scholarly journals Head shops and new psychoactive substances: a public health perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
B. P Smyth
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Drug Problem ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
General Hospitals ◽  
Irish Government

In 2010, Ireland found itself at the eye of an international storm as a network of head shops emerged selling new psychoactive substances (NPS) and Irish youth rapidly became the heaviest users of NPS in Europe. Within months, the Irish government enacted novel legislation, which has since been copied by other countries, which effectively stopped the head shops selling NPS. Critics of this policy argued that it could cause harms to escalate. A number of separate studies indicate that a range of drug-related harms increased amongst Irish youth during the period of head shop expansion. Within months of their closure, health harms began to decline. NPS-related addiction treatment episodes reduced and admissions to both psychiatric and general hospitals related to any drug problem began to fall. Population use underwent sustained decline. Consequently, the closure of head shops can be viewed as a success in terms of public health.

scholarly journals Metabolomics predicts the pharmacological profile of new psychoactive substances

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eulàlia Olesti ◽  
Ilario De Toma ◽  
Johannes G Ramaekers ◽  
Tibor M Brunt ◽  
Marcel·lí Carbó ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Steroid Hormones ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Pharmacological Profile ◽  
Monoamine Neurotransmitters ◽  
Drug Risk ◽  
Policy Information

Background: The unprecedented proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS) threatens public health and challenges drug policy. Information on NPS pharmacology and toxicity is, in most cases, unavailable or very limited and, given the large number of new compounds released on the market each year, their timely evaluation by current standards is certainly challenging. Aims: We present here a metabolomics-targeted approach to predict the pharmacological profile of NPS. Methods: We have created a machine learning algorithm employing the quantification of monoamine neurotransmitters and steroid hormones in rats to predict the similarity of new drugs to classical ones of abuse (MDMA (3,4-methyl enedioxy methamphetamine), methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Results: We have characterized each classical drug of abuse and two examples of NPS (mephedrone and JWH-018) following alterations observed in the targeted metabolome profile (monoamine neurotransmitters and steroid hormones) in different brain areas, plasma and urine at 1 h and 4 h post drug/vehicle administration. As proof of concept, our model successfully predicted the pharmacological profile of a synthetic cannabinoid (JWH-018) as a cannabinoid-like drug and synthetic cathinone (mephedrone) as a MDMA-like psychostimulant. Conclusion: Our approach allows a fast NPS pharmacological classification which will benefit both drug risk evaluation policies and public health.

New psychoactive substances: challenges for drug surveillance, control, and public health responses

The Lancet ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 394 (10209) ◽  
pp. 1668-1684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Peacock ◽  
Raimondo Bruno ◽  
Natasa Gisev ◽  
Louisa Degenhardt ◽  
Wayne Hall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Drug Surveillance

NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES AS A CRIME OBJECT

2017 ◽  
pp. 258
Author(s):  
Arnis Slesars ◽  
Aija Jermacāne
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Criminal Liability ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substance ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
New Psychoactive Substance ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Public Health Threat ◽  
History Of

A new psychoactive substance is defined as a new narcotic or psychotropic drug, in pure form or in preparation, that is not controlled by the United Nations drug conventions (1961, 1971), but which may pose a public health threat comparable to that posed by substances listed in these conventions. The author researched and analyzed: 1.History of new psychoactive substances in Latvia; 2.Legislative approaches for restricting new psychoactive substances in Latvia; 3.Advantages and disadvantages of criminal liability against new psychoactive substances in Latvia.

scholarly journals New psychoactive substances: a public health issue

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 323-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amira Guirguis
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances

HCV prevalence and risk behaviours among injectors of new psychoactive substances in a risk environment in Hungary—An expanding public health burden

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Tarján ◽  
Mária Dudás ◽  
Lucas Wiessing ◽  
Gergely Horváth ◽  
Erzsébet Rusvai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Risk Behaviours ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Risk Environment ◽  
Public Health Burden ◽  
Health Burden ◽  
Hcv Prevalence

Social, policy, and public health perspectives on new psychoactive substances

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 515-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.R. Sumnall ◽  
M. Evans-Brown ◽  
J. McVeigh
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances

scholarly journals Effective and humane ways to manage the drug problem in the Philippines, a human rights and public health perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerbert M. Briola
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Drug Problem ◽  
Drug War ◽  
Public Health Perspective ◽  
Health And Human Rights ◽  
Action Group ◽  
The Poor

We, at the Medical Action Group (MAG), a health and human rights organization, are uniquely placed to see a particularly disturbing aspect of Duterte’s drug war: it disproportionately targets the poor and vulnerable. A five-year-old girl was killed in late September 2016 after suspected gunmen aiming to kill her grandfather opened fire. A picture went viral of a wife weeping while cradling her husband, a pedicab driver and alleged drug peddler, who was shot and killed by men on motorcycles on the street of Pasay City. Filipinos immediately associated this image with Michaelango’s famous Pietà sculpture. A cardboard sign next to his body carried the chilling message “Pusher ako, wag tularan” (I’m a pusher, don’t do what I did). We see both the drug war’s human toll and, from their story, we learn the crushing poverty of the majority of its victims

Getting up to speed with the public health and regulatory challenges posed by new psychoactive substances in the information age

Addiction ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 108 (10) ◽  
pp. 1700-1703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Griffiths ◽  
Michael Evans-Brown ◽  
Roumen Sedefov
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Information Age ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
The Public ◽  
Regulatory Challenges

scholarly journals New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) – a Challenge for the Addiction Treatment Services

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (03) ◽  
pp. 116-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norbert Scherbaum ◽  
F. Schifano ◽  
Udo Bonnet
Keyword(s):  
Addiction Treatment ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Synthetic Cannabinoids ◽  
Epileptic Seizures ◽  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Treatment Services ◽  
Pharmacology And Toxicology ◽  
Psychopathological Disorders ◽  
Severe Adverse Reactions

AbstractOver the last few years, hundreds of new psychoactive substances (NPS) have been identified in Europe. Apart from some herbal compounds, NPS mainly include synthetic cannabinoids and a range of new synthetic stimulants (e. g., cathinones). Synthetic NPS are often developed whilst modifying the basic chemical (e. g., phenethylamine or tryptamine) structure. Although the pharmacology and toxicology of most NPS are hardly known, they are being offered, especially online, as “bath salts,” as “incense mixtures,” or under other misleading labels. In addition, NPS are advertised as “legal highs,” suggesting that, in contrast to substances regulated by the national laws, trading with NPS is legal. Although only little is known about the prevalence of NPS use, some of these molecules may be associated with a range of severe adverse reactions. Indeed, different from cannabis, synthetic cannabinoid users may present with epileptic seizures, loss of consciousness, and a range of persisting psychopathological disorders. Future studies should inform better-tailored management strategies.

scholarly journals New psychoactive substances: driving greater complexity into the drug problem

Addiction ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Evans-Brown ◽  
Roumen Sedefov
Keyword(s):  
New Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Psychoactive Substances ◽  
Drug Problem
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