New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) in the United States

New psychoactive substances (NPS) comprise a category of rapidly evolving synthetic drugs that pose serious health risks. They are manufactured using chemicals that are often not controlled under the Controlled Substances Act and are designed to produce the same psychoactive effects as controlled substances. New psychoactive substances can cause serious and immediate harm to users and have a high potential for abuse. Two major categories of New psychoactive substances include synthetic cannabinoids, such as Spice and K₂, and synthetic cathinones, which are also known as “bath salts.” Hallucinations, elevated heart rate, agitation, and death are among the effects that New psychoactive substances can have on users.

New psychoactive substances are sold online and in convenience stores and are usually marketed to younger populations—often through colorful and engaging packing. The chemical composition of these substances varies widely, and the drugs are introduced and reintroduced into the market in quick succession to evade or slow law enforcement efforts to address their manufacture and sale. For example, small changes in the chemical composition of a substance allows New psychoactive substances manufactures to stay ahead of Federal regulators and domestic and international scheduling efforts.

Mostly manufactured in labs overseas, New psychoactive substances are trafficked into the United States from abroad. Federal agencies are therefore working closely with partner nations and international and regional fora to address this global threat.  In 2014 and in early 2015, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs adopted U.S.-supported resolutions to promote global cooperation on synthetic drugs and to push for tighter international control of the growing number of NPS smuggled into the United States and other countries.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and other Federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Department of State, are working to increase public awareness of the dangers of NPS and to reduce availability of these drugs in our communities through regulation, enforcement actions, bilateral and multilateral engagements, and community-based prevention efforts.

To learn more about New psychoactive substances, please see the following resources:

General Information

National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws Information on NPS:

• American Association of Poison Control Centers
• Congressional Research Service
• National Conference of State Legislatures

Effects and Use Trends

• National Institute on Drug Abuse Fact Sheet on Synthetic Marijuana
• National Institute on Drug Abuse Fact Sheet on Synthetic Cathinones
• Drug Enforcement Administration Synthetic Drugs Fact Sheets
• CDC’s “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.” Notes from the Field: Increase in Reported Adverse Health Effects Related to Synthetic Cannabinoid Use — United States, January–May 2015
• Community Drug Early Warning System: The CDEWS Pilot Project (2013)
• Community Drug Early Warning System: The CDEWS-2 Replication Study (2015)

International

• Drug Misuse and Dependency
• New psychoactive substances in England: a review of the evidence
• Global Smart (Synthetics Monitoring: Analyses, Reporting and Trends)
• European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction on Synthetic Cannabinoids in Europe
• New Psychoactive Substanes: Evidence Review
• NPS: Psychoactive Substances
• UNODC New Psychoactive Susbtances Portal and International Collaborative Exercise Portal