BRUSSELS, Belgium – October 2014: By the end of September EU Ministers adopted a proposal by the European Commission to put a ban on the synthetic cathinone MDPV, the phencyclidine-type substance methoxetamine, the phenethylamine 25I-NBOMe and the synthetic opioid receptor agonist AH-7921. The step was taken as more than a hundred poisonings related to these substance have occurred across Member States in recent years. The decision was made following the risk assessment and control procedure for NPS (Council Decision 2005/387/JHA) in April 2014. (MDPV: link, 25I-NBOMe: link, Methoxetamine: link, AH-7921: link). The risk assessment found that the substances are sold as substitutes for illicit drugs without a proven medical or other known legitimate purpose. Member States are given a period of one year to introduce the ban into national legislation. Following this decision, the manufacturing and marketing of these substances will become illegal across Europe.

Globally, out of these four new psychoactive substances MDPV has been reported to the UNODC Early Warning Advisory by the highest number of Member States (33 since 2009), followed by 25I-NBOMe (17 Member States since 2012), Methoxetamine (16 Member States since 2010) and AH-7921 by 5 Member States since 2012.

For further information please see:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEX-14-0925_en.htm