MEPs voted on Wednesday to strengthen controls on chemicals used to make illicit drugs, while protecting legitimate trade, research and innovation.
The draft rules were approved by the International Trade and Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs committees by 85 to 4, with 6 abstentions. They are intended to prevent loopholes in controls on drug precursors, which are used to manufacture illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine and amphetamines.
MEPs want all suppliers of certain higher-risk chemicals to be subject to registration above certain quantities, rather than only those operating in external trade. They also back a ban on designer precursors, described as artificial chemicals closely related to controlled substances and without any known legitimate use beyond research and innovation.
Under the draft rules, online marketplaces would have to verify sellers’ authorisations before listing them, require corrections, suspend non-compliant sellers or remove listings, and report unauthorised sellers, with penalties for non-compliance. MEPs also want suspicious transactions, significant disappearances and thefts involving unlisted precursors to be reported, along with common rules on infringements and penalties, with safeguards for minor administrative errors and circumstances beyond operators’ control.
The MEPs said researchers, universities and businesses could continue using certain designer precursors for legitimate research and innovation, subject to notification or licensing, and they also want lower licence fees for smaller businesses and possible waivers or substantial reductions for specified public-interest research.
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