Laurent Karila, addictologist psychiatrist at Paul-Brousse hospital in Villejuif (Val-de-Marne), and professor at Paris-Saclay University, explains that every day new psychoactive substances appear and are put up for sale on the Internet.
New psychoactive substances include very heterogeneous synthetic drugs. What are their common characteristics?
These new psychoactive substances exist in all forms: in liquid, in crystals, in powder… Some are smoked, injected intravenously (“slam”), “plugged” [administration par voie intrarectale]… They have in common that they are imitations of traditional drugs with “super powerful” effects. Their increased pharmacological potency increases the risk of overdose and addiction.
In terms of synthetic drugs, for cathinones for example, it suffices to move atoms to obtain products with much more serious risks. I recently saw, in consultation, several patients who were urgently hospitalized for cardiac or cerebral accidents related to the intake of synthetic cathinones.
Which of these drugs is the most widely used in France today?
The most popular at the moment is surely 3-MMC, which is a “little sister” of mephedrone, banned in France since 2010. 3-MMC has euphoric effects that are very similar to those of methamphetamine, whose prices are much higher. Then there is 4-MEC, cannabinoids, ketamine derivatives or even opioids, such as fentanyl derivatives. But, concerning this last family, the situation is disproportionate to that of the United States, where there are tens of thousands of deaths per year.
What explains the growing popularity of new synthetic drugs?
Internet sales have changed everything. Online, the availability of products is huge. Synthetic cathinones may be banned, but it is now very easy to order them, in a few clicks, on sites selling bath salts abroad, for example. Prices are low, and the more you buy, the cheaper it is. Thus, a gram of cathinone can cost less than 10 euros for an order exceeding several grams. This is an already considerable quantity, which can be a source of accident and death. Consumers feel like they are taking less risk, because the goods are delivered in a small box, directly to the letterbox.
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