2014 global synthetic drugs assessment: Amphetamine-type stimulants and new psychoactive substances

This report provides an analysis of the global synthetic drugs market and for this purpose includes both Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) and New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). The expansion of global ATS markets is of increasing concern, conveyed by the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem. This report aims to provide an improved understanding of the problem based on scientific evidence and experiences that show the complex interplay between the demand for and the supply of ATS in different contexts. Previous reports have focused on ATS, but given the growing presence of NPS on illicit drug markets, this report takes a more comprehensive view of the situation. Plant-based psychoactive substances, such as khat, have also been included in discussions on emerging NPS, as these have become of increasing concern in certain regions.

While the NPS issue is not new, it has gained in importance on an international level at the fifty-fifth session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in March 2012, when Member States decided to monitor emerging trends in the composition, production and distribution of NPS as well as patterns of use, and to share that information and adopt appropriate measures aimed at reducing supply and demand. The use of NPS that pose a health threat, has grown rapidly over the past decade and there have been increasing reports of the availability and manufacture of such substances. Given the fast-paced nature of the NPS market, there is a continued need for analysis of the scope and magnitude of the global synthetic drugs problem based on forensic and scientific data and qualitative information for effective policy decision-making.

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