Synthetic Drugs

New Synthetic / designer drugs are chemical psychoactive substances produced in laboratories. They include amphetamines, ecstasy and LSD.

Synthetic drugs like ecstasy have become popular through use at dance events and raves. Synthetic drugs pose a series of additional challenges.

The markets for these drugs often change rapidly with new substances or variations of the old ones becoming popular. They can be made cheaply and easily, and new types may appear at any time.

Production takes place in secret labs, and is often connected with organised crime.

Record Numbers of New Drugs being produced

Record number of new drugs  were officially reported to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) during 2009, according to the EMCDDA-Europol 2009 annual report.

Twenty-four new psychoactive substances were officially notified via the EU early warning system on new psychoactive substances last year, says the report the largest number ever and double the number reported the previous year.

All of the new substances were synthetic, including nine synthetic cannabinoids from four distinct chemical groups – and four synthetic cathinones.

Although no new piperazines or psychoactive plants were reported, the report says growing numbers of ecstasy tablets contain the piperazine mCPP – a substance previously covered in EMCDDA reports while the availability of MDMA appears to be in decline.

The ‘appearance of a large number of new unregulated synthetic compounds’ for sale on the internet represents a growing challenge, says the document.

Regarding mephedrone – recently banned in the UK  the report states ‘it is important to consider the threat that this may pose by creating momentum for an undesirable transition, from a mostly online ‘legal-highs’ market, originally driven by individual entrepreneurship, to one that involves organised crime.’