Implementing decision 2015/1876 - Subjecting 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole to control measures - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 275/43

A Risk Assessment Report on the new psychoactive substance 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole was drawn up in accordance with Article 6 of Decision 2005/387/JHA by the extended Scientific Committee of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) during a special session, and was subsequently submitted to the Commission and to the Council on 16 April 2013.

The substance 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole is a synthetic derivative of indole substituted at the phenyl side of the indole ring system. It appears to be a stimulant substance that may also have hallucinogenic effects. 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole has been found mostly in powder form but also in tablet and capsule form. It is commercially available on the internet and from ‘head shops’, marketed as a ‘research chemical’. It has also been detected in samples of a product sold as a ‘legal high’ called ‘Benzo Fury’, and in tablets resembling ecstasy.

The existing information and data suggest that the acute toxicity of 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole can provoke adverse effects in humans, such as tachycardia and hyperthermia, and may also cause mydriasis, agitation and tremor. 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole may interact with other substances, including medical products and stimulants that act on the monoaminergic system. The specific physical effects of 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole in humans are difficult to determine because there are no published studies assessing its acute and chronic toxicity, its psychological and behavioural effects, or dependence potential, and because of the limited information and data available.

There have been a total of 24 fatalities registered in four Member States from April to August 2012, in relation to which 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole alone, or in combination with other substances, was detected in post-mortem samples. While it is not possible to determine with certainty the role of 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole in all of the fatalities, in some cases it has been specifically noted in the cause of death. If this new psychoactive substance were to become more widely available and used, the implications for individual and public health could be significant. There is no information available on the social risks posed by 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole.

Nine European countries have reported to the EMCDDA and to the European Police Office (Europol) that they reported detection of 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole. No prevalence data is available on the use of 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole, but the limited information that exists suggests that it may be consumed in similar environments as other stimulants, such as in the home, in bars and nightclubs or at music festivals.

There is no information that suggests that 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole is manufactured in the Union, and there is no evidence suggesting the involvement of organised crime in the manufacture, distribution or supply of this new psychoactive substance.

The substance 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole has no known, established or acknowledged medical value or use, and there is no marketing authorisation covering this new psychoactive substance in the Union. Apart from its use as an analytical reference standard and...