Novel psychoactive substances: What educators need to know
Zr Patterson, M. Scott Young, F. Vaccarino
Clinical pharmacology and therapy November 29, 2016 DOI: 10.1002/cpt.538 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are synthetic drugs not under international control, often sold as alternatives to classic street drugs like ecstasy or LSD. Their pharmacology and toxicity are poorly understood, posing unknown health risks. Users frequently do not know what they are taking, making dose, potency, and other properties unpredictable, which elevates the risk for harms.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Citations | 15 |
| Key finding | NPS pose unknown health risks because their pharmacology and toxicity are poorly understood, and users often cannot predict dose, potency, or other properties. |
Abstract
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are synthetic, psychoactive drugs that are generally not under international regulatory control. NPS are frequently sold as alternatives to classic “street drugs” such as ecstasy or LSD. However, little is known about their pharmacology and toxicity and they therefore pose unknown health risks. Further, risk for harms are elevated because users often do not know what they are taking, and therefore cannot predict dose, potency, or other potential properties.