European Commission to ban two new psychoactive substances

On Monday, the European Commission proposed to ban two new psychoactive substances (NPS) - cycloproplyfentanyl and methoxyacetylfentanyl - across the European Union.

These strong synthetic opioids can cause severe harm to health, sometimes resulting in death, and pose a growing threat to European citizens, the EC stated.

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: "We have taken quick and decisive steps to stop illicit drugs from spreading across Europe – in 2017 we have proposed to ban 16 new psychoactive substances and put in place stronger EU-wide rules. Today, we are following up on the efforts to better protect Europeans from dangerous drugs and propose to ban two new, potentially life-threatening, substances. We need to stay vigilant, continue our work and monitor the situation closely - in the coming weeks we will present a report with the main drug use trends in the EU."