Responding to new psychoactive substances. Drugs in Focus 22.

This briefing paper describes some of the practical and legal obstacles facing Member States when responding to such new substances. It underlines the importance of national early-warning systems in detecting and identifying new substances as the first step towards assessing the risks of, and ultimately controlling, potentially dangerous new drugs. Table of contents: • Definitions • Key issues at a glance • Early-warning systems • Proactive control • Assessing the risks • Faster processes — but supervised • Unintended consequences of control • Are other laws effective? • Conclusions and policy considerations • Key sources • Web informatio