A scoping review of forensic drug testing methods

Abstract

In light of the ongoing global opioid crisis, harm reduction agencies are working to help individuals who use drugs do so more safely. In order to help users make educated decisions, many of these organizations are researching methods for testing medications to identify and, when feasible, quantify its constituent parts. The purpose of this paper is to list the most popular drug substance testing methods and, after a thorough examination, suggest the best approaches for point-of-care testing. According to our review, mass spectrometry is still the gold standard for forensic drug analysis, while handheld infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and ion mobility spectrometry are the most successful techniques for point-of-care drug testing. Agencies or clinics with the necessary funding should consider reaching out to manufacturers of these devices to explore their application in harm reduction settings. Additionally, lower-tech alternatives, such as spot/color tests and immunoassays, although limited in capability, are affordable and straightforward to use.