The presence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has in recent decades risen significantly. NPS is an umbrella term for various forms of psychoactive substances that are a substitute for illicit drugs on the market. The largest group of NPS which EMCDDA is monitoring is the group of synthetic cannabinoids which serves as legal substitutes for cannabis. These compounds can be easily purchased online and has a misleading labels, effectively avoiding legal control. Despite all that, usage of these substances can have serious consequences on public health. The purpose of this research was to discover the widespread and the type of new synthetic cannabinoids both in Europe and Slovenia between years 2008 and 2021. The source of analysis was the European New Drugs Database (EDNDII), EMCDDA annual reports and reports from the Slovenian National Institute of Public Health. The analysis has shown worrying findings that between 2008 and 2021, a total of 228 different synthetic cannabinoids had appeared across Europe. The largest increase was found between 2011 and 2015. In this period of analysis of all the newly discovered cannabinoids as many as 19 appeared for the first time in Slovenia. The leading member in this category is Germany where 53 new cannabinoids were discovered in the same period. Synthetic cannabinoids that can pose a serious risk to public health are subject to intensive monitoring. Currently they intensely monitor 5 cannabinoides. Since 2016, 7 synthetic cannabinoids have received official risk assessments by the EMCDDA, all of which are involved in more than 100 deaths. While conducting our research we were also interested in the what way the NPS were discovered. The EMCDDA classifies the occurrence of new synthetic compounds into three categories: seized, collected on intended collection points and taken from a biological sample (blood, saliva, etc.). As part of this analysis we also reviewed the of synthetic cannabinoids which were included in the list of illicit drugs in Slovenia between 2008 and 2021. The data show that despite the efforts of EMCDAA members to limit the availability of new psychoactive substances as much as possible, the group of synthetic cannabinoids still remains widely available throughout Europe. The unknown risk to public health is the single most important factor and motivation that the new substances should be discovered as soon as possible so that the relevant institutions can respond appropriately in a timely and effective manner.
|