An overview of forensic drug testing methods and their suitability for harm reduction point-of-care services

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dc.contributor.authorHarper, Lane
dc.contributor.authorPowell, Jeff
dc.contributor.authorPijl, Em M.
dc.date.accessioned2019-12-18T23:53:14Z
dc.date.available2019-12-18T23:53:14Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.descriptionSherpa Romeo green journal. Open access article. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) applies.en_US
dc.description.abstractGiven the current opioid crisis around the world, harm reduction agencies are seeking to help people who use drugs to do so more safely. Many harm reduction agencies are exploring techniques to test illicit drugs to identify and, where possible, quantify their constituents allowing their users to make informed decisions. While these technologies have been used for years in Europe (Nightlife Empowerment & Well-being Implementation Project, Drug Checking Service: Good Practice Standards; Trans European Drugs Information (TEDI) Workgroup, Factsheet on Drug Checking in Europe, 2011; European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, An Inventory of On-site Pill-Testing Interventions in the EU: Fact Files, 2001), they are only now starting to be utilized in this context in North America. The goal of this paper is to describe the most common methods for testing illicit substances and then, based on this broad, encompassing review, recommend the most appropriate methods for testing at point of care. Based on our review, the best methods for point-of-care drug testing are handheld infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and ion mobility spectrometry; mass spectrometry is the current gold standard in forensic drug analysis. It would be prudent for agencies or clinics that can obtain the funding to contact the companies who produce these devices to discuss possible usage in a harm reduction setting. Lower tech options, such as spot/color tests and immunoassays, are limited in their use but affordable and easy to use.en_US
dc.description.peer-reviewYesen_US
dc.identifier.citationHarper, L., Powell, J., & Pijl, E. M. (2017). An overview of forensic drug testing methods and their suitablity for harm reduciton point-of-care services. Harm Reduction Journal, 14, 53. doi:10.1186/s12954-017-0179-5en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/5640
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherBioMed Centralen_US
dc.publisher.facultyHealth Sciencesen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridgeen_US
dc.publisher.institutionCarleton Universityen_US
dc.publisher.urlhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-017-0179-5en_US
dc.subjectHarm reductionen_US
dc.subjectSubstance abuseen_US
dc.subjectStreet drugsen_US
dc.subjectDrug overdoseen_US
dc.subjectDrug usersen_US
dc.subjectDrug effectsen_US
dc.subjectDrug-related side effects and adverse reactionsen_US
dc.subjectDrug evaluationen_US
dc.subjectPoint-of-care services
dc.subjectDrug testing
dc.subject.lcshDrugs of abuse
dc.subject.lcshDrugs--Overdose
dc.subject.lcshDrugs--Physiological effect
dc.subject.lcshDrugs--Side effects
dc.titleAn overview of forensic drug testing methods and their suitability for harm reduction point-of-care servicesen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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