Brussels, 27/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 27 September, the European Commission proposed stronger controls on drug precursors used in heroin and methamphetamine production. The Commission explained that it has put two legislative initiatives on the table to strengthen customs controls on two drug precursors, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. It is also strengthening rules for companies within the EU using acetic anhydride, which is used in the manufacture of heroin.
These chemicals are used to make flu and allergy medicines, but are also illegally exploited to produce methamphetamines (also known as meth, ice, speed or crack). While ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are controlled both in the EU and internationally, the trade in medicinal products containing them is not. “Drug traffickers therefore frequently target the legal medicines to have an easy source of precursors for methamphetamines”, explained the Commission. To close this loophole, it is proposed that customs authorities should be allowed to seize shipments of medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine when there is reasonable suspicion that they are destined for illegal purposes.
The second proposal stipulates that companies within the EU using acetic anhydride, as well as companies producing or trading acetic anhydride must register with their national authorities. Finally, the proposal also aims to establish a European Database on Drug Precursors, “to ensure more efficient data collection on seizures and stopped shipments, and have a list of EU licensed and registered businesses”.
According to Commission figures, the global annual legitimate trade of acetic anhydride (AA) is over 2 million tonnes. Of the global production capacity, 25% is in the EU; US production capacity is around 50% and the rest of the world including China around 25%. It is estimated that 0.02% of AA global legal trade is diverted to heroin production in Afghanistan. In 2010 the EU imported just over 3 tonnes of ephedrine preparations while the global figure was close to 4 tonnes. The EU accounts for about 78% of the global imports of ephedrine preparations, explained the Commission. (SP/trans.fl)