News item | 01-07-2025 | 07:00
From today, the ban on groups of new psychoactive substances has started, also known as designer drugs. These substances are very similar to existing, forbidden drugs, but have a slightly different composition. With this ban, entire dust groups with the same chemical basic structure are brought under the Opium Act. As a result, a whole group of common design drugs is prohibited in advance.
Need
In the old situation, a new substance was banned on the basis of the Opium Act if a risk assessment showed that it results in too large health risks. In practice, this ensured that drug producers could quickly make a highly comparable drug with a slightly different composition, so that the new drug could legally come on the market. A good example of this was the proven harmful 3-MMC (also known as “cat of meow”) that was quickly followed by new variants such as 2-MMC.
Because designer drugs were easy and legally available, users incorrectly created the impression that they are not that dangerous. However, the effects of such a designer drug are usually more powerful and more unpredictable than an existing drug, which means that users run even greater health risks. Well -known risks are heart problems, psychological problems, hallucinations and addiction. Users of designer drugs can even die. In order to stop this development, it was decided to prohibit a ban in which common groups of new psychoactive substances (NPS, or designer drugs) are prohibited by adding a list (IA) to the Opium Act. This gives a clear signal: this stuff is dangerous, stay away from it.
Exceptions to the prohibition
Not all substances with the same chemical basis are prohibited. Exceptions have been made for medicines, veterinary medicines, the crop protection means penconazole and the sweetener aspartame. These substances remain legal. Care products for animals, wood maintenance products and the substance phenylalanine, which is in some nutritional supplements, remain allowed. If necessary, an additional exception can be made. On the website of the central government is an indication of the substances that fall under the prohibition.
More information
The prohibition of groups of new psychoactive substances must lead to the risky substances being not available via websites. After all, it is about illegal and unhealthy products. The thresholds for the use of these substances are therefore considerably higher. At the same time, the government is focusing on more and clearer information and prevention. Users must be well informed about the dangers of these drugs. In addition, several parties (such as the OM, police and various municipalities) have called for this prohibition in recent years. With this prohibition, authorities can respond faster to new developments around designer drugs, working more closely with international partners and making the Netherlands less attractive for drug crime.