Consumption Of New Psychoactive Substances Research Articles

Towards better prepared prisons: monitoring and response to the use of new substances inside prison

Abstract The use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) became an emerging issue in prisons in a number of European countries in 2014-2015. Synthetic cannabinoids were the new psychoactive substances most often reported, followed by synthetic cathinones, synthetic opioids and new benzodiazepines. Quantitative qualitative data on prison and drugs provided by 27 European Member States, Norway and Turkey to the EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction). An exploratory study conducted in 2017 found signs of NPS use in prison in 22 countries. Based on 2021-2022 data from a few countries, the lifetime prevalence of NPS in prison ranges from <1 to 19%, with large variation by country. Anecdotal information from 2024 referred to the use of new strong synthetic opioids (nitazene) inside prison. A wide range of physical and mental health harms (e.g. psychosis, disorientation, suicidal ideation, aggressiveness to others or self-harm) has been associated with acute intoxication by, and chronic consumption of NPS inside prison. Recent overdoses associated with the use of nitazene were reported in some prisons in Ireland and the UK. Additionally, the use of NPS in prison can have a disturbing impact on prison management, internal violence and bullying. To date, interventions to tackle the problems related to the use of NPS in prison have tended to focus on supply reduction and controls. Health and social interventions have begun to emerge, but they remain limited. Despite signs of increasing challenges posed by the emergence of NPS since several years, prisons remain largely unprepared to monitor and respond to those challenges. A new key task of the revised EMCDDA mandate (EUDA - European Drug Agency from 2nd of July) is to be better prepared to monitor, forecast and respond to new challenges in the drug field. Prisons should be prepared to adequately address the new challenges posed by the NPS to benefit the health and security of people living and working in prison.

Exposure to Synthetic Psychoactive Substances: A Potential Cause for Increased Human Hepatotoxicity Markers.

Approximately 30 million people worldwide consume new psychoactive substances (NPS), creating a serious public health issue due to their toxicity and potency. Drug-induced liver injury is the leading cause of liver disease, responsible for 4% of global deaths each year. A systematic literature search revealed 64 case reports, in vitro and in vivo studies on NPS hepatotoxicity. Maximum elevated concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (136 to 15 632 U/L), alanine transaminase (121.5 to 9162 U/L), total bilirubin (0.7 to 702 mg/dL; 0.04 to 39.03 mmol/L), direct (0.2-15.1 mg/dL; 0.01-0.84 mmol/L) and indirect (5.3 mg/dL; 0.29 mmol/L) bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase (79-260 U/L), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (260 U/L) were observed as biochemical markers of liver damage, with acute and fulminant liver failure the major toxic effects described in the NPS case reports. In vitro laboratory studies and subsequent in vivo NPS exposure studies on rats and mice provide data on potential mechanisms of toxicity. Oxidative stress, plasma membrane stability, and cellular energy changes led to apoptosis and cell death. Experimental studies of human liver microsome incubation with synthetic NPS, with and without specific cytochrome P450 inhibitors, highlighted specific enzyme inhibitions and potential drug-drug interactions leading to hepatotoxicity. Mild to severe hepatotoxic effects following synthetic NPS exposure were described in case reports. In diagnosing the etiology of liver damage, synthetic NPS exposure should be considered as part of the differential diagnosis. Identification of NPS toxicity is important for educating patients on the dangers of NPS consumption and to suggest promising treatments for observed hepatotoxicity.

Method development, validation, and application for simultaneous determination of 56 new psychoactive substances in surface water by LC-MS/MS.

Despite preventive legislation, the popularity and consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPS) have been steadily increasing in recent years. This study provides a rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation and the detection of 56 NPS from surface water. Sample clean-up and pre-concentration were performed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) with Oasis HLB (6 cc/500 mg) cartridge. Following the chromatographic separation with Shim-pack FC-ODS column, the all substances were quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The method was optimized and validated for all NPS. Despite the wide variety of physicochemical properties of the analytes, the recoveries for all compounds studied were in the range of 69-117%. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) ranging from 2.5 to 15 ng/L was reached for reliable and accurate quantification of analytes. The analytical method developed was successfully applied to the surface water samples. While synthetic cannabinoids were not detected, mephedrone from the synthetic cathinone group was detected under the LOQ. This novel method was expected to be a part of future environmental routine analyses as a satisfactory method.

