Abstract
New psychoactive substances (NPS) have proliferated at an unprecedented rate and have been reported from over a 100 countries worldwide. The NPS market is characterized by persistence (substances that emerge, spread and remain for several years) and change (substances that appear for a short time or only in local settings). The extent of NPS use remains unknown as new substances often emerge quickly, with patterns of use ranging from occasional, experimental and recreational use to problematic drug use. NPS are often sold as controlled drugs or as packaged NPS products that frequently contain mixtures of a variety of NPS. This exposes NPS users to additional serious health risks, as little or no scientific information is available to determine the adverse effects that these combinations may have. While the international community has made some progress in controlling NPS, significant efforts are necessary to effectively address the NPS phenomenon. These include enhancing the capacity for the detection and identification of NPS, developing monitoring systems that collect data on NPS, legislative responses, effective law enforcement initiatives and health interventions to reduce both the supply and the demand of NPS.
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Notes
- 1.
The EWA is administered by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Laboratory and Scientific Section through the Global SMART Programme.
- 2.
Up to July 2012.
- 3.
United Nations (2013) The International Drug Control Conventions. Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 as amended by the 1972 Protocol; Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 of United Nations; United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988.
- 4.
Seizures of synthetic NPS do not include seizures of plant-based substances and ketamine.
- 5.
The analysis covered the pharmacological effects of 621 synthetic NPS registered in the UNODC Early Warning Advisory up to December 2015. Plant-based substances were excluded from the analysis, as they usually contain a large number of different substances, some of which may not even be known or may have effects and interactions that are not fully understood. The pharmacological effects of the remaining substances could not be determined with certainty on the basis of the available scientific data.
- 6.
Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, as amended by the 1972 Protocol: AH-7921; Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971: 25B-NBOMe, 25C-NBOMe and 25I-NBOMe; N-benzylpiperazine, JWH-018, AM-2201, mephedrone, 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and methylone.
- 7.
Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, as amended by the 1972 Protocol: acetylfentanyl and MT-45. Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971: para-methoxymethylamphetamine (PMMA), Schedule I, α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP), para-methyl-4-methylaminorex (4,4′-DMAR), methoxetamine (MXE) and phenazepam.
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Tettey, J.N., Levissianos, S. (2017). The Global Emergence of NPS: An Analysis of a New Drug Trend. In: Corazza, O., Roman-Urrestarazu, A. (eds) Novel Psychoactive Substances. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60600-2_1
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