近年来，新精神活性物质滥用——包括合成阿片类药物、合成大麻素和合成卡西酮——一再在欧洲引发急性中毒与过量致死事件。尽管欧洲各国在这一领域采取了一系列新措施加以应对，但当前毒品政策架构仍面临极大挑战。尽管新出现的阿片类药物在欧洲药品市场中的作用有限，但仍对个人和公众健康构成了严重威胁。而芬太尼衍生物的流行尤为令人瞩目，该类衍生物在欧洲毒品和毒瘾监测中心所发现的新精神活性物质中所占比例极为可观。这类物质药效极高，微量使用即可导致快速而严重的呼吸抑制效果，从而迅速危及使用者生命。欧洲已知的药物过量病例，就出现了想要购买海洛因或其他非法药物却误用新精神活性物质的人。除急需纳洛酮加以治疗的过量用药风险外，以芬太尼衍生物为代表的新精神活性物质在欧洲所具有的很高的流行风险，以及促使使用者产生高强度药效依赖性的潜在威胁，对于欧洲各国的各方面政策应对造成了极大挑战。
New psychoactive substances，including synthetic opioids，synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones，continue to be associated with deaths and acute intoxications in Europe and，despite a range of new measures introduced in this area，continue to represent a challenge to current drug policy models. Although playing a small role in Europe’s drug market，new opioids pose a serious threat to individual and public health. Of particular concern are fentanyl derivatives，which make up the majority of new opioids reported to the EMCDDA. These substances can be particularly potent，with minute quantities capable of causing life-threatening poisoning from rapid and severe respiratory depression. Reported overdose cases include people who believed they were buying heroin，other illicit drugs or pain medicines. In addition to the acute risks of overdose，where the use of naloxone may be indicated，fentanyl derivatives are also reported to have high abuse liabilities and dependence-producing potential.
