Aug
What Do New Psychoactive Substances Look Like?
New psychoactive substances look like legal versions of drugs such as cannabis or MDMA, but are chemically modified to avoid regulation while producing similar psychoactive effects.
New psychoactive substances, often referred to as NPS, are synthetic compounds designed to imitate traditional illicit drugs. These substances are frequently sold in powder, tablet, liquid, or herbal form, and are marketed as legal or safer alternatives despite posing significant health risks.
What Are New Psychoactive Substances (NPS)?
New psychoactive substances are synthetic drugs created to mimic illegal drugs like cannabis or LSD, while avoiding legal classification through small chemical structure changes.
These drugs are manufactured in laboratories using modified chemical formulas that produce similar neurological effects as controlled substances. They may act as stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, or dissociatives depending on their composition.
Common categories of NPS include:
- Synthetic cannabinoids
- Synthetic cathinones
- Novel benzodiazepines
- Phenethylamines
- Tryptamines
- Synthetic opioids
Why Are New Psychoactive Substances Dangerous?
New psychoactive substances are dangerous because their chemical composition is often unknown, which increases the risk of overdose, toxicity, addiction, and severe psychological complications.
Since these drugs are frequently produced in unregulated laboratories, users cannot determine dosage strength or potential contaminants. This uncertainty significantly raises the likelihood of:
- Acute toxicity
- Cardiovascular complications
- Respiratory depression
- Hallucinations
- Seizures
- Fatal overdose
How Do Synthetic Cannabinoids Affect Mental Health?
Synthetic cannabinoids may impair executive function and mental flexibility, while increasing risks of anxiety, depression, psychosis, and long term cognitive dysfunction.
Clinical toxicology reports have shown that users of synthetic cannabinoids often experience:
| Mental Health Effect | Observed Risk |
|---|---|
| Anxiety disorders | Increased |
| Depressive symptoms | Increased |
| Psychotic tendencies | Increased |
| Executive dysfunction | Impaired |
| Memory performance | Reduced |
These neurological effects are significantly more unpredictable than those associated with natural cannabis use.
Which New Psychoactive Substances Are Being Considered for International Control?
Several new psychoactive substances are under international review due to their high toxicity, abuse potential, and association with fatal overdoses.
Substances currently under risk assessment include:
- Isotonitazene
- Flubromazolam
- Clonazolam
- Diclazepam
- Diphenidine
- 2 MeO diphenidine
- 3 MeO PCP
- 3 FPM
- 5 MeO DALT
- MDMB 4en PINACA
- CUMYL derivatives
These compounds are often marketed as legal substitutes for cannabis or prescription sedatives.
The rapid growth in their use has contributed to easier access to illicit drugs, lower costs, and a lack of effective ways of routine early detection of new psychoactive substances (NPS). While there is not yet a comprehensive list of commonly used medicines, our interest in these substances arose after the Home Office published a report on the possible replacement of the PSA ban on NPS as the most commonly used substance in the UK (Home Office, 2018). [Sources: 7, 12]
How Are New Psychoactive Substances Changing Global Drug Trends?
New psychoactive substances are contributing to shifts in global drug use by increasing accessibility, lowering costs, and complicating detection through routine toxicology screening.
Recent monitoring data suggests:
- NPS use accounted for 4.7 percent of total drug use in England and Wales
- 29.3 percent of drug related deaths involved synthetic compounds
- Lifelong NPS exposure reached 12 percent among individuals aged 12 to 34 in surveyed populations
The rapid evolution of synthetic drug formulations continues to challenge public health systems worldwide.
Are Synthetic Cathinones and Cannabinoids Used With Other Drugs?
Synthetic cathinones are frequently used alongside other substances, increasing the likelihood of acute toxicity, drug interactions, and fatal overdose events.
Polysubstance use involving NPS may result in:
- Increased stimulant toxicity
- Severe cardiovascular stress
- Neurochemical imbalance
- Central nervous system depression
- Sudden cardiac arrest
