Following are articles published by the National Institute of Justice
Detecting Fentanyl Use Through Court-Ordered Mandatory Drug Testing
Researchers develop a more accurate picture of fentanyl use prevalence among people under court-ordered mandatory drug testing.
Addressing the Challenges of Detecting Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault
NIJ has funded research to address the challenges of detecting DFSA for several years. This research includes projects that examine ways to improve forensic hair testing and how drugs modify blood proteins.
What’s That Drug? Fast Screening of Seized Drugs
NIJ-funded scientists from West Virginia University develop quick, easy, and accurate drug tests.
New Screening Method to Detect Drugs and Poisons Postmortem
The Miami-Dade medical examiner’s office has developed a quick method to screen fluids for hundreds of drugs simultaneously, improving workflow.
Detecting Drugs in Hair: Is It Drug Use or Environmental Contamination?
NIJ-funded researchers develop a new approach to address a long-standing problem in toxicology.
Drug-Impaired Driving: The Contribution of Emerging and Undertested Drugs
The Impact of Drugs on Human Decomposition: What Insect, Scavenger, and Microbial Evidence Tells Us
Detecting Drug Exposure Long After the Fact: New Method Proves Effective
NIJ-funded researchers develop a novel blood protein modification assay to detect drug exposure long after the limits of traditional urine or blood tests.
Fighting the Uphill War Against Illicit Drugs and Overdose Deaths: Detecting Emerging Designer Drugs and Opioid Analogs
Early warning system helps lessen the harm from the tsunami of illicit drugs flowing into the U.S.
Five Things About Vaping and E-Cigarettes
Early-Career Forensic Toxicologists Take Home Top Awards for NIJ-Funded Research
Sara Walton, Laerissa Reveil, Tyson Baird, and Bailey Jones won prestigious awards at the Society of Forensic Toxicologists 2022 meeting.
Supporting Law Enforcement and Prosecution of Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths
An Examination of Cuyahoga County’s Heroin Involved Death Investigation (HIDI) Protocol
Study Reveals Inaccurate Labeling of Marijuana as Hemp
Meeting the Evolving Challenges of Fentanyl and Other Emerging Drugs of Abuse: Innovative Strategies for Improving Analysis
NIJ-supported research offers new workflow for complicated drug analysis, improves upon traditional workflow.
Challenges in Identifying Novel Psychoactive Substances and a Stronger Path Forward
The importance of non-targeted testing to keep pace with a rapidly evolving synthetic opioid market.
How Good Are the Data? Novel Metric Assesses Probability That an Unknown Drug Sample Matches a Known Sample
NIJ-funded researchers developed a novel metric to assess probability that an unknown sample of a drug matches a library sample, with profound implications for standardization of mass spectrometry results.
Five Things About Substance Use Interventions
Field Sobriety Tests and THC Levels Unreliable Indicators of Marijuana Intoxication
Researchers investigated how marijuana affects skills required for safe driving and found that biofluid levels of THC did not correlate with field sobriety test performance or marijuana intoxication, regardless of how the cannabis was ingested.
Fast and Portable Drug Testing: Dual-Method Prototype Shows Promise for Court-Admissible Drug Testing
Researchers integrate two independent, validated drug-testing techniques – mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy – onto a single platform prototype for fast and accurate analysis of seized substances.
Novel Technique Improves Analysis of Thermally Unstable Illicit Drugs
Analyzing illicit drugs such as methamphetamine is difficult because the drugs break down when heated in gas chromatographs. Investigators determined that a new method can avoid the heat issue and improve results.