Det stemmer at det ble syntetisert av en professor, men det var aldri ment å skulle brukes som rusmiddel eller medisin.

John W. Huffman, an organic chemist at Clemson University, synthesized analogues and metabolites of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal active component of cannabis. JWH-018 is one of these analogues, with studies showing an affinity for the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor five times greater than that of THC.