PhD Program in Toxicology.
Substance and Behavior Addiction Research Center.
Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2020 Jul;33(4):306-311. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000604.
Abuse of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has been a new global concern. So far, there has been no international consensus on legislative control of NPS. Scrutiny of Taiwan's illegal drug use history reveals that legislation and policy play an important role in tackling the drug issues.
Since the early 2000s, use of club drugs (mostly NPS) has become popular in local rave parties and dance clubs in Taiwan. Some NPS, such as ketamine, synthetic cathinones, and para-methoxymethamphetamine, have posed a risk to public health and a challenge to drug policy.
The illegal drug use history in Taiwan was firstly briefly reviewed, and the recent NPS use situation was depicted. Heroin and methamphetamine have been the most predominant drugs, but NPS such as ketamine and synthetic cathinones have become a new issue. The toxicological profiles of commonly abused NPS in Taiwan, although limited, were discussed. By comparison of the legislative mechanism for NPS control between Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, it was found that timely and flexible legislative mechanism(s) is essential for early identification, surveillance, and comprehensive evaluation. In addition, researches on NPS epidemiology and toxicology are needed to firm up evidence-based strategies for effective prevention, treatment, and harm reduction measures.
目的综述：新精神活性物质（NPS）滥用已成为全球新的关注点。目前，国际上尚未就 NPS 的立法管制达成共识。审视台湾地区非法药物使用史可以发现，立法和政策在解决毒品问题上发挥着重要作用。
最近发现：自 21 世纪初以来，致幻剂（主要是 NPS）在台湾当地的锐舞派对和舞蹈俱乐部中越来越受欢迎。一些 NPS，如氯胺酮、合成苯丙胺类兴奋剂和对-甲氧甲基苯丙胺，对公众健康构成了威胁，也对毒品政策提出了挑战。
总结：简要回顾了台湾地区的非法药物使用史，并描述了最近 NPS 的使用情况。海洛因和冰毒一直是最主要的毒品，但氯胺酮和合成苯丙胺类兴奋剂等 NPS 已成为一个新问题。本文还讨论了台湾地区常见滥用 NPS 的毒理学特征。通过比较台湾、韩国和日本管制 NPS 的立法机制，发现及时和灵活的立法机制对于早期识别、监测和全面评估至关重要。此外，还需要对 NPS 流行病学和毒理学进行研究，以确定基于证据的有效预防、治疗和减少伤害措施。
