Fentanils and synthetic cannabinoids: driving greater complexity into the drug situation An update from the EU Early Warning System June 2018 Bookmarks Introduction Overview of seizures, 2016-17 Seizures reported by law enforcement during 2016 Synthetic cathinones New benzodiazepines Other substances Synthetic opioids Fentanils: background Situation in Europe Synthetic cannabinoids Background Situation in Europe New challenges, new responses Strengthening early warning and response Discussion and conclusion Acknowledgements References Front cover photos 1. ‘Ching’ typically sold as a ‘legal’ replacement to cocaine. In this case the product contained methoxyacetylfentanyl. Credit: Slovenian National Forensic Laboratory (Police). 2. Plant material from a ‘Spice’ product that contained CP-47,497 C8 homolog. Credit: Slovenian National Forensic Laboratory (Police). 3. Package containing CUMYL-4CN-BINACA powder that shipped from China. Credit: Slovenian National Forensic Laboratory (Police). 4. Fake Xanax tablets that contained cyclopropylfentanyl. Credit: WR Brede, H-M Krabseth and co-workers, St. Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. Fentanils and synthetic cannabinoids: driving greater complexity into the drug situation An update from the EU Early Warning System June 2018 I Legal notice This publication of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is protected by copyright. The EMCDDA accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of the data contained in this document. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of the EMCDDA’s partners, any EU Member State or any agency or institution of the European Union. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2018 © European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2018 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For any use or reproduction of photos that are not under EMCDDA copyright, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. Photo credits: Front cover (1, 2 and 3), Slovenian National Forensic Laboratory (Police), (4), WR Brede, H-M Krabseth and co-workers; page 12, fake Xanax tablets, Swedish Police, Figure 6, Anders Helander; pages 14 and 15, Jan Schäper; page 16, Norwegian National Criminal Investigation Service. Print ISBN 978-92-9497-279-8 doi:10.2810/006358 TD-01-18-414-EN-C PDF ISBN 978-92-9497-280-4 doi:10.2810/603753 TD-01-18-414-EN-N Recommended citation: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (2018), Fentanils and synthetic cannabinoids: driving greater complexity into the drug situation. An update from the EU Early Warning System (June 2018), Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. Praça Europa 1, Cais do Sodré, 1249-289 Lisbon, Portugal Tel. +351 211210200 [email protected] I www.emcdda.europa.eu twitter.com/emcdda I facebook.com/emcdda I Contents 4 I Introduction 6 I Overview of seizures, 2016-17 8 I Synthetic opioids 12 I Synthetic cannabinoids 18 I New challenges, new responses 18 I Discussion and conclusion 19 I Acknowledgements 20 I References Authors: Michael Evans-Brown, Ana Gallegos, Rachel Christie, Sofía Sola, Anabela Almeida, Rita Jorge, Joanna De Morais and Roumen Sedefov Fentanils and synthetic cannabinoids: driving greater complexity into the drug situation I Introduction EU Early Warning System New psychoactive substances are a broad range of drugs The EU Early Warning System, operated by the that are not controlled by the 1961 and 1971 United EMCDDA and Europol, plays a central role in Nations drug control conventions but may pose similar threats to public health. Many of them are traded as ‘legal’ supporting national- and EU-level preparedness and replacements to established controlled drugs such as responses to new psychoactive substances. In cannabis, heroin, cocaine and MDMA. operation for the past 20 years, it comprises those two agencies, 30 national early warning systems Over the last decade, there has been a large increase in across Europe, the European Medicines Agency and these substances as globalisation and new technology the European Commission. The national systems have allowed production to shift from small-scale illicit routinely report data, such as seizures of new laboratories in Europe to commercial chemical and psychoactive substances from police and customs as pharmaceutical operations in China that are capable of well as poisonings, to the EMCDDA. These data are making hundreds of different substances on an industrial then used both to identify emerging threats and as scale. Once in Europe, they are sold openly in branded the basis of the EMCDDA’s risk assessment activities. products advertised as ‘legal highs’, under the guise of The EMCDDA transmits essential and urgent being ‘research chemicals’, and as ‘food supplements’, in technical information as well as risk communications attempts to make these substances attractive to users. They are also sold on the illicit drug market, either under (such as public health alerts) to the Early Warning their own names or passed off as established controlled System network by email. It also operates an drugs to unsuspecting users. In parallel with the growth in information system called the European Database on the range of substances and products that are offered, the New Drugs (EDND). The system offers round-the- consumer base has also grown and includes recreational clock access to information on more than 670 new users, chronic and marginalised drug users, those who substances based on data reported by the network, self-medicate, and people wanting to improve how they identified by the EMCDDA through its additional look or their performance at work or when studying. The monitoring systems, and reported by other partners. growth in the market is also reflected in a large increase in the number of seizures reported by law enforcement as Learn more: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/ well as in poisonings. activities/action-on-new-drugs For more than 20 years, a three-step legal framework of early warning, risk assessment and control measures has allowed Europe to rapidly identify and react to public health threats caused by new substances (Council of the large majority of the new synthetic opioids that have been European Union, 2005). The European Monitoring Centre reported in Europe) and the synthetic cannabinoids. For for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) is responsible for the purpose of this report, the term ‘seizures’ means any the first two steps in this system, namely operating the EU encounters of new psychoactive substances by law Early Warning System with Europol (the European Union enforcement, including seizures, samples recovered from agency for law enforcement cooperation) (see ‘EU Early crime scenes, and shipments detained for inspection. Warning System’) and conducting risk assessments; while the European Commission, the Council of the European Since the previous publication, in March 2015, there have Union and the European Parliament are responsible for been a number of major developments in Europe control measures. (EMCDDA, 2015). Some of these are encouraging. The number of new substances reported for the first time each This is the second update from the EU Early Warning year during 2016 and 2017 has fallen by around 40 % System. In these publications, the EMCDDA aims to compared with 2015. Much of this is related to a decrease provide some insights into what is happening with new in the number of new synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic psychoactive substances in Europe, based on data from cathinones appearing each year. In part, this may reflect the agency’s early warning and risk assessment activities. the results of sustained efforts to control new substances This issue covers the period from January 2016 until in Europe, including their open sale as ‘legal highs’ on the December 2017, with aggregated data on seizures high street. Law enforcement operations in China leading reported by law enforcement limited to 2016 data. A focus to the closure of laboratories making these substances of this publication is the new fentanils (which form the might be another reason. 4 An update from the EU Early Warning System I June 2018 Other developments are less encouraging. The analysis Key methodological points presented here suggests that the availability of many new substances remains relatively high and, in places, stronger Seizures of new psychoactive substances in Europe links are developing with the established illicit drug market. that are reported by law enforcement agencies must It also appears that there is increasing interest from crime be understood as minimum values, as data are drawn groups in making new substances, such as synthetic from case reports rather than monitoring systems. cathinones, in Europe. Another major challenge in the last Reports are influenced by a range of factors such as few years has been the large number of highly potent new substances that have appeared on the market. These pose increasing awareness of new substances, their a high risk of life-threatening poisoning to users and are changing legal status, law enforcement capacities capable of causing explosive outbreaks that can and priorities, and the reporting practices of law overwhelm local healthcare systems. In some enforcement agencies. For the purpose of this report, circumstances, law enforcement and laboratory personnel the term ‘seizures’ means any encounters of new may be at risk