Presentation by Roumen Sedefov (European Monitoring Center for Drug and Drug Addictions (EMCDDA)) on the occasion of the EESC hearing on New Psychoactive Substances (Brussels, 27 November 2013)

1. New drugs
New psychoactive substances
Analysing the problem
Roumen Sedefov
European Economic and Social Committee, Public Hearing, 27 November 2013

2. I will ask and maybe answer…
• What are NPS and what do we know about them?
• Why should we be concerned about them?
• What information do we need in order to respond
effectively to them?

3. From designer drugs to legal highs
How did we get here? The role of globalisation and innovation

4. The new drug phenomenon in the EU today
Four broad and overlapping groups
• Designer drugs: produced in clandestine labs and
sold on illicit drug market as replacements for
‘ecstasy’ or ‘speed’ or heroin. Users mostly unaware
that they are taking them
• Legal highs: produced by chemical companies and
sold on open market, often as branded products in
sophisticated packaging. Sold on the Internet, in head
shops and by street-level drug dealers
• Dietary supplements: sold on open market aimed
at people going to the gym, looking to loose weight.
Sold on Amazon and eBay
Limited data on toxicity and harms
• Medicines: diverted within Europe or imported

5. Huge growth in number, type and availability
303 new drugs notified 2005–2013, 67 notified in 2013 so far…
More than 200 have
been notified since
2010

6. Types of products & users are also broadening
out…
• Traditionally most new drugs were marketed to ‘recreational’ users:
psychonauts, early adopters (dance music fans)
• Diffusion may have then spread to the broader population (e.g.
mephedrone)
• Now seeing both branded and unbranded products used by:
• lifestyle users: gym-goers (‘Craze’, DMAA), weight loss, other
enhancement reasons (phenibut)
• problematic users: IV opioid injectors using stimulants (mephedrone and
MDPV) or fentanyls (ocfentanyl, carfentanyl)
• self-medication (overlap with all user groups): e.g. importation of noncontrolled benzodiazepines from outside EU

7. Seizures of synthetic cannabinoids
Multi-kilogram quantities usually shipped from China
Amount
Cannabinoid
Date
54 kg
JWH-018 quinolinylcarboxylate derivative
Nov 2012
7 kg
JWH-018 carboxamide derivative
Jul 2012
5 kg
JWH-073
Aug 2012
21 kg
JWH-018 adamantyl carboxamide derivative
Jul 2012
10 kg
5F-UR-144
Jan 2013
20 kg
AM-2201
Jan 2013

8. Processing and packaging in Europe
Potent synthetic cannabinoids sold as 'herbal' smoking mixtures

9. Internet shops and bricks and mortar shops
The Internet plays a key role in shaping the market
693 online shops identified in
2012 selling to EU

10. Lifetime use of 'legal highs' in the EU
15–24 year olds, percentage by country, n > 12000
In certain countries some new substances that imitate the
effects of illicit drugs are being sold as legal substances in the
form of - for example - powders, tablets/pills or herbs. Have
you ever used such substances?

11. Mephedrone…
Last year use in the United Kingdom
2010/11:
Ages 16-24: 4.4% ~ cocaine, the second
most used drug
Ages 16-59: 1.4% ~ ecstasy, the third
most used drug
2011/12:
Ages 16-24: 3.3% ~ ecstasy, the third
most used drug
Ages 16-59: 1.1%

12. Do NPS have other uses?
Examples…
• Medicines: phenazepam, GHB, pregabalin, etizolam, carfentanil, ketamine
• Intermediates for synthesis of API: mCPP, 2-AI, other?
(both groups excluded from risk assessment and control at EU level)
• Industrial chemicals: GBL, 1,4 BD
• Scientific research & developmental, potential medicines?

13. Detecting and responding to harms
EWS is an event-based monitoring system allowing early detection of signals of harm
4-MA and 5-IT: risk assessed in 2013 and subject to
controls
25I-NBOMe: phenethylamine, often sold as LSD, large seizures of
blotters, seizures of bulk powders (China)
• Identified in 14 countries, 30+ non-fatal intoxications reported,
some very serious
AH-7921: synthetic opioid, sold as ‘research chemical’
• Identified in 6 countries, 10 deaths reported
MDPV: synthetic cathinone, sold as ‘legal high’, ‘research chemical’,
and on illicit drug market
• Identified in 17 countries, large seizures, 40 deaths reported
Methoxetamine: ketamine derivative, sold as ‘legal high’, ’research
chemical’ and on illicit market as ketamine
• Identified in 12 countries, 9 deaths reported

14. Knowledge gaps and areas that require
strengthening
• Toxicovigilance: acute emergencies, poisons centres, deaths
• Better epidemiological data across the board
• Better understanding of motives of use and models of diffusion potential
and interplay with illicit drug market
• Internet monitoring
• Better detail on major production sites and seizures
• Producer countries and trends in production
• Availability and trends at global level

15. EMCDDA
EWS@emcdda.europa.eu
www.emcdda.europa.eu/drug-situation/new-drugs