New psychoactive substances

The use of new psychoactive substances (NPS), i.e. psychoactive substances not under international control that pose a health threat, has grown rapidly over the past decade, in contrast to the prevalence rates for the use of internationally controlled drugs, which seem generally to have stabilized in the same time period. Producing and marketing such substances holds the promise of high profits without penalty. When brought under control in one country, production and/or the distribution centres of these substances are shifted to another country so that the sales - often conducted via the Internet - can continue. In other cases, the substances are modified slightly so that they are not covered by the respective country’s legislation. The number of NPS reported by Member States to UNODC rose from 166 at the end of 2009 to 251 by mid-2012. This exceeds the total number of psychoactive substances currently controlled by the international drug conventions (234 substances).

Related Subject(s): Drugs Crime and Terrorism