The Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme - DAP

On 10 March 2026, the Secretary-General of the Colombo Plan shared his statement at the 69th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna through a video message.

In his remarks, he reaffirmed the Colombo Plan’s commitment to supporting Member States in addressing global drug-related challenges through drug demand reduction and drug supply reduction efforts worldwide as well as sharing outstanding activities implemented in 2025. The Colombo Plan remains committed to working closely with the international community to promote practical, evidence-based solutions that strengthen capacity building on prevention, treatment, recovery, and forensic drug analysis at the regional and global level.

🚨 Public Health Alert: Emerging Synthetic Opioid Threat

🔹 N-Propionitrile Chlorphine (Cychlorphine)
There has been an increase in fatal overdoses linked to this novel synthetic opioid, raising serious public health and safety concerns.

🔹 Benzimidazol-2-one (Orphines) Class of Opioids
An emerging class of highly potent synthetic opioids is contributing to increased mortality and morbidity worldwide. These substances may be equal to or stronger than fentanyl and can significantly increase the risk of respiratory depression and death, especially when combined with other opioids.

⚠️ Public health and public safety officials are urged to remain vigilant.

📌 Download the alert using this link: https://colombo-plan.org/public-health-alerts/

The Colombo Plan was honoured to participate in the 3rd International Symposium on Drug-Related Studies 2025, held on 09 December in Sri Lanka.

Director of the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme (CPDAP), Ms. Oranooch Sungkhawanna, delivered the keynote address at the inaugural session, highlighting the importance of a whole-of-society response to emerging drug challenges and reaffirming the Colombo Plan’s commitment to global drug demand reduction and capacity-building efforts. In this connection, the NDDCB Chairman presented a token of appreciation to CPDAP, for continued partnership and valuable contributions to strengthening national and regional drug control initiatives.

The event was graced by:

• Hon. Sunil Watagala, Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs (Chief Guest)
• Mr. D. W. R. B. Senavirathne, Secretary, Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs
• Dr. Indika Wanninayake, Chairman, NDDCB
• Representatives of partner agencies, foreign delegates, academics, and practitioners

The Colombo Plan celebrated its 74th anniversary yesterday (17 July) with Hon. Vijitha Herath, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism of Sri Lanka, as the Chief Guest. We were also honored to have H.E. Julie J Chung, Ambassador of the United States to Sri Lanka and the incumbent President of the Colombo Plan Council, in attendance.

We are incredibly proud of the legacy we have created and look forward to many more years of impactful work!

Read More : https://colombo-plan.org/the-colombo-plan-celebrated-its-74th-anniversary/

The third day of the Regional Forensic Capacity Building for Synthetic Drug Detection and Analysis for South Asia training program resumed with further sessions on Mass Spectrometry led by Mr. Francis Diamond. The content from Modules 03 and 04 continued with a deeper dive into LC/MS and Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry. The session also included the example of the identification of fentanyl analogs.

Later in the day, Dr. Barry Logan presented an insightful session on Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS): Trends and Challenges, addressing the growing concerns surrounding NPS in the South Asia region. He discussed Public Health Alerts released in collaboration with the Colombo Plan and CFSRE, emphasizing the prevalence of synthetic cannabinoids (CB1 agonists), in South Asia. These substances are often found in herbal products (“Kush”, “Spice”, “K2”), v**e liquids, and adulterated hashish. Examples of commonly detected NPS included AB-FUBINACA, 5F-ADB, MDMB-CHMICA, and JWH-018 (earlier generations). Dr. Logan also highlighted the growing issue of adulterated drugs, noting that many new drugs are being mixed with veterinary drugs and industrial chemicals to extend their effects or increase volume. This trend poses significant public health risks due to the toxicological complications of such adulterants.

Fentanyl analogs, and novel synthetic opioids (e.g. nitazenes, and benzimidazoles) were noted as particularly concerning adulterants appearing in drugs worldwide. A significant seizure of fentanyl itself has been seized in Bangladesh, although currently there are no reports of nitazenes in South Asia, however, that may be a function of testing capability. Dr. Logan also discussed the prevalence of methamphetamine and ketamine in counterfeit M**A or Ecstasy pills. Finally, he discussed the emerging issue of Xylazine (a veterinary sedative), Medetomidine/Dexmedetomidine, and BTMPS, Bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl) a chemical light stabilizer being detected as adulterants.

Dr. Logan concluded the day with a presentation on the NPS Discovery Program and its Open Access Drug Early Warning System, showcasing several reports on newly emergent drugs. One notable public alert released in May 2025 concerned the discovery of tetramethylfentanyl-related substances and BTMPS in the drug supply.

To wrap up the day's sessions, Dr. Logan introduced the International Toxic Adulterants Database (ITAD), highlighting the latest version—ITAD 4.0. This database, with data contributed by 42 laboratories across 30 countries, provides valuable information on emerging toxic adulterants. Dr. Logan explained how laboratories could gain access to ITAD and contribute their findings to enhance global awareness and research on toxic adulterants.