New Psychoactive Substances Presented by Barry James Forensic Scientist (Drugs) 15 th September 2015

Analysis of Drugs Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry Comparison with a Certified Standard

Isomers Not controlled Class B Class A

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) NMR can distinguish between isomers Used in conjunction with GCMS Greater confidence in analytical results Still need certified reference standards

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Building work required at Scottish Crime Campus Recruitment of staff required Training of staff required Validation of instrument required Still need to process other casework

NPS in the UK Late 2008 – Piperazines first seen These were the first ‘NPS’ to be seen in the UK Marketed as a legal alternative to Ecstasy

Increasing variety and prevalence 2009 – 24 new drugs seen in Europe 2014 – >100 new drugs seen in Europe 2012 – NPS account for around 1% of drugs casework 2014 – NPS account for around 10% of drugs casework

UK Drugs Legislation Dangerous Drugs Act 1920 onwards Amphetamine like Drugs – 1964 LSD – 1966 MDA 1971 – Generic Controls Ecstasy, Tryptamines 2003 – GHB 2005 – Ketamine 2009 – Piperazines, Cannabinoids 2010 – Cathinones 2010 – More Cathinones, Import Bans 2012 – Methoxetamine, Phenazepam Temporary Class Drugs 2013 – More Cannabinoids, Arylcyclohexamines 2014 – Benzofurans, NBOMe 2015 – Tryptamines, LSD-analogues, synthetic opioids, ethylphenidate

UK Drugs Legislation Named controlled drugs (e.g. Cocaine, Diamorphine) Generic Paragraphs which control a group of compounds Difficult for non-chemists to understand Does provide a clear answer

UK Drugs Legislation - Example Any compound structurally derived from 2-aminopropan-1-one by substitution at the 1-position with any monocyclic, or fused-polycyclic ring system (not being a phenyl ring or alkylenedioxyphenyl ring system), whether or not the compound is further modified in any of the following ways, that is to say, (i) by substitution in the ring system to any extent with alkyl, alkoxy, haloalkyl or halide substituents, whether or not further substituted in the ring system by one or more other univalent substituents; (ii) by substitution at the 3-position with an alkyl substituent; (iii) by substitution at the 2-amino nitrogen atom with alkyl or dialkyl groups, or by inclusion of the 2-amino nitrogen atom in a cyclic structure.

New Psychoactive Substances Bill Blanket ban on all psychoactive substances Includes a list of exempted substances (alcohol, caffeine) Easy for lay people to understand Will probably reduce sale of NPS in head shops

New Psychoactive Substances Bill Does not make simple possession an offence Sale will move from head shops to internet The list of exemptions required is huge No mention of harmfulness Exemption for clinical trials does not cover academic research

New Psychoactive Substances Bill What is a psychoactive substance? How do we determine the psychoactivity of a substance?

SPA response to NPS Acquisition of an NMR Ensured all drugs staff are up to date with new legislation Provided analytical data to UK FEWS group Set up its own NPS group Provided mobile laboratory at T in the Park

SPA response to NPS Increased collaboration with other stakeholders: NHS, SDF, Glasgow University Toxicology Unit, NCA, ENFSI, STOP unit, UKIAFT EMCDDA

Summary Our primary goal remains identification of controlled drugs NMR will help with identification – once we have it working Issues with Psychoactive Substances Bill – may be resolved Availability of Standards will still be an issue How to determine psychoactivity?

Questions?