Autopsy, histological and toxicological findings in deaths associated with new psychoactive substances (NPS): a study with 12 autopsies

Background“New psychoactive substances” (NPS), has been described as a “growing global epidemic”. The aim of our study was to document acute and chronic lesions that can be induced by NPS from autopsy cases for which complete toxicological analyses (including hair analysis) have been performed, in order to better define the role of NPS in the mechanisms of death. Material and methodsA retrospective study was performed at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, jointly with the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. All records for forensic autopsy case within a 6-year period, from January 2016 to January 2021, were reviewed for the diagnosis “death associated with NPS”. Results and discussionTwelve young male adults complied with the inclusion criteria. Lifestyles were dominated by drug addiction and homosexual context which could be anchored in a practice of ChemSex or even of “slamming”. In regard to autopsy findings, previous pathological state was dominated by cardiovascular and hepatic lesions possibly of toxic etiology. Causes and manners of death were, on the whole, quite heterogeneous; however, an accident as a manner of death was the most frequently observed. In terms of histological findings, the most notable lesions were: (1) cardiovascular (sequelae of myocardial infarction probably secondary to a vasospasm, accelerated atherosclerosis); (2) hepatic (steatohepatitis); (3) neurological (peri mortem convulsions); (4) renal (granular cylinders that may indicate rhabdomyolysis); (5) pulmonary (chronic instertitial inflammation); all of them may have had a toxic origin. In regard to toxicological findings, our case series was mostly subject to chronic consumption of synthetic cathinones, in particular 3-MMC; their involvement in the fatal determinism was retained in 7 cases. Tissue distribution was highlighted as increased in brain, explaining at least partially psychoactive effects of these NPS. Average cardio-femoral ratio of 3.78 suggested a cardiac tropism. A lethal concentration of mexedrone, measured at 640 ng/mL, was described for the first time. ConclusionWe provide autopsy data on NPS consumption habits in Ile-de-France, namely men who have sex with men in ChemSex. Macroscopic and microscopic lesions observed were cardiovascular, hepatic, neurological, renal and pulmonary. From a toxicological point of view, we collect additional data on toxic, even lethal concentrations of NPS. Concerning 3-MMC, calculated cardio-femoral ratio is positive; moreover, it is to our knowledge the first study that demonstrates its pharmacokinetic tissue distribution.

New psychoactive substances (NPS) in clinical and forensic toxicology: Analysis, prevalence and metabolism

The aim of this thesis was to develop different analytical approaches dedicated to the analysis of new psychoactive substances in different biological matrices (blood, urine and hair). The first approach is based on untargeted screening by biochip array technology chemiluminescence assay (BAT) and liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), and the second corresponds to a targeted screening by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). These methods were then applied in observational studies to assess the consumption of NPS in high-risk populations (overdose, drug abuse, drug-facilitated crimes, men who have sex with men MSM) in clinical and forensic settings. The last part of the thesis was devoted to the development of new tools for LC-HRMS data processing which made it possible to study the metabolism of different NPS in vitro on human liver microsomes (HLM) and in vivo in biological samples from drug users. This approach has enabled the creation of HRMS spectral library containing over 200 metabolites, some of which have been suggested as relevant markers of NPS exposure. This work has resulted on 10 scientific publications and allowed to initiate many multidisciplinary collaborations.

Prevalence study of drugs and new psychoactive substances in hair of ketamine consumers using a methanolic direct extraction prior to high-resolution mass spectrometry

Few studies have reported the prevalence or incidence about the consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPS). The hair analysis can be useful for this purpose. At the present, ketamine is the most consumed arylcyclohexylamine associated to young consumers and polyconsumption profiles. For this reason, ketamine consumer cases become very interesting to provide information on NPS prevalence. In this work, ten former cases of the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Science (INTCF) of Madrid Department (INTCFM), all of them belonging to defendants accused of crimes against public health and who had been found positive to ketamine, were reassessed. At the first toxicological analysis of those hair samples, a positive consume in ketamine had been determined by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In this work, the same hair samples were reanalyzed by high-resolution mass spectrometry ( UHPLC-HRMS/MS) using an incubation methanolic extraction combined with a single, simpler, non-selective and direct sample pre-treatment. After corroborating the GC-MS results previously obtained for the same samples, the detection of additional NPS using this new methodology evidenced its benefits and opened the possibility to perform a NPS prevalence study. In brief, in those cases with a positive consumption in ketamine, a polyconsumption of other drugs and NPS was found, including different arylcyclohexylamines as deschloroketamine, 3-MeO-PCP and methoxetamine; and cathinones as methylmetcathinone and N-ethyl-pentylone.

