Availability and Supply of Novel Psychoactive Substances

Availability and supply analysis of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) is complicated by sheer substance variety, the introduction of ever-newer compounds, linguistic diversity, evolving usage patterns in various nationalities or communities, and a shifting regulatory and legal landscape. Classical data sources are often inadequate, due to either NPS omission, inherent delays in the conduct or publication of research, lack of established government initiatives, or inflexible data systems. With these difficulties in mind, this chapter explores NPS availability and supply through an overview of the market and its structure, including NPS origins, market entry, manufacturing and distribution, and supply chain concerns. Online, retail, and non-retail vending practices are highlighted, with an emphasis on technological advances that have lowered, if not eliminated, barriers to diffusion of NPS knowledge, properties, and price discovery. Branding and misbranding underscore the competitive and potentially hazardous NPS market dynamics, and ongoing market pressures anticipate its continuing evolution.

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