VIENNA, Austria – January 2022: New psychoactive substances remain a global phenomenon with 134 countries and territories from all regions of the world having reported one or more NPS to the UNODC Early Warning Advisory on NPS from 2009 up to December 2021. Within this time period, 1,124 substances were reported to the UNODC Early Warning Advisory on NPS by governments, forensic laboratories and partner organisations worldwide.

The global NPS market continues to be characterized by the emergence of large numbers of new substances belonging to diverse chemical groups. Until 2015, the number of different NPS reported each year increased year on year, but has since shown signs of stabilization, albeit at a high level (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: New psychoactive substances reported to UNODC each year, by substance group, 2009-2021*

Source: UNODC Early Warning Advisory on NPS, 2022.

Note: *Data collection for 2021 is not completed yet and therefore subject to change. 134 reporter countries were included.

For more information please see:

Global SMART Update 25: Regional diversity and the impact of scheduling on NPS trends

Laboratory and Scientific Service Publications

***The Spanish translation of this news item is made possible thanks to a collaboration with OAS/CICAD, a partner of the UNODC EWA.***