Senate Votes for Designer Drugs Ban

Following the House of Representatives, the Senate has voted for a ban on new psychoactive substances, also known as designer drugs. This ban places entire groups of substances under the Opium Act, making many common designer drugs illegal as of July 1, 2025, regardless of their composition.

State Secretary for Youth, Prevention and Sports, Vincent Karremans: “It is currently too easy for drug producers to create designer drugs that resemble illegal drugs but are legal due to slightly different chemical compositions. Such new drugs pose similar health risks, including poisonings and heart palpitations, leading to hospital admissions and addiction problems. This ban on entire groups of new psychoactive substances aims to combat this practice, sending a clear message: this stuff is dangerous, stay away from it.”

Minister of Justice and Security, David van Weel: “With this law, we cut off drug criminals. By banning the most common and dangerous substance groups, we stay one step ahead of criminals and hinder the production and trade of designer drugs. The police and the Public Prosecution Service have long been advocating for this legislation. This law is an important step in combating undermining crime.”

Currently, under the Opium Act, a new substance is banned if a risk assessment shows it poses too great a health risk. This allows drug producers to quickly create a similar drug with a slightly different composition, making that new drug legal on the market. A good example is the proven harmful 3-MMC (also known as “poes of miauw”), which was followed by the currently legal 2-MMC.

Because designer drugs are easily and legally available, users may mistakenly believe they are not harmful. To stop this trend, it has been decided to propose legislation that bans commonly found groups of new psychoactive substances (NPS, or designer drugs) by adding a list (Ia) to the Opium Act.

With the ban on groups of new psychoactive substances, the easy availability of risky substances sold online as “research chemicals” is being countered. This creates an important barrier to the use of these substances. At the same time, the ban supports targeted prevention and education efforts that warn users about the health risks of these drugs. Additionally, agencies can respond more quickly to new developments around designer drugs, collaborate more closely with international partners, and make the Netherlands less attractive for drug crime.