Brussels, 08/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 7 March, the European Union decided to submit the new drug, 4-methylamphetamine (4-MA), to control measures and criminal penalties, an EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre on Drugs and Drug Addiction) press release states. The decision is based on the conclusions of a formal risk assessment report on 4-MA, drafted in 2012 by the extended Scientific Committee of the EMCDDA, with the participation of additional experts from the EU member states, the European Commission, Europol and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The drug 4-MA, which belongs to the group of synthetic phenethylamines “has no known legitimate purpose, aside from limited use in scientific research”. It has been linked to 21 deaths. The drug is apparently sold illegally as an amphetamine (with which it is often mixed). Information available points to it being produced and distributed by the same organised crime groups that are involved in the manufacture and trafficking of amphetamine. Reasons for the conclusion include the drug's strong similarity to amphetamine and the health risks it poses. Eleven member states have already placed the drug under control using different legal methods of control. (SP/transl.jl)