New Psychoactive Substance 2023

 

REPORT OF DETECTION OF NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCE AMONG SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT SEEKERS IN INDIA: A MULTICENTRIC STUDY

 

Substance use has been Major challenge faced by health professionals and policymakers all across the world. The pattern of drug use varies from time to time depending on the availability of new illicit drugs. And increased witness of newer psychoactive substances. Called new psychoactive substances (NPS). Or in the form of preparations, that are not controlled under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 or the convention on psychotropic Substances of 1971, but that may pose a threat of public health.

A total of 1127 such substances have been identified by the national authorities and forensic laboratories from 134 countries.

In the above background, the present study was planned by the National Drug Dependence treatment center (NDDTC) at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi, with objective to assess the extent and pattern of NPS use among treatment- seeking substance users and to develop and establish urine testing procedure for “New Psychoactive Substances” among treatment- seeking substance users. The study was supported by the department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, and Government of India.

This report is the first attempt in establishing objective evidence of the occurrence of NPS among treatment seekers in India. It is important to highlight that the current study began in 2017, and some of the compounds detected in patients’ urine samples were later placed under international control. A novel finding of this study is that some of the identified substances are currently not under international control.

This report addresses a mixed group of readers such as medicinal chemists, forensic scientists, toxicologists, clinicians, healthcare professional, law enforcement agencies, and policymakers. It is hoped that findings and recommendations form this report to ne informative and meaningful in addressing the challenges posed by newer psychoactive drug in the country. We recommend that future research and policy interventions should be geared toward addressing this emerging problem of the NPS. 

 

TEAM OF INVESTIGATORS 

Coordinating Centre

National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

• Prof. R.R. Chadda (Principal Investigator)

• Prof Raka Jain (Co-Principal Investigator)

• Prof. Rakesh Lal (Co-Principal Investigator)

• Dr. Ravindra Rao (Co-Investigator)

• Dr. Rizwana Quraishi (Co-Investigator)

Participating Centers

Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab

• Prof. PD. Garg (Co-Investigator)

• Dr Neeru Bala (Co-investigator)

Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur

• Prof R K. Lenin Singh (Co-Investigator)

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Orissa

• Dr. Sushant Padhy (Co-Investigator)

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

• Dr Aniruddha Basu (Co-Investigator)

• Dr Vijay Krishnan (Co-investigator)

Research Staff

• Dr. Rahul Raghav

• Dr Satish Kumar

• Sachin Rana

• Arun Kumar

   

   

  NPS -2023