Bosnia and Herzegovina is putting deadly ‘designer’ drugs and synthetic opioids under control, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced.
After a 14-year hiatus, the Commission for the Suppression of Narcotic Drug Abuse launched an amendment to the List of Narcotic Drugs with the aim of strengthening control and protection of public health.
On December 9, a meeting of the Commission was held in Sarajevo, where the Proposal for a Decision on the amendment of the List of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, plants from which narcotic drugs and precursors can be obtained was discussed.
The members of the Commission chaired by the Minister of Civil Affairs, Dubravka Bošnjak, considered the implementation of the conclusion from the previous session, according to which the Department for Suppressing the Abuse of Narcotic Drugs at the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina was tasked with submitting, in cooperation with the Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an updated record of substances that have been included in international control regimes since 2011.
The proposed amendments relate to the addition of 112 new psychoactive substances, including highly potent synthetic opioids such as carfentanil and U-47700, new psychoactive cannabinoids such as 5F-MDMB-PICA and AB-FUBINACA, and ultra-potent “designer” benzodiazepines such as flubromazolam, in accordance with the official lists of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). These substances pose a high risk of overdose, acute intoxication, amnesia and respiratory depression, and their inclusion on national lists allows for legal control, prevention of illegal distribution and possession, and a legal basis for sanctioning perpetrators.
The addition to the List also allows for proactive preventive work through education, early warning of new substances and coordination of health and security services, thereby reducing the risk of harm and addiction in the population.
Due to the constant emergence of new psychoactive substances and psychotropic substances, it is crucial that the legislative framework of BiH remains up-to-date, operational and in line with international practices. The International Narcotics Control Board regularly updates its lists to include new psychoactive substances, precursors used in the illicit manufacture of drugs, and substances that are rapidly spreading through the illicit market and pose an increasing public health and safety risk.
When countries do not update their national lists in line with international control regimes, new substances that appear on the black market remain legally unrecognized, making it difficult for authorities to treat them as prohibited or strictly controlled substances.
Amendments to the List enable the legal and strictly controlled regulation of the production, import and export, trade and possession of controlled substances, strengthen the institutional response to drug abuse, and contribute to a more effective suppression of the illicit market.
The inclusion of particularly potent synthetic opioids, new psychoactive cannabinoids, and ultra-potent designer benzodiazepines in the lists of drug laws is of crucial importance for the protection of public health and safety. This allows for preventive surveillance, the prevention of illicit distribution and possession, and the establishment of a legal framework for sanctioning perpetrators.
At the same time, the addition of the List enables proactive preventive work through education of citizens and experts, early warning of new substances appearing on the illegal market, and coordination of health, judicial and security services.
These measures significantly reduce the risk of acute intoxication, mortality, addiction and abuse associated with criminal activities, including cases of drug use in the context of sexual violence and other criminal acts.
The commission concluded that the activities on amendments to the Census should be continued and the proposed changes should be sent to the further adoption procedure so that the domestic legislation remains fully aligned with international obligations. The list was last changed in 2008 and 2011, and the list of narcotic drugs is changed by the decision of the BiH Council of Ministers, which enables the adjustment of the supervision regime to changes in international conventions in the field of narcotic drug control.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina has previously initiated the process of amending the List of Narcotic Drugs, which would move cannabis from the list of prohibited substances and plants to the list of substances and plants under strict supervision, which would enable the medical use of cannabis in BiH exclusively through standardized pharmaceutical preparations, on a doctor’s prescription, in accordance with the law.
