New PsychoactIve Substances - Evidence Review

Footnotes

1. There were also 215 'other class B' and 125 'other class C' drug seizures in 2012/13. We know that some of these were also NPS, but no breakdown by drug type is currently provided.

2. The information in the report was primarily obtained through an electronic questionnaire on NPS which was sent to all Member States and to drug analysis laboratories in July 2012. Responses were received from 80 countries (33 from Europe, 23 from Asia, 12 from the Americas, 10 from Africa, and 2 from Oceania).

3. This increase in numbers should be treated with caution, given that: they may in part reflect increasing efforts and capability to detect NPS; some drugs may only be seen once and not again; and most of these NPS have not been seen in the UK.

4. In 2011, the survey included over 12,000 randomly selected young people across the 27 EU member states, interviewed by telephone and for the first time it asked about NPS (although small sample sizes - 500 people in most countries, 250 in some, means that its findings should be treated with caution).

5. Results from the 2013 SALSUS will be available in 2014.

6. The self-selecting nature of the sample, and small numbers in Scotland, mean that results should be treated with caution.

7. Although note that these are people presenting for treatment who have used club drugs, not people who have reported them as their primary drug of use.

8. There were also 215 'other class B' and 125 'other class C' drug seizures in 2011/12. We know that some of these were also NPS, but no breakdown by drug type is currently provided.

9. NB, as the situation is changing so rapidly, this may not now be the case.

10. Following a review of the system in 2011, the European Commission is working on a new instrument to replace Council Decision 2005/387/JHA