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LEGAL HIGHS. LEGAL HIGHS. NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES. WHAT ARE NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES?. bath salts methoxetamine 3-MeO-PCP 25C-NBOMe 3-FMC spice kratom salvia divinorum JWH-018 4-AcO-DET PRO-LAD TMFPP. mephedrone 0-desmethyltramadol MDPV piperazine beta-ketone
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bath salts methoxetamine 3-MeO-PCP 25C-NBOMe 3-FMC spice kratom salvia divinorum JWH-018 4-AcO-DET PRO-LAD TMFPP mephedrone 0-desmethyltramadol MDPV piperazine beta-ketone Methylone plant food nitrous oxide 2C-B-FLY bromo-dragonFLY 25I-NBOe AMT mCPP
WHAT ARE NOVEL PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES? They are psychoactive substances that are not scheduled by the UN drugs convention of 1961 or 1971
The primary characteristics of novel psychoactives that differentiate them from familiar illicit substances: • No clear data on measures of incidence or prevalence • No clear data on motivations for use • No clear data on patterns of use • No clear data on objectively measured adverse drug reactions
The rate at which new substances emerge: • 2008 - 13 • 2009 - 24 • 2010 - 41 • 2011 - ? • 2012 - ??
The sheer number of substances on offer is staggering - 1000’s!! • The Psychonaut Web Mapping Project; between Jan 2008 - Dec 2009 identified 412 novel psychoactive substances • 151 - chemical compounds • 121 - herbal compounds • 140 - combination of herbal/chemical
Opioids Hallucinogens Dissociatives Piperazines Entactogens Stimulants Sedatives Anabolic Steroids Aphrodisiacs alpha-methylfentanyl, MPPP, etc PRO-LAD, AMT, 2C-B-FLY, etc Methoxetamine, 3-MeO-PCP, etc BZP, TFMPP, etc MDE, MBDB, etc Mephedrone, MDPV, etc Methylmethaqualone, etc Prostanazol (analogue of Winstrol), etc Sulfoaildenafil (analogue of Viagra), etc Their utility and function has also broadened:
Novel psychoactives are either ‘discovered’ or ‘created’ • Discovered:By trawling through scientific literature to discover existing, but long forgotten, drugs that have similar subjective effects to common recreational drugs. For e.g. Mephedrone. • Created: By tweaking the molecular structure of existing drugs.
Why do novel psychoactive substances pose a particular challenge to policy makers, health practitioners, researchers, drug workers, etc? • Large number of substances • Broad utility/function • Increasing rate at which new substances emerge • Internet
What is in place to assist with these challenges? • Temporary class drug orders • Early warning systems (EMCDDA, ReDNet, Psychonaut Web Mapping Project) • Internet
www.erowid.orgwww.drugs-forum.comwww.bluelight.ruhttp://wiki.bluelight.ruwww.emcdda.europa.euwww.rednetproject.euwww.psychonautproject.euhttp://en.wikipedia.orgwww.erowid.orgwww.drugs-forum.comwww.bluelight.ruhttp://wiki.bluelight.ruwww.emcdda.europa.euwww.rednetproject.euwww.psychonautproject.euhttp://en.wikipedia.org