title: The Growing Problem of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS).
abstract: The term "new psychoactive substances" (NPS) can be defined as individual drugs in pure form or in complex preparations that are not scheduled under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961) or the Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971). NPS may be categorized by chemical structure, by psychoactive properties, by biological targets, or by source (plant, synthetic, or combined). The emergence of hundreds of NPS in the past decade is challenging for public health and drug policies globally. The novelty of NPS, their ambiguous legal status, ability to evade toxicological tests, swift adaptation to legal restrictions, global Internet marketing, and scant public knowledge of their adverse effects are among the key drivers of this twenty-first century phenomenon. Multi-disciplinary research in areas of biology, epidemiology, prevention, and web analytics are needed to develop effective responses in a domain capable of overwhelming current international conventions and national drug control policies. Ultimately, research-guided prevention education will fortify societies against this tidal wave.
authors: Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA. bmadras@partners.org.|Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, McLean Hospital, Oaks Building, Room 342, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA. bmadras@partners.org.
authors: Bertha K
authors: BK
authors: Madras
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000009:adverse effects; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000009:adverse effects; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000009:adverse effects; D015198:Designer Drugs; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007211:Indoles / Q000009:adverse effects; D020407:Internet; D040541:Marketing; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000009:adverse effects; D011427:Propiophenones / Q000009:adverse effects; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011634:Public Health; D011759:Pyrrolidines / Q000009:adverse effects; D061108:Social Media; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014754:Violence
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D002186:Cannabinoids; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D015198:Designer Drugs; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D007211:Indoles; D009281:Naphthalenes; D011427:Propiophenones; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D011759:Pyrrolidines; C542924:alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone; C047806:monomethylpropion; D008694:Methamphetamine; C023665:cathinone; C548233:mephedrone; C552597:1-pentyl-3-(1-naphthoyl)indole; C400939:methylone; C005719:pyrovalerone
keywords: Cathinones; New psychoactive substances; Synthetic cannabinoids