Reding wants quicker action on designer drugs

(CS) European Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding on Tuesday urged the EU's parliament and member states to adopt legislation which would make it easier to ban harmful designer drugs from the market.

Speaking in Brussels, Reding said that around two million people in Europe are estimated to be taking psychoactive substances that are sold as legal. Every week, at least one such new substance enters the market within the EU, under such as names as “Spice”, “Meow-Meow”, “China White” or “Benzo Fury”.

Dozens of deaths around the Union have been associated with these kinds of drugs, which are sold as “legal highs”. The drugs have also been linked to severe and permanent health and mental damage.

According to Reding, the number of identified substances has tripled between 2009 and 2012, from 24 new substances per year to 73. Around 5 percent of young Europeans indicated in a recent Eurobarometer poll that they have consumed these legal drugs, with the real number expected to be even higher.

Act faster and smarter

Arguing that many citizens will think these drugs are safe because they are legally available, Reding argued that the Commission wants to better protect European citizens by introducing two measures.

The first would allow the EU to take the drugs off the market within weeks albeit temporarily, pending a full risk assessment. The procedure to pronounce a substance illegal would be cut from 24 month to just 10 months.

Additionally, the new legislation would differentiate between a customer and industrial market. While Reding stressed the health hazards for consumers, she added that the substances could have a legitimate use in chemical or high-tech industries.

With the EU currently applying a system whereby substances can be banned completely or not at all, Reding spoke out for a more flexible and “smart” system, by which substances would be categorised by risk.

Prevent major health and social harms

Moderate risk substances would be banned from the consumer market but not from industrial use. Substances associated to a severe risk, meanwhile, would face harsher restrictions. The severe risk substances would then be considered illicit and subject to criminal law provisions, including fines or imprisonment.

Reding highlighted the need for joint EU action, saying that the internal market has no borders making the proliferation of the drugs quick and easy.

“This is the best anti-drug programme that the Union can offer. I count on the European Parliament and member states to adopt these proposals swiftly as this is crucial for preventing major health and social harms,” she concluded.