INCB convenes second international expert group meeting on practical responses to counter fentanyls and emerging synthetic opioids with no known legitimate uses
Vienna, 9 September 2021 - The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) convened its second international expert group meeting on fentanyl-related substances and emerging synthetic opioids with no known legitimate uses. The meeting, convened under the INCB GRIDS programme, examined voluntary actions and outcomes relating to the INCB list of fentanyl-related substances with no known medical or industrial uses, which was released in 2018 and has been continually updated.
The three-day virtual meeting reviewed both fentanyl-related substances and emerging non-fentanyl opioids, and practical voluntary cooperation from Governments and, through them, private sector partners. Participants took stock of actions taken since the last meeting in 2019.
Experts exchanged ideas and developed recommendations on how this practical list could be further expanded to respond to the rapidly changing environment involving other emerging synthetic opioids with no known legitimate use. In this regard, companies manufacturing chemical reference standards play a role as they are often the first to receive requests related to emerging synthetic opioids, such as the development of reference standards for laboratories to use for comparison with seizures made by police, customs or postal officers.
The INCB GRIDS Programme supports the implementation of the 2018 United Nations General Assembly Resolution 73/192 calling for "international cooperation to address and counter the world drug problem", by responding to requests by Member States to enhance their capacity to detect and identify new psychoactive substances (NPS) and promote cross-border cooperation and information sharing through the use of the Board's specialized tools, Project ION, the OPIOIDS Project and the IONICS platform.
Click here to learn more about the GRIDS Programme
Click here to learn more about the OPIOIDS Project
Click here to learn more about the Project ION