title: [Designer drugs in Finland].
abstract: Designer drugs are synthetic psychotropic drugs which are marketed as "legal drugs". Their emergence, rapid spreading and unpredictable effects have challenged the health and substance abuse care. The slow process of classification of an abusable drug has provided too many possibilities for spreading the designer drugs. Once a certain substance receives an illegal drugs classification, dealers and users usually move to another, slightly different molecule that is still legal. In Finland, the Narcotics Act has been amended to the effect that the addition of a new substance to the illegal drug list does not require an amendment to the law.
authors.affiliation: KYS, psykiatria ja farmakologia/toksikologia.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tacke
authors.forename: Bjørnar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: den Hollander
authors.forename: Kaarlo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Simojoki
authors.forename: Esa R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Korpi
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pihlainen
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alho
mesh_terms: D015198:Designer Drugs; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D015198:Designer Drugs; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs