This report has been compiled as part of a European research project entitled New Psychoactive Substances: transnational project on different user groups, user characteristics, extent and patterns of use, market dynamics, and best practices in prevention. The NPS-transnational Project is funded by the Home programme of the European Commission (HOME/2014/JDRU/AG/DRUG/7077).

This transnational and interdisciplinary research project builds on the knowledge and experience gathered in recent years by researchers from different scientific disciplines in six EU-countries: Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal.

The main methods applied in this project were an inventory of the NPS situation within each of the six countries and a survey among three groups of NPS users. For the inventory of the NPS situation in each of the six participating countries, national information was gathered from existing sources about NPS definitions, drug policy and legislative frameworks, supply (procurement and market), demand (prevalence rates, description of users, motives and patterns of use) and prevention activities. In addition, eight experts were interviewed on these themes, with a focus on best practice.