Drug and alcohol dependence
February 1, 2015
Laura Hondebrink, Johanna J Nugteren-Van Lonkhuyzen, Daan van der Gouwe et al.
119 citations
The number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) submitted for analysis in the Netherlands rose from 22 samples in 2007 to 431 in 2013. The most common NPS in 2013 were 2C-B, 4-FA, methoxetamine, and 6-APB. After 2012, more NPS were bought as the drug of choice rather than as adulterants. The Dutch Poisons Information Centre recorded 35 NPS exposures in 2013, most often involving 4-FA, mephedrone, MXE, 2C-B, and 6-APB. Neurological and psychological symptoms such as agitation and hallucinations, along with cardiovascular effects like hypertension and tachycardia, were frequently reported. The authors conclude that NPS availability and use are increasing and can cause pronounced clinical effects, recommending continued monitoring combined with clinical and analytical data.
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
April 1, 2017
Daan van der Gouwe, Tibor M Brunt, Margriet Van Laar et al.
72 citations
Drug users in the Netherlands increasingly buy drugs online, especially new psychoactive substances. Analysis of 32,663 drug samples from 2013 to 2016, including 928 bought online, found that online purchases rose from 1.4% to 4.1% of samples. Purity and adulteration showed no large differences between online and offline drugs for most substances, though small variations existed for some: 4-FA was 59% pure online versus 52% offline, while MDMA powder was 45% pure online versus 61% offline. Online prices were 10–23% higher than offline for six of ten substances.
European addiction research
January 1, 2021
Matthijs Blankers, Daan van der Gouwe, Lavinia Stegemann et al.
21 citations
During the COVID-19 pandemic, online trade in psychoactive substances via Telegram in the Netherlands shifted: stimulant-related posts (ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamine) decreased during the spring 2020 lockdown, while posts about psychedelics (ketamine, LSD, 2C-B) and other substances increased and remained higher afterward. Of 70,226 posts in two Telegram groups from December 2019 to June 2020, 5,643 were substance-related, and only 6.3% were requests, indicating a sellers' market.
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
January 1, 2025
Leigh Coney, Amy Peacock, Daan van der Gouwe et al.
8 citations
Drugs sold on cryptomarkets are not uniformly higher in quality than those bought offline. For MDMA tablets, MDMA powder, cocaine, and LSD, the advertised substance is more likely to be present when sourced from cryptomarkets. Strength is higher for cryptomarket MDMA powder, cocaine, and methamphetamine, but lower for MDMA tablets and amphetamine. Adulteration is less likely in cryptomarket MDMA powder and cocaine, but more likely in amphetamine and LSD. Cocaine from cryptomarkets also has fewer adulterants. The relationship between source and drug quality depends on the specific substance and market dynamics.