Croatia brings the drugs list into line with the new European drugs directive

Croatia is aligning its drug list with a new European directive on narcotics, according to the Ministry of Health. The ministry has launched a public consultation on a draft amendment to the national drug list, which brings Croatian legislation into compliance with the recently adopted EU directive. This follows the Delegated Directive (EU) 2025/2062, which adds three new psychoactive substances—2-MMC (2-methylmethcathinone), 4-BMC (4-bromometcathinone), and NEP (N-ethylnorpentylone), to the definition of drugs under Council Framework Decision 2004/757/PUB. The substances are synthetic cathinones closely related to methcathinone, commonly known as mefedrone, which is often sold on the black market as a legal alternative to amphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA. According to the ministry, these compounds are already banned in Croatia because the existing national drug list covers all cathinone derivatives. The proposed amendment does not introduce new bans but explicitly references the directive, ensuring full alignment with EU law. The move reflects Croatia's commitment to a generic drug list approach, introduced to address the rapid emergence of new substances posing threats to public health. Instead of listing individual chemical compounds, the updated drug list includes entire chemical families. This means that all variations and derivatives within these groups are automatically illegal, even before they appear on the illicit market. This strategy enables authorities to act swiftly against such substances, preventing them from reaching end users. The amendment to the drug list, psychotropic substances, and plants from which drugs can be obtained is being issued under the Law on Combating Drug Abuse and the Law on the State Administration System, with prior approval from the minister of foreign and European affairs. According to Minister of Health Irena Hrstić, the goal is to protect public health, particularly among young people, by stopping these drugs at the laboratory stage, long before they reach the streets. She emphasized that laboratories producing synthetic drugs change formulas faster than regulations can keep pace. By banning entire chemical families rather than individual substances, Croatia aims to stay ahead of emerging threats. The public consultation will last 30 days and take place on the e-Consultation portal. The amended list will come into effect on the first day following its publication in the Official Gazette. The initiative underscores Croatia’s proactive stance in addressing the evolving landscape of synthetic drugs and highlights the importance of regulatory frameworks that can adapt quickly to new challenges.