Les hauts et les bas des stupéfiants légaux: l’usage illicite de drogues dans le monde

Même si un système d'alerte coordonné pour les nouvelles substances psychoactives est une bonne idée, il doit se baser sur des preuves scientifiques et se centrer sur le maintien de la santé plutôt que de chercher à tout interdire systématiquement. Pour en savoir plus, en anglais, veuillez lire les informations ci-dessous.

Abonnez-vous à l'Alerte mensuelle de l'IDPC pour recevoir des informations relatives à la politique des drogues.

The World Drug Report is produced annually by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to summarise information on the worldwide manufacture and marketing of illicit drugs and to guide appropriate actions by legal authorities and public health agencies. Although the overall situation is described as “stable”, the 2013 report highlights a striking rise in the availability of new psychoactive substances (NPS). As illustrated by Carrie Arnold in this issue of The Lancet, so-called legal highs have swiftly gained attention and notoriety in the UK and other countries; with serious health outcomes not unknown, governmental responses have struggled to keep pace with this new and evidently enticing phenomenon.

Part of the challenge of NPS lies in their variety—some are derived from plants, for instance Salvia divinorum, with synthetic cathinones and cannabinoids also being major contributors in different countries. Chemical heterogeneity is a hallmark of this group of drugs, with the number of NPS identified in the European Union having risen from 14 in 2005 to 236 at the end of 2012. Creativity in synthesis appears to have been accompanied by resourceful marketing. Information provided via the internet, together with ease of manufacture in and transport from distant regions, especially countries in Asia, seems to have encountered an opportunity created by sluggish legislative machinery.

Click here to read the full article.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert