How powerful synthetic drugs will upend drug markets globally

Some traditional approaches to drug interdiction would be obsolete in a drug market dominated by synthetic drugs
The Washington Post (US)
Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Illicit drugs made from plants (e.g., cocaine, heroin) are being replaced in some national drug markets by those that are synthesized (e.g., methamphetamine, fentanyl). The U.S. has had a parallel experience in the past decade with the rise of illicit consumption of synthetic opioids and cannabinoids. If illicit drug markets continue to separate from an agricultural base, it would upend traditional understandings of drug markets and drug policy.