Idiomas:
This year’s round of data collection found evidence of purity or potency (expressed, in the case of cannabis,as the level of the active substance tetrahydrocannabinol) increases in the medium or short term for all the most commonly used drugs in Europe. The reasons for this are likely to be complex, but appear to include both technical innovation and market competition. In the case of cannabis, where domestically produced, high-potency herbal products have taken an increasing market share in recent years, the data now point to an increase in the potency of imported resin, which is likely to be associated with changes in production practices. Innovation in the market and increased purity are also evident in the case of MDMA.
Over the last year, an alert warning of health risks has been issued linked to the consumption of very high purity MDMA products. In addition, alerts have also been issued about tablets sold as ecstasy, but containing PMMA , sometimes in combination with MDMA. The pharmacology of this drug makes it particularly worrying from a public health point of view. Indeed, after a period in which tablets sold as ‘ecstasy’ had a reputation among consumers for poor quality and product adulteration, which was supported by forensic evidence, high-purity MDMA powder and tablets are now more commonly available. The introduction of high-purity powder or crystal MDMA appears to be a deliberate strategy for differentiating this form of MDMA and making it more attractive to consumers. Similarly, high-dose tablets with distinctive shapes and logos are appearing, presumably with the same marketing objective.
For MDMA, and synthetic substances in general, product quality and supply are largely driven by the availability of precursor chemicals in relation to innovative production practices. It has also been suggested that, in some countries, the availability of new psychoactive substances may offer direct competition to lower-quality, and relatively more expensive, established drugs. More...
