Not particularly special: critiquing ‘NPS’ as a category of drugs

Abstract

Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) have been a dominant feature of drug discourse for many years now and, in academic, policy and public discourse, have become established as a newand by implication, distinctcategory of drugs. We argue that this understanding of NPS is fundamentally problematic. Differences within the category are obscured, as are similarities between NPS and more established categories of drugs. Focusing on NPS as something new, different or particularly special is misleading and counterproductive and can have serious consequences in terms of understanding the bigger picture in relation to illegal drugs more generally. This has led to overestimations of the size of the NPS problem, obfuscation of the common underlying causes of dependent drug use and the implementation of significant and problematic policy changes. Furthermore, a failure to see the rise in NPS as just one of a number of emerging trends in contemporary drug scenes, alongside the development of online markets or the rise in domestic drug production operations, for example, impairs our ability to understand the wider societal, cultural and theoretical underpinnings of drug use. NPS are not particularly special: treating them as such can have dangerous and far-reaching consequences. ARTICLE HISTORY

Discriminative Characteristics of Marginalised Novel Psychoactive Users: a Transnational Study

“…In all user groups (marginalised users, night life and online), the most frequently used substances are the controlled ones, with NPS being just part of poly-substance using repertoires. Based on our data and in accordance with other research (Potter and Chattwin 2018), it can be said that NPS use does not constitute an independent category of drug use; NPS users are still using controlled substances, though marginalised users are using significantly less of them than the other user groups. In the case of marginalised users, regardless of their country of residence, the rates for current use show that NPS play a relatively bigger role in their drug using preferences than traditional controlled substances, which is the reverse in the case of other user groups (night life and internet community).…”

Sharing, Group-Buying, Social Supply, Offline and Online Dealers: how Users in a Sample from Six European Countries Procure New Psychoactive Substances (NPS)

“…One reason could be that NPS, although not criminalized in international drug conventions, have been banned more and more at national level. The fact that the majority of the NPS users researched here are also users of illicit drugs, as well as the blurred boundaries between the modes of supply (with a quite prominent role of dealers as a "typical" mode for buying illicit drugs) support the assessment of NPS as "not particularly special" (Potter and Chatwin 2017).…”

Should NPS be included in workplace drug testing?

“…Summarizing, caution is certainly recommended to avoid the indiscriminate criminalization of NPS use. 34,35 Some cases may require careful result interpretation from the occupational doctor, who may also request opinions from clinical and/or forensic toxicologists, or pharmacologists, especially in cases where alleged NPS/NSO are licitly taken. The situation is well illustrated by several synthetic opioids (e. g. fentanyl and oxycodone), which can be prescribed for clinical purposes and/or misused (e.g.…”