2C-B, also referred to by a number of slang names, is known to circulate in the illicit market in multiple forms:[6][7] as a powder, in capsules or pills.

[1] 2C-B was first sold commercially as a purported aphrodisiac[9] under the trade name "Erox", which was manufactured by the German pharmaceutical company Drittewelle.

[10] For several years, it was available as tablets in Dutch smart shops under the name "Nexus" and "B-Dub".

[citation needed] 2C-B became briefly popular in the United States as substitute for the street drug ecstasy (MDMA) when the latter became illegal in 1985.

[9] There are claims that 2C-B was used as entheogen by the Sangoma, Nyanga, and Amagqirha people in place of their traditional plants; they refer to the chemical as Ubulawu Nomathotholo, which roughly translates to "Medicine of the Singing Ancestors".

[18] At 5–10 mg, experiments with young chickens have shown it to produce effects similar to a low dosage of amphetamines.

[20] With insufflation, the effects are more abrupt and intense but have a significantly shorter duration, while oral usage results in a milder, longer experience.

The September 1998 issue of Journal of Analytical Toxicology reported that very little data exists about the pharmacological properties, metabolism, and toxicity of 2C-B.

Severe adverse reactions are extremely rare, but use of 2C-B was linked to significant brain injury in one case report; the alleged "2C-B" was never actually discovered by testing so the only evidence suggesting 2C-B was the cause was the victim's own words, without taking into consideration that adulteration and impurities are very common in illicit drugs.

It was reported in PiHKAL, by Alexander Shulgin, that a psychologist had accidentally taken a 100 mg dose orally without apparent harm.

[30] Researchers in Spain found that 2C-B samples in the country doubled between 2006 and 2009, switched from primarily powder form to tablets, and exhibited "low falsification rates".

[29] Unlike most psychedelics, 2C-B has been shown to be a low efficacy human serotonin 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptor partial agonist.

The rank order of 5-HT2A receptor antagonist potency for this family of drugs in Xenopus is 2C-I > 2C-B > 2C-D > 2C-H.[41] Although 2C-B itself was not evaluated, other closely related members of the 2C series, including 2C-C, 2C-D, 2C-E, 2C-I, and 2C-T-2, all showed no activity as monoamine releasing agents of serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine (EC50Tooltip half-maximal effective concentration = >100,000 nM or "inactive").

[43] 2C-B has been shown to be metabolized by liver hepatocytes, resulting in deamination and demethylation that produces several products.

Most simple alkyl derivatives were considerably less potent than 2C-B, with N-ethyl-2CB for instance having a 40 times lower affinity for the 5-HT2A receptor.

[49] This initial research did not include functional assays of activity, but later led to the development of potent substituted N-benzyl derivatives such as 25B-NBOMe,[50] and 25B-NBOH.

The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs added 2C-B to Schedule II of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances in March 2001.

It was placed on Schedule One of the Drugs Misuse and Trafficking Act when it first came to notice in 1994, when in a showcase legal battle chemist R. Simpson was charged with manufacturing the substance in Sydney.

2C-B is not specifically listed in the Australia Poisons Standard (October 2015), however similar drugs such as 2C-T-2 and 2C-I are making 2C-B fall under the Australian analogue act.

Banned as a narcotic drug with a criminal penalty for possession of at least 10 mg.[63] In Spain, 2C-B was added to Category 2 prohibited substances in 2002.