Trends in illicit drugs based on the analysis of seizures from the Tanzania mainland drugs market

Drug regulations and trafficking: Synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones in Hungary

In principle, new psychoactive substances (NPSs) are produced to circumvent drug regulations. However, the mixed success of regulatory efforts suggests that the dynamics of marketing is incompletely understood. To address this issue, we conducted a comprehensive study on the marketing of all synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones present in Hungary over ten years. Market evaluation was based on drug seizure data and chemical analyses provided by the Hungarian Institute for Forensic Sciences. Over ten years, 18 synthetic cannabinoids and 11 cathinones were identified. Total seizure counts were 22,906 and 10,273, respectively. When new synthetic cannabinoids emerged, seizures increased exponentially, but rapidly declined after their banning. In parallel, new synthetic cannabinoids emerged on the market. The systematic monitoring of local legislation allowed large sales between market introduction and legal control. Cathinones were also marketed in successive waves, but trading intensity was not associated with local regulations. Sales remained low throughout, likely because the risks involved by the temporal mismatch between marketing and legal control. One can hypothesize that marketing was driven by general trends in EU regulations or by measures taken by large countries. Our findings imply the existence of two different strategies for NPS marketing. The choice between the two may depend on multiple factors from the availability of skills required by rapid marketing adjustments to cost/benefit evaluations for various market segments. Studying NPS market strategies in neighboring and distant EU countries may help analyzing and predicting market events.

Chemical profiling of Cannabis sativa from eleven Tanzanian regions

The aim of this research was to investigate the chemical profiles of Cannabis sativa from 11 Tanzanian regions using preliminary tests as well as instrumental analyses with GC-MS and LC-MS. Generally, all the seized samples tested positive for the presence of (Δ⁹-THC. The preliminary test with Duquenois method followed by chloroform addition revealed the presence of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ⁹-THC) in all the samples. GC-MS analyses of the samples revealed the presence of nine cannabinoids including Δ⁹-THC, Δ⁸-THC, cannabidivarol, cannabidiol, Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabivarin (Δ⁹-THCV), cannabichromene, cannabinol, caryophyllene, and cannabicouramaronone, whereas LC-MS chemical profiling revealed the presence 24 chemical substances, including 4 cannabinoids, 15 different types of drugs and 5 amino acids. The Pwani region had the highest percentage composition of Δ⁹-THC (13.45%), the main psychoactive ingredient of Cannabis sativa, followed by Arusha (10.92%) and Singida (10.08%). The sample from Kilimanjaro had the lowest percentage of Δ⁹-THC (6.72%). Apart from cannabinoids, the majority of other chemical substances were found in the Dar es Salaam region sample, which could be attributed to the fact that the city is the epicenter of business rather than the cultivation area, implying that the samples were obtained from different sources and blended as a single package.

Changes in drug availability patterns on Tanzanian mainland: The effects of the surge operations deterrent strategy

This study investigated the recent changes in illegal substances availability on the Tanzanian mainland as a result of the government's surge operations as a deterrent approach against illicit drug production, trafficking and usage from 2017 to 2020, as well as the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the drug market. Overall, 247467 seizures of illegal substances weighing 25357.9 kg were tested at The Government Chemist Laboratory Authority (GCLA), an average of 6339.5 kg annually. According to the findings, cannabis was the most frequently encountered substance, accounting for 80.6%, 88.2%, and 83% of all incidents, samples, and weight, respectively. Heroin came in second with 12.6% of the total incidents and 7.4% of the total number of samples, while khat came in second with 15.2% of the weight of the seized illegal substances during the period under study. Apart from a 202 and 4709 decline in heroin incidents and samples, the weight jumped from 15.3 kg in 2017 to 303.5 kg in 2020. Generally, the overall weight of the seizures decreased by 67.3% from 13036.4 kg in 2017-3890.7 kg in 2020. The results were particularly noticeable in the case of cannabis, which plunged by 76.5% from 11771.1 kg in 2017-2727 kg in 2020. Despite the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns and travel limitations, heroin seizures increased by 67.4% in 2020 compared to the preceding three years combined.