Observational studyAddiction (Abingdon, England)2026
From emergence to replacement: The evolution of 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) and its substitutes in the Dutch drug market (2012-2024).
Observational study in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- From emergence to replacement: The evolution of 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) and its substitutes in the Dutch drug market (2012-2024).Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsThe market for new psychoactive substances (NPS) is highly dynamic, with hundreds of substances emerging on the European drug market in the last decade. 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC), a synthetic cathinone and isomer of mephedrone (4-MMC), gained popularity in the Netherlands due to its psychostimulant effects and initial legal status. The present study aimed to systematically examine developments in the Dutch 3-MMC market between 2012 and 2024, based on the Drugs Information and Monitoring System (DIMS) data, to describe trends in pricing, sources of purchase, chemical composition, user-reported effects and demographic and contextual use patterns. DESIGN AND
settingObservational study using drug checking data collected from 2012 to 2024 through DIMS, a national network of 33 drug checking services operating throughout the Netherlands. CASES: In total, 3437 samples sold as 3-MMC were submitted to DIMS for analysis and were included in the study. Of these, 2627 samples were chemically analysed. MEASUREMENTS: Number of samples sold as 3-MMC submitted for drug checking, price, source of purchase, drug composition, self-reported effects in relation to drug composition, and setting of use.
findingsThe number of samples sold as 3-MMC submitted to DIMS each year increased from n = 1 in 2012 to n = 1853 in 2024. Following the scheduling of 3-MMC in 2021, median prices doubled (from €10 during the period 2019-2021 to €20 in 2022) and the reported source of purchase shifted towards dealer (from approximately 50% of samples before scheduling to more than 90% after scheduling). Chemical composition of the analysed samples changed significantly (Cramér's V = 0.49, P < 0.01). Since 2022, samples sold as 3-MMC increasingly contained a variety of substances. By 2024, only 10% of samples still contained 3-MMC, compared with 85% in 2021, whereas substitutes such as 2-methylmethcathinone (2-MMC) and 3-chloromethcathinone (3-CMC), as well as more potent compounds including di(methyl)pentylone (DMP) and N-ethylnorpentedrone (NEP) became more prevalent. Self-reported effects (noted for 376 samples) were qualitatively similar for samples containing 2-MMC and 3-CMC compared with 3-MMC, whereas DMP and NEP were associated with more severe adverse reactions (e.g. anxiety, paranoia, cardiovascular disturbances, insomnia). Patterns of use shifted towards festivals and parties (around 50% and 25%, respectively), while home use (15%) remained notable in 2024.
conclusionsThe Dutch 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) market changed substantially following scheduling in 2021, with more samples sold as 3-MMC submitted for drug checking. By 2024, only 10% of submitted samples contained 3-MMC and structurally related substitutes with greater health risks were increasingly detected.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.