Trans-European Drug Information

Last updated
Trans-European Drug Information network
AbbreviationTEDI
Founded20 June 2008;15 years ago (2008-06-20)
Focus Drug checking
Area served
Europe
Website https://www.tedinetwork.org/

The Trans-European Drug Information (TEDI) project is a European database compiling information from different drug checking services located on the European continent. The non-governmental organizations feeding into the database are referred to as the TEDI network.

Contents

History

The first drug checking service in Europe opened in 1986 in Amsterdam, allowing drug users to analyze the chemical composition of illicit substances that they consume. [1] In the following years, a number of nonprofit organizations present in various other drug scenes [2] in several countries (including in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland) set up drug checking services. [3]

In 2011, a database was created for to centralize information from these services and allow for the sharing of alerts (for example on new adulterants in illicit substances [4] or circulation of novel psychoactive substance [5] ) and the monitoring of drug markets across borders. [6]

Between 2008 and 2013, organizations member of the TEDI network analyzed more than 45,000 samples of recreational drugs, showing similarities and discrepancies between areas of the European continent in terms of purity, formulation, or prices. [7]

The TEDI project

The project and the network are hosted by the Polish nonprofit TEDI Nightlife Empowerment & Well-being Network (also known as NEW net or SaferNightlife).[ citation needed ]

Network

As of 2022, the TEDI network was integrated by 20 organizations across 13 countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom). [8] A team of professionals from various fields (substance use disorder prevention workers, pharmacists, chemists, etc.) across network member organizations constitutes the TEDI project's team. [6]

Database

The aims of the Trans-European Drug Information project are to collect, monitor and analyze the evolution of the European recreational drug market trends, and to regularly report the findings. Since 2011, the database has facilitated the centralization and comparison of information collected at the local level.[ citation needed ]

The TEDI database also feeds into the early warning system of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). EMCDDA and the TEDI network also collaborate on the organization of conferences [9] and trainings. [10]

In 2019, the mobile application TripApp was launched by a consortium or organizations, sharing in real-time alerts [11] from the TEDI database, in addition to connecting app users with local harm reduction providers. [12] The app received an award from the Council of Europe in 2021. [13]

Guidelines

As part of the project, guidelines and methodological recommendations have been published, such as:

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 Bücheli, Alexander; the Trans-European Drug Information project (2013). Drug Checking Consultation and Counselling Guidelines (PDF). Barcelona: Nightlife Empowerment & Wellbeing Implementation Project.
  2. ↑ Caldicott, David (22 February 2017). "Yes, we can do on-the-spot drug testing quickly and safely". The Conversation. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  3. ↑ Trans European Drugs Information (TEDI) workgroup (2011). Factsheet on Drug Checking in Europe (PDF). Brussels: Nightlife, Empowerment & Well-being Implementation Project.
  4. ↑ Zaami, S (2019-11-01). "New psychoactive substances: concerted efforts and common legislative answers for stemming a growing health hazard". European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. 23 (22): 9681–9690. doi:10.26355/eurrev_201911_19529. ISSN   2284-0729. PMID   31799633. S2CID   208621146.
  5. ↑ Oomen, Pieter E.; Schori, Dominique; Tögel-Lins, Karsten; Acreman, Dean; Chenorhokian, Sevag; Luf, Anton; Karden, Alexandra; Paulos, Carlos; Fornero, Elisa; Gerace, Enrico; Koning, Raoul P. J.; Galindo, Liliana; Smit-Rigter, Laura A.; Measham, Fiona; Ventura, Mireia (2022-02-01). "Cannabis adulterated with the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist MDMB-4en-PINACA and the role of European drug checking services". International Journal of Drug Policy. 100: 103493. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103493. ISSN   0955-3959. PMID   34687992. S2CID   239482166.
  6. 1 2 The Trans-European Drug Information project (2022). "About us – TEDI". tedinetwork.org. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  7. ↑ Brunt, Tibor M.; Nagy, Constanze; Bücheli, Alexander; Martins, Daniel; Ugarte, Miren; Beduwe, Cécile; Ventura Vilamala, Mireia (2017). "Drug testing in Europe: monitoring results of the Trans European Drug Information (TEDI) project". Drug Testing and Analysis. 9 (2): 188–198. doi:10.1002/dta.1954. PMID   26888408.
  8. ↑ The Trans-European Drug Information project (2022-03-31). "Story map: "Fieldwork drug checking services from 13 different European countries"". ArcGIS StoryMaps. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  9. ↑ European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (2019-10-22). "International symposium on drug checking". emcdda.europa.eu. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  10. ↑ European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (2021-12-08). "EMCDDA-TEDI network meeting of European drug checking services | www.emcdda.europa.eu". www.emcdda.europa.eu. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  11. ↑ "TripApp - Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  12. ↑ Lekhtman, Alexander (2019-12-31). "The 'TripApp' Helps You Make Safer Choices About Your Drug Use". FilterMag. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
  13. ↑ Pompidou Group, Newsroom (2021). "European Drug Prevention Prize: winning projects from Belgium, Poland and Lithuania". Council of Europe .
  14. ↑ "Guidelines". TEDI project. 2015.
  15. ↑ Creixell, Maria (2022-03-31). "The European network of drug checking services TEDI is launching a website to share information on the drug markets". ABD. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
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