New Psychoactive Substances – Conception, demand, supply and responses in a cross-border context

• In Event: Drugs across borders: international research on drug trafficking networks

Abstract

The emergence and dynamic development of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has given rise to a number of challenges, both in academic as well as in the legal realms. The aim of this presentation is to provide an overview of current key issues addressed in the literature and to discuss a number of relevant questions that emerge from this.
The first issue that will be explored is the challenge of how to define this large and heterogeneous group of drugs properly. The widely used UN or EU legal definitions can prove impractical for criminological research for a number of reasons. However, there are several elements that should be considered for a criminological definition of the term.
Next, demand trends and supply dynamics with a focus on Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands are presented, with specific attention given to (surface web) online markets and overlap with established drug markets. Here, cultural and regulatory factors that influence demand and supply are discussed.
Finally, the different response strategies of these three neighbouring countries are examined, as they all employ divergent approaches to addressing the challenges posed by NPS. The so-called ‘generic bans’ in Belgium and Germany are compared and contrasted with the renowned drug policy framework of the Netherlands, which tries to navigate a delicate balance between tolerance and regulation.
Taken together, these issues underscore the complexity of the NPS phenomenon and set the stage for further exploration of these and related issues in future research.

Author

• Jessica Noack, Maastricht University