identify its very close „relatives”, and provide a domestic and international overview of the specifics of its use. The main aim is to draw attention on the presence of this drug on the illegal market. The article is for police professionals who are not necessarily familiar with the neurobiology of drugs; therefore, we start with the basics and reveal neurobiological details gradually to provide means for understanding of this new drug.