Prevalence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in Brazil based on oral fluid analysis of samples collected at electronic music festivals and parties

BackgroundNew psychoactive substances (NPS) use is a worldwide public health issue. Knowing the prevalence of NPS guides public health and legal policies to address the problem. The objective of this study was to identify NPS in Brazil through the analysis of oral fluid (OF) samples collected at parties and electronic music festivals. MethodsAnonymous questionnaires and oral fluid samples were collected from volunteers (≥18 years) who reported the consumption of at least one illicit psychoactive substance in the last 24 h. Oral fluid sample collections occurred at eleven parties and two electronic music festivals over 16 months (2018–2020). Questionnaire answers were matched to oral fluid toxicological results. ResultsOf 462 oral fluid samples, 39.2 % were positive for at least one NPS by liquid chromatography‒tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). The most prevalent NPS was ketamine (29.4 %), followed by methylone (6.1 %) and N-ethylpentylone (4.1 %); however, MDMA was the most commonly identified (88.5 %) illicit psychoactive substance. More than one drug was identified in 79.9 % of samples, with two (34.2 %) and three (23.4 %) substances most commonly observed. Only 5 % of volunteers reported recent NPS consumption. ConclusionMDMA is still the most common party and electronic music festival drug, although NPS were identified in more than one-third of oral fluid samples.

Research Advances in the Monitoring of New Psychoactive Substances in Municipal Wastewater

In recent years, as the third-generation of drugs, new psychoactive substances （NPS） have expanded rapidly and become a serious concern for China's anti-drug prevention and control system. As a new drug monitoring technology in the current anti-drug field, wastewater analysis is an objective, real-time, accurate, convenient and effective drug monitoring method. In recent years, it has gradually been applied to the monitoring of NPS. This study summarizes wastewater sample collection, target stability research, wastewater sample pretreatment, wastewater sample analysis methods, target NPS consumption calculations and actual monitoring applications, with a view to the construction of a monitoring system for NPS in wastewater, real-time and accurate grasp of information on the use of NPS in cities, the reflection of the actual consumption of different types of NPS and consumption trends in a short period of time, and prediction of the development trend of abused use, which is of great significance for combating NPS crimes, serving and guaranteeing the personal safety of the people, and maintaining social stability.

Seizures of New Psychoactive Substances on the Italian territory during the COVID-19 pandemic

In recent years, the availability and the consequent consumption of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) have proliferated at an unprecedented rate, posing a significant risk to the public health and challenging the law enforcement efforts to tackle the black market. In particular, large availability on Internet and unmonitored shipping have facilitated the diffusion of NPS on national territories. In this scenario, the forensic activity based on the process of drug detection, including investigation, seizure, recognition and analytical identification is crucial to get insights into the drug black market transformation. In this study, we describe the results obtained from the analysis of hundreds of packages seized during the months of year 2020, and suspected to contain NPS because not reacting with standard field test kits. We focused on the analysis by GC-MS and HPLC-HRMS, and NPS in particular, trying to underline the most common molecules present on the Italian territory during the COVID-19 pandemic. NPS were identified in 92.6% of the samples. The most prevalent compounds were synthetic cathinones, and 3-MMC in particular, which alone accounted for 18.6% of the total cases. Other prevalent molecules were 5F-MDMB-PICA, 2-FDCK, 1cp-LSD and 1P-LSD. Fentanyl was never detected. The information obtained from drug seizures is crucial to publish national alerts, which are in turn important to assist the legislative effort to ban new compounds and the update of toxicological and analytical methods.

Psychoactive Substances of Natural Origin: Toxicological Aspects, Therapeutic Properties and Analysis in Biological Samples.

The consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) has been increasing, and this problem affects several countries worldwide. There is a class of NPSs of natural origin, consisting of plants and fungi, which have a wide range of alkaloids, responsible for causing relaxing, stimulating or hallucinogenic effects. The consumption of some of these substances is prompted by religious beliefs and cultural reasons, making the legislation very variable or even ambiguous. However, the abusive consumption of these substances can present an enormous risk to the health of the individuals, since their metabolism and effects are not yet fully known. Additionally, NPSs are widely spread over the internet, and their appearance is very fast, which requires the development of sophisticated analytical methodologies, capable of detecting these compounds. Thus, the objective of this work is to review the toxicological aspects, traditional use/therapeutic potential and the analytical methods developed in biological matrices in twelve plant specimens (Areca catechu, Argyreia nervosa, Ayahuasca, Catha edulis, Datura stramonium, Lophophora williamsii, Mandragora officinarum, Mitragyna speciosa, Piper methysticum Forst, Psilocybe, Salvia divinorum and Tabernanthe iboga).

Recent bionalytical methods for the determination of new psychoactive substances in biological specimens.

One of the problems associated with the consumption of new psychoactive substances is that in most scenarios of acute toxicity the possibility of quick clinical action may be impaired because many screening methods are not responsive to them, and laboratories are not able to keep pace with the appearance of new substances. For these reasons, developing and validating new analytical methods is mandatory in order to efficiently face those problems, allowing laboratories to be one step ahead. The goal of this work is to perform a critical review regarding bionalytical methods that can be used for the determination of new psychoactive substances (phenylethylamines, cathinones, synthetic cannabinoids, opioids, benzodiazepines, etc), particularly concerning sample preparation techniques and associated analytical methods.

Stimulant substance use and gambling behaviour in adolescents. Gambling and stimulant use.

Gambling is widely recognized as an important public health problem. Despite the rising use of stimulant substances among adolescents, there are still very few studies focusing on whether adolescents' use of stimulants is associated with their gambling behaviour. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between gambling habits and consumption of stimulants such as coffee, energy drinks, and new psychoactive substances in a sample of Italian adolescents. A survey was conducted in 2017 with a representative sample of Italians between the ages of 14-17 years, comprising 15,833 students attending 201 secondary schools. Logistic regression analyses were run to assess the association between at-risk/problem gambling (O1) and independent predictors: the model included independent variables (coffee, energy drinks and new psychoactive substance consumption) and covariates (demographic variables, social environment variables and risk-taking behaviour variables). A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to examine a second dependent variable regarding any experience of gambling behaviour (O2). Adolescents who were at-risk gamblers or problem gamblers were significantly more likely to consume energy drinks than non-gamblers or not-at-risk gamblers. A similar pattern was seen for consumption of new psychoactive substances. No significant association emerged with coffee consumption. The sensitivity analysis showed that, compared with non gamblers, the group of gamblers had higher odds for frequent coffee consumption, as well as for consumption of energy drinks and/or new psychoactive substances. Screening for gambling and stimulant use may provide important information, as it may be necessary to take action to reduce stimulant substance use as part of efforts to deal with unhealthy gambling habits.

Determining changes in new psychoactive substance use in Australia by wastewater analysis

Measuring community consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is notoriously difficult to assess by traditional means such as surveys and seizure data. Previously, we used the approach to demonstrate the prevalence of NPS on a national scale. In the current study we explored the temporal resolution for the analysis of NPS in wastewater from Australia. Samples covering all States and Territories in Australia and both metropolitan and regional areas and were collected bimonthly from October 2017–June 2018 and October 2019–February 2020. A qualitative screening method was applied, screening for 201 NPS. In total, 15 substances were found from a variety of classes of NPS. The most prevalent class was synthetic cathinones, with pentylone, N-ethylpentylone and ethylone found in all periods in at least one site in the earlier sampling period, as well as the amphetamine-like paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA). In the latter period, synthetic cathinones were also the most prevalent, including eutylone, marking the first time that this compound has been detected in wastewater. This study shows the application of wastewater analysis to detect outbreaks of NPS use and temporal differences among sites.

Determination of New Psychoactive Substances in Whole Blood Using Microwave Fast Derivatization and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry.

The production and consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) has been raising a major concern worldwide. Due to easy access and available information, many NPSs continue to be synthesized with an alarming increase of those available to purchase, