Drugs 2.0 - Part 1: Decoding Drug Dupes

The global drug landscape is being reshaped by the fast-moving challenge of new psychoactive substances (NPS) –compounds engineered to replicate the highs of drugs like MDMA, heroin and cannabis. They are constantly evolving and far more unpredictable.

Created by modifying the chemical structure of traditional illicit drugs to circumvent drug laws, they can evade routine drug tests, leaving global drug regulators racing to respond.

In Singapore, these mostly synthetic drugs remain a small but growing threat. New laws now cover any substance that can produce a psychoactive effect. But as younger users are drawn in by the illusion of safer highs, authorities warn the problem could escalate if left unchecked.

CNA follows the trail from clandestine labs in India to Singapore’s forensic labs, where scientists scramble to decode the ever-changing chemistry behind these drugs.