UNODC Early Warning Advisory toxicology highlights:

• Over 1,200 individual NPS have been reported to the UNODC Early Warning Advisory on New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) by 142 countries and territories worldwide. 
• Continuous prevalence of benzodiazepine-type NPS in toxicology casework, particularly bromazolam, across driving under the influence of drugs (DUID), clinical admissions, and post-mortem cases.
• Polysubstance use is a significant concern with numerous cases involving the combination of multiple NPS but also of NPS with synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and other controlled substances.

Since its inception, UNODC Early Warning Advisory (EWA) has served as a voluntary online data system that gathers and consolidates both regular and ad-hoc submissions from forensic drug testing laboratories, Member States, and partner organisations on NPS found in seized materials and toxicology cases.  This information contributes to the identification of the most persistent, prevalent, and harmful NPS which pose the greatest threat to public health, thus, assisting in the prioritisation of substances for placement under international control, as well as legislative responses at the national level. Since 2015, 80 NPS have been placed under international control and these substances continue to be included in the EWA to assist in and monitor the implementation of international scheduling decisions.  The following report presents the latest information on NPS that has been reported to UNODC and an analysis of over 2,800 cases submitted from toxicology laboratories within 11 Member States from the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania in 2023. Although the analysis allows for a broader understanding of the associated harm of NPS, it is not an exhaustive representation of the variety and toxicity of NPS present globally.