How widespread is the use precursor chemicals?Accord as invarious otherindustries(textiles,leather, etc.). lubricants,explosivescides, insecticides,fertilizers, aswell cleaningagents,pesti maceuticals, cosmetics,perfumes, are required inmanyareas ofthechemicalindustry, phar- What are thelicitusesofprecursors? Precursor chemicals fic inNarcotic Drugs andPsychotropic Substances. controlled underthe1988Convention againstIllicit Traf term ‘precursors’ was broadened to encompass all chemicals 1998 Political Declaration anditsrelated actionplansthe ture of such narcotics and psychotropic substances. In the substance and reagents and solvents used in the manufac- the molecular level or into psychotropica narcotic drug and Africafor0.04percentof thetotal. Seizures intheOceania region accounted for0.1percent (17 percent),Asia(15cent)andEurope (8percent). ica (60percentofthetotal),followed by North America 2007-2012), thelargestseizures were madeinSouth Amer If theanalysis isrestricted tomore recent years (period cent andtheOceania region for0.02percentofthetotal. cent) andAsia(3percent).Africaaccountedfor0.05 followed by South America(12percent),Europe (4per by countries in North America (59 per cent of the total), in volume termsover the2002-2012periodwere reported fiscations shows thatthe overall largestprecursor seizures Where do precursor chemicals go? sor chemicals,followed by Europe andtheAmericas. ofprecuraccounted for59percentofglobalnetexports - production location.Over the2010-2012periodAsia Over thelastdecade,however, Asiaemergedasthemain chemicals, were produced inNorth AmericaandinEurope. in Africa.In thepast, mostchemicals,includingprecursor the Americas,Oceania region and,toalesserextent, 2010-2012 period.Production takesplaceinEurope, Asia, total population produced precursors chemicals over the 77 countries,accountingforpercentoftheworld’s From where doprecursor chemicalscomefrom? Some 35 percent,expressed inconstantUSdollars. of 2012 period,exports Table I precursors only grew by Table II substances increased 3½ times over the 1996- I and93percentby Table IIsubstances. of While exports per centofallprecursor are exports accountedforby Table Aroundto around 7 0.5percentofallchemicalexports. cals amountedtomore than$8billionin2012,equivalent ofprecursoring toUNComtradedatalegalexports chemi stricto sensu,i.e.chemicalswhichbecomeincorporatedat One candistinguishbetween precursor chemicalsina What areprecursorchemicals? chemicals underinternational control isfarmore limited. destine manufacture of drugs. The number of precursor dreds of chemicals that are or could be used in the clan How manyprecursor chemicalsare there? There are hun- FACT SHEETONPRECURSORCONTROL The analysisofcon------

facture ofamphetamine. Ecstasy ismanufactured outof precursor phenylaceticacidare mainly usedforthemanu North America). Outside North America P-2-P and its produced outofP-2-P(whichisfrequently thecasein methamphetamine though methamphetamine can be also are thekeyprecursor chemicalsforthemanufacture of manufacture ofcocaine.Ephedrine andpseudoephedrine Potassium permanganateisakeyprecursor usedinthe lacetic acid,usedtomanufacture methamphetamine. manufacture ofheroin aswell asforP-2-Poutofpheny- I. Acetic anhydride isakeyprecursor chemicalsforthe narcotics andpsychotropic substancesare foundin Table most criticalchemicalsfortheclandestinemanufacture of What are precursor themost important chemicals? schedule APAAN in Table I. the CommissiononNarcotic Drugs inMarch 2014to will increase to24substances,following thedecisionof trolled under Table IIofthe1988Convention. The total the stricter regime of Table I and 8 chemicals were con As ofDecember 201315chemicalswere controlled under however, stillawaiting theiruniversal application. have beenthusidentified, theyare,While keyinstruments System (PICS), including fornon-scheduledsubstances. inthePrecursorsparticipate Incident andCommunication substances andpharmaceutical preparations; andtoactively pre-export notifications(PEN-online) tonon-scheduled regularly beenupdatedby INCB;toenlargethesystemof list’tional specialsurveillance whichwascreated andis include forcountries:tomakeuseofthe‘limitedinterna- a numberofrecommendations were developed. They 2009 Political Declarations and their related action plans, under international control. Starting from the 1998 and of substitutechemicalsandpre-precursors thatare not precursor control istodealwiththegrowing importance The road ahead?Thebiggestchallenge for international 3,4-MDP-2-P). tion withP-2-P)andecstasy(incombination the manufacture of both methamphetamine (in combina thus ecstasyaswell asmethylaminewhichcanbeusedin methyl glycidate forthemanufacture of3,4-MDP-2-Pand P-2-P andultimatelymethamphetamine,3,4-MDP-2-P to produce phenylaceticacid,usedforthemanufacture of of phenylacete (ethyl phenylacete, methyl phenylacetate) APAAN toproduce P-2-Pandthusamphetamine,esters desired psychotropic substance.Recent exampleshave been a chemicalwhichthencanbeusedtomanufacture the substances are pre-precursors, i.e.theyenabletoproduce have notbeenunder(international)control. Many ofthese creative inidentifying alternative chemicals which so-far the years operatorsofclandestinelaboratorieshave been What are substitute chemicals and pre-precursors? Over safrole and–increasingly -safrole-rich oils. 3,4-MDP-2-P orsomeofitsprecursors suchaspiperonal,

The - - - i WORLD DRUG REPORT 2014 ii WORLD DRUG REPORT 2014