This briefing paper describes some of the practical and legal obstacles facing Member States when responding to such new substances. It underlines the importance of national early-warning systems in detecting and identifying new substances as the first step towards assessing the risks of, and ultimately controlling, potentially dangerous new drugs.

Table of contents:
• Definitions
• Key issues at a glance
• Early-warning systems
• Proactive control
• Assessing the risks
• Faster processes — but supervised
• Unintended consequences of control
• Are other laws effective?
• Conclusions and policy considerations
• Key sources
• Web information