Statement by Prof. Jallal Toufiq, President,
International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)
Sixty-eighth session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Item 5 (b) Challenges and future work of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the World Health Organization and the International Narcotics Control Board in the review of substances for possible scheduling recommendations
11 March 2025, Vienna, Austria
Mr. Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
INCB has continued to bring to the attention of the Commission the rapid proliferation and complexity of illicit synthetic drug markets and their impact on health and welfare, and the challenges faced in relation to the review of chemicals for possible scheduling recommendations.
While the World Health Organization is concerned with the scheduling of drug end-products under the 1961 and 1971 Conventions, INCB assesses the chemicals used in illicit drug manufacture for possible scheduling under the 1988 Convention.
Unfortunately, what is complex and technical at the level of the drug end-products is even more complex and technical at the level of precursor chemicals. Traffickers and illicit laboratory operators draw on countless alternative chemicals not under international control for use in illicit drug manufacture. The variety of precursor chemicals increases further when traffickers exploit the chemical diversity of classes of drugs with similar psychoactive effects.
The corresponding precursor chemicals, which are increasingly sourced from unregulated or non-compliant operators, include chemicals with no known legitimate uses - so-called 'designer precursors,' but they also include chemicals with - sometimes widespread - legitimate uses.
During its 142nd session in February 2025, and based on the scheduling recommendations of the World Health Organization that are before the Commission, INCB considered some precursors of the 'nitazene' group of substances, that is, precursors of a class of synthetic opioids stronger than fentanyl.
INCB found that, while there is a family of chemicals that are central to synthesizing the nitazene core structure, to-date, no seizures of these chemicals have been communicated to INCB, neither on form D nor through the INCB Precursors Incident Communication System (PICS).
Yet, there are suspicious Internet postings that suggest demand for those nitazene precursors for illicit purposes.
At the same time, the chemicals in question are easily replaceable and are also used industrially for manufacturing a variety of products.
Therefore, in light of the potency of and health risks associated with misuse of nitazenes, INCB is pursuing a number of initiatives with a view to gathering information about the nature and extent of licit and illicit use of the nitazene precursors in question. To this end, your competent national authorities will be contacted separately, through established communication channels in the coming weeks.
The example of nitazenes and their precursors is a reflection of the challenge we increasingly encounter, namely, balancing proactiveness in preventing the supply of chemicals for illicit drug manufacture with the need for supporting evidence for international scheduling recommendations.
To respond to the evolving realities of precursor control, the Board continues to advocate for voluntary initiatives and measures. These include the monitoring of legitimate international trade in non-scheduled chemicals through INCB's PEN Online Light system, operational cooperation and the sharing of actionable information through the INCB PICS system, enhancing domestic controls and engaging industries in identifying and denying suspicious orders and transactions. An INCB Conference Room Paper [1] presents findings, good practices and approaches to successful public private partnerships.
Where these measures are insufficient, the support of Member States is needed to gather the supporting evidence required to make timely assessments of chemicals for possible international control. After all, scheduling in the Tables of the 1988 Convention remains the only internationally binding mechanism to interrupt, and prevent shifts in, the supply of precursor chemicals for illicit drug manufacture.
I would conclude by thanking all of you for your continued cooperation in preventing and investigating the diversion of chemicals - both controlled and non-controlled - for use in illicit drug manufacture, including through meaningful scheduling recommendations.
Thank you for your attention.