Reitox is the European information network on drugs and drug addiction created at the same time as the EMCDDA. The abbreviation ‘Reitox’ is derived from the French ‘Réseau Européen d’Information sur les Drogues et les Toxicomanies‘.
Members of the Reitox network are designated national institutions or agencies responsible for data collection and reporting on drugs and drug addiction. These institutions are called ‘national focal points’ or ‘national drug observatories’.
Regulation
The Regulation governing the EMCDDA’s work requires that each EU Member State or other country participating in the work of the Centre shall establish or designate one national focal point (NFP). This designated national focal point then becomes a member of the network, which currently includes each of the 27 EU Member States plus Norway, Turkey and the European Commission.
The network’s main mission
Reitox directly contributes to the EMCDDA’s core task of collecting and reporting consistent, harmonised and standardised information on the drug phenomenon across Europe.
Reitox links national drug information systems and is the main way in which the EMCDDA exchanges data and methodological information on drugs and drug addiction in Europe. Data collected through the Reitox network are also utilised to monitor and support the evaluation of the outcomes of the EU drugs action plans, within its drug strategy. Furthermore, the data help guide EU drug policies and develop recommendations for appropriate national responses for organising treatment, prevention and harm reduction activities. The information gathered through the EU Early warning system for new psychoactive substances implemented in cooperation with the network makes it possible to adopt decisions for putting these under control within the EU.