[New drugs of abuse on the Web: the role of the Psychonaut Web Mapping Project]

Riv Psichiatr. 2010 Mar-Apr;45(2):88-93.
[Article in Italian]

Abstract

In the rapid change of drug scenarios, as the powerful development in the drug market, particularly in the number and the kind of the compound available, Internet plays a dominant role to become one of the major "drug market". The European Commission funded the Psychonaut Web Mapping Project (carried out in the time-frame January 2008-December 2009), with the aim to start/implement an Early Warning System (through the data/information collected from the Web virtual market), to identify and categorise novel recreational drugs/psychoactive compounds (synthetical/herbal drugs), and new trends in drug use to provide information for immediate and prevention intervention. The Psychonaut is a multi-site research project involving 8 research centres (De Sleutel, Belgium; University of Hertfordshire School of Pharmacy, St George's University of London, England; A-klinikkasäätiö, Finlandia; Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Germany; Assessorato Salute Regione Marche, Italy; Drug Abuse Unit, Spain; Centre of Competence Bergen Clinics Foundation, Norway) based in 7 European Countries (England, Italy, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Spain, Norway).

Publication types

  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • European Union
  • Humans
  • Information Dissemination*
  • Information Storage and Retrieval
  • Internet*
  • Marketing / methods*
  • Pilot Projects
  • Substance-Related Disorders* / prevention & control