The impact of new psychoactive substances is putting Italy’s healthcare system under increasing pressure. In just one year, 92 new drugs have entered the market. This surge in synthetic compounds, combined with the growing tendency to mix different substances, is sharply increasing the risk of serious health consequences. The situation has been highlighted by SIPaD, the Italian Society of Addiction Disorders. Healthcare services are struggling to cope with the range of emergencies, partly because of a chronic staff shortage, with 1,900 fewer professionals than are needed. Emergency departments are bearing the brunt of this shortfall, facing a growing influx of patients experiencing overdoses or other problems linked to drug use. According to SIPaD’s report, the concerns extend beyond established substances such as cocaine and opioids to include the arrival of new synthetic compounds that are often difficult to identify and whose effects remain unknown.
Alongside the clinical challenge of recognising these substances, there are significant difficulties in tracing their supply chains. They are sold through complex distribution networks that are hard to monitor and marketed under misleading trade names, leaving consumers unaware of their actual chemical composition.