Estonian Minister of Health Riina Sikkut signed regulation amendments, with which eight new psychoactive substances are added to the list of narcotic and psychotropic substances in order to limit their spread and thereby protect public health — among other things, the cannabinoids THCP and HHCP, which have been on sale until now, will be prohibited in the future.
“The use of narcotics can lead to death. However, new and foreign substances are particularly dangerous for the user — that is why the person must be careful and the state must limit their availability as soon as possible,” Sikkut said.
“The substances added to the list pose a serious threat to public health — no clinical trials have been conducted with them and their precise properties and effects are unknown,” Kristiin Mikko, adviser at the public health department of the Ministry of Social Affairs, said. “The origin, exact composition and purity of the products containing these new psychoactive substances are also unknown. Substance users are also at serious risk of overdose, as so-called safe administration doses are not known.”
Thus, bromazolam, 2-fluoroketamine, deschloroketamine, tetrahydrocannabiphorol (THCP), 1-phenylethylamine, hexahydrocannabinol acetate, hexahydrocannabiphorol (HHCP) and tetrahydrocannabidiol are now considered narcotic and psychotropic substances.
Tetrahydrocannabiphorol, which is present in the composition of e-cigarette liquid and sweets, has been attributed medicinal properties in advertisements without evidence — such misleading information can cause serious health damage to the user. Deschloroketamine and 2-fluoroketamine are similar in action to the illegal drug ketamine. Bromazolam is similar to alprazolam, a sedative, and causes, among other things, memory disorders, reduced learning ability, and impaired balance, coordination and reaction speed.
The listed new psychoactive substances have no known medical or other legal uses, and their use is associated with widespread health damage and possible death.
The changes to the regulation are based on the proposals of the State Agency of Medicines, which were prepared by taking into account information from the Tax and Customs Board on substance seizures, warnings from the database of new psychoactive substances of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), recommendations of the World Health Organization’s expert committee on drug addiction, and danger signals received from other countries about the above-mentioned substances.
According to the Police and Border Guard Board, they are encountering the mentioned substances more and more and the quantities sent to the Estonian Forensic Science Institute for analysis have recently increased, which indicates an increase in the prevalence of these substances.
The changes to the regulation will enter into force on April 28. Products containing psychoactive substances added to the list must be handed over to the Police and Border Guard Board.
Source: BNS
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