Toxicovigilance of new psychoactive substances – Perspectives from the EU Early Warning System

2015 ◽  
Vol 238 (2) ◽  
pp. S5 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Evans-Brown
Keyword(s):  
Early Warning ◽  
Early Warning System ◽  
Warning System ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
The Eu

scholarly journals New Psychoactive Substances: A Matter of Time

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 818-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flaminia Pantano ◽  
Silvia Graziano ◽  
Roberta Pacifici ◽  
Francesco Paolo Busardò ◽  
Simona Pichini
Keyword(s):  
Mechanism Of Action ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Early Warning System ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Screening Tests ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Poor Knowledge ◽  
Wide Range

In the last few years, a wide range of new psychoactive substances (NPS) have been produced and marketed to elude the controlled substance lists. These molecules enter the traditional illegal and web market with poor knowledge about their toxicity, mechanism of action, metabolism, abuse potential so that they are directly tested by the consumers. This perspective highlights the main issues connected with NPS: the celerity they enter and leave the market once included in the banning laws to be substituted by new legal analogues; the unavailability of analytical screening tests and certified standards to perform toxicological analyses; the time lag between NPS identification and inclusion in the controlled substances lists. Finally, the authors take a snapshot of the commitment of the Italian Early Warning System in highlighting the recent seizures of NPS as well as the distribution of NPS related intoxication and deaths as an example of what is happening in the European countries and internationally.

scholarly journals Beyond Legislative Veto Power: The Transformative Effects of the Early Warning System for Subsidiarity Control Ten Years Down the Line

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. e71934
Author(s):  
Karolina Borońska-Hryniewiecka
Keyword(s):  
Early Warning ◽  
Early Warning System ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Veto Power ◽  
Current Form ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Reality Check ◽  
Legislative Veto ◽  
Regulatory Culture ◽  
The Eu

The majority of European Union (EU) studies tend to be critical of the Early Warning System (EWS) for subsidiarity control, deeming it as ineffective in blocking unwanted EU legislation. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to identify and discuss several transformative effects of the EWS connected with the quality and democratic character of the EU governance, beyond the tool’s legislative veto power. A critical review of the EWS’ interpretations as an accountability mechanism, Europeanization engine, parliamentary autonomy enhancing tool, platform of politicization of Europe, as well as an instrument improving the Commission’s regulatory culture reveals that —although flawed by design— the modus operandi of the EWS has in fact contributed to reinforcing the input legitimacy of the EU. The argument is also made that the EWS should be viewed as a sort of ‘reality-check’ for the EU’s legislative moderation, thus enhancing the ‘perceived output legitimacy’ of the EU policy-making. The paper, however, concludes that although the positive effects of the EWS ought to be recognized and valued, the mechanism in its current form has exhausted its democratic potential and needs to be complemented with new forms of representative politics in EU affairs.

scholarly journals Acute Pharmacological Effects and Oral Fluid Biomarkers of the Synthetic Cannabinoid UR-144 and THC in Recreational Users

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 257
Author(s):  
Nunzia La Maida ◽  
Esther Papaseit ◽  
Lucia Martínez ◽  
Clara Pérez-Mañá ◽  
Lourdes Poyatos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Early Warning System ◽  
Oral Fluid ◽  
Subjective Effects ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Pharmacological Effects ◽  
The Eu

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are one of the most frequent classes of new psychoactive substances monitored by the EU Early Warning System and World Health Organization. UR-144 is a SC with a relative low affinity for the CB1 receptor with respect to that for the CB2 receptor. As with other cannabinoid receptor agonists, it has been monitored by the EU Early Warning System since 2012 for severe adverse effects on consumers. Since data for UR-144 human pharmacology are very limited, an observational study was carried out to evaluate its acute pharmacological effects following its administration using a cannabis joint as term of comparison. Disposition of UR-144 and delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) was investigated in oral fluid. Sixteen volunteers smoked a joint prepared with tobacco and 1 or 1.5 mg dose of UR-144 (n = 8) or cannabis flowering tops containing 10 or 20 mg THC (n = 8). Physiological variables including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and cutaneous temperature were measured. A set of Visual Analog Scales (VAS), the Addiction Research Centre Inventory (ARCI)-49-item short form version and the Evaluation of the Subjective Effects of Substances with Abuse Potential (VESSPA-SSE) were administered to evaluate subjective effects. Oral fluid was collected at baseline, 10, 20, 40 min and 1, 2, 3 and 4 h after smoking, for UR-144 or THC concentration monitoring. Results showed significant statistical increases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate after both UR-144 and cannabis smoking. Both substances produced an increase in VAS related to stimulant-like and high effects, but scores were significantly higher after cannabis administration. No hallucinogenic effects were observed. Maximal oral fluid UR-144 and THC concentrations appeared at 20 and 10 min after smoking, respectively. The presence of UR-144 in oral fluid constitutes a non-invasive biomarker of SC consumption. The results of this observational study provide valuable preliminary data of the pharmacological effects of UR-144, showing a similar profile of cardiovascular effects in comparison with THC but lower intensity of subjective effects. Our results have to be confirmed by research in a larger sample to extensively clarify pharmacological effects and the health risk profile of UR-144.

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