VIENNA, Austria – 30 September 2025: In 2024, a total of 101 unique NPS were reported for the first time to UNODC EWA by 45 countries (out of a record annual total of 688 unique NPS). Year-to-year reporting has shown fluctuations in the emergence of first reported NPS, with signs of an increase following the lowest number recorded in 2022 over the past decade of monitoring (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Number of NPS reported for the first time at global level, by effect group, 2014-2024
Source: United Nations, UNODC Early Warning Advisory on New Psychoactive Substances (EWA), Database (accessed on 30 September 2025).
The most prominent group among these 101 newly reported NPS were synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs), accounting for 29 per cent. Within this group, semi-synthetic cannabinoids continue to persist and were the most frequently reported substances, with delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol acetate (14 countries from four continents), delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol-C8 (13 countries from two continents) and delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-C8 (12 countries from one continent) being most frequently identified by countries.
The second-largest group were synthetic opioids, representing 20 per cent, dominated by newly emerging nitazenes and brorphine analogues. The most frequently detected substances were N-pyrrolidino isotonitazene (10 countries), N-propionitrile chlorphine (8 countries) and R-6890 (spirochlorphine) (5 countries).
In the stimulants category, accounting for 17 percent, N-isopropylbutylone (9 countries) was the most reported emerging NPS, followed by alpha-Pyrrolidinoisoheptanophenone (3 countries) and N-cyclohexylpentylone (2 countries).
Other important emerging developments in 2024 included the rise of etomidate analogues and novel kratom-related compounds such as 7-hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl[1]. Notably, NPS are increasingly being detected in vapes. Additionally, they continue to be regularly detected in falsified medicines, posing a significant risk to public health.
An outlook on the first reported NPS in 2025 (11 so far, data collection is ongoing) reveals a predominance of synthetic opioids (4 substances), followed by SCRAs, stimulants and sedatives with 2 substances each. Protodesnitazene (a synthetic opioid) was the most frequently reported newly emerging NPS in 2025 (4 countries from three continents). The substance was identified in drug seizures by border control and law enforcement agencies as well as in drug samples by drug checking services.
The emergence of new substances poses significant risks to public health and presents considerable challenges to healthcare providers, law enforcement, regulators, laboratories and coronial systems. Awareness, up-to-date reference standards and appropriate analytical methods are essential for laboratories to effectively identify these newly emerging substances. Therefore, monitoring, information sharing, early warning and risk awareness are crucial to respond to these developments.
To assist forensic drug testing and toxicology laboratories, law enforcement and healthcare providers, the UNODC Early Warning Advisory on NPS collates data from almost 500 different sources to ensure that information on new substances, including analytical, pharmacology and legal response data, is shared and accessible as promptly as possible. The latest data on NPS are available and accessible via the Dashboard Pro (first reported substances are on page three, ‘First reportings’). The Dashboard Pro is available for registered users (if not registered and eligible, please sign up here) and the UNODC EWA database is updated on a weekly basis. In addition, UNODC EWA issues a range of Early Warning Advisories on the latest NPS developments which can be accessed here.
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[1] Further developments in 2025 include the reporting of dihydro-7-hydroxy Mitragynine (MGM-15) by Gour and colleagues, “From Kratom to Semi-Synthetic Opioids: The Rise and Risks of MGM-15”, Short communication, Drug Testing and Analysis (11 September 2025).