2nd International Conference on Novel Psychoactive Substances

Following the success of last year’s International conference in Budapest, we are pleased to announce that this year’s conference will be hosted by the esteemed College of Human and Health Sciences at Swansea University, in collaboration with Hertfordshire University and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

Novel recreational drugs are often misrepresented as ‘safe’ for recreational use; however they can be just as harmful and addictive as other stimulant drugs such as cocaine or amphetamine. Our panel of international experts will be examining the latest scientific research in this ever changing world and will aim to highlight the dangers these drugs represent, the importance of knowing their effects and strategies to reduce their use.

Successful meeting, and we are very pleased to announce that Swansea University in Wales has been chosen to host the second conference.

It is being jointly organised by three organizations.

• The School of Human and Health Sciences at Swansea University www.swansea.ac.uk
• The School of Life and Medical Sciences at Hertfordshire University (UH) www.herts.ac.uk
• The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) in Lisbon www.emcdda.europa.eu. The EMCDDA is a European Union information agency. Its mission is to provide the EU and its Member States with an evidence base on the European drugs problem to inform policymaking and practice.

In the past 25 years a variety of novel recreational drugs have become available, and they are often misrepresented as ‘safe’ for recreational use. These novel drugs are often sold via the Internet, where information on their effects is minimal or inaccurate. When mephedrone (‘M-cat’; ‘meow meow’) was first introduced a few years ago it was not categorized as illegal, and this led many young people to believe that it was safe. However we now know that it can just be as damaging and addictive as other stimulant drugs – such as cocaine or amphetamine. Cannabis supplies have also increased in strength, while new artificial ‘spice’ cannabinoids can be even more damaging, and have sometimes been lethal.

Click here to read more information.

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