New synthetic drugs can pose significant health risks and safety problems, particularly for young people. Each member state of the European Union agreed to the Council Decision, concerning the information exchange, risk assessment and control of new synthetic drugs. An Early-warning system has been established to identify new synthetic drugs as soon as they appear on the market.
„Council Decision 2005/387/JHA has replaced the joint action of 16 June 1997 concerning the information exchange, risk assessment and control of new synthetic drugs. The Decision maintains the mechanism for the rapid exchange of information established under the joint action but introduces stricter deadlines and broadens the scope beyond new synthetic drugs to include all new psychoactive substances that may pose public health and social threats, thus allowing European Union institutions and Member States to act on all new narcotic and psychotropic substances that appear on the European Union drug scene.”
In Hungary, it is the task of the National Focal Point to organize the national Early Warning System, which: