Hair analysis as evidence in forensic cases.

Abstract

The analysis of hair for drugs of abuse is a powerful tool useful in answering questions that cannot be solved by the detection of drugs in body fluids, e.g., blood, urine, or saliva. The most frequent forensic investigations occur in cases where narcotics laws are offended and in questions of criminal responsibility where the chronic use of a drug is an issue. In the list of drugs of abuse, heroin, cocaine, amphetamine, and cannabis are the drugs of abuse that are most frequently involved in judicial inquiries.