Forensic science: Roadside drug testing

Abstract

With drug abuse proving to be a continuing problem in society, it is no surprise that the detection of such abuse is an issue of importance. No more so than in the case of detection of drug impaired driving where the lives of many people may be placed at risk.With established method detection procedures and devices in place for alcohol, analytical chemists and other scientists are focussing their efforts on establishing analytical cut-offs and devices for the detection of drugs at the roadside. In this paper, the challenges faced in such a search are discussed.The main concerns arise from the choice of biological sample, the sampling methods employed, the device used for detection, and the cut-offs or detection limits for the devices. With many commercially available kits on the market, and none meeting the required standards at this time, a search for alternative methods is on going. Microfluidic devices may prove useful in this search however, more research is required in this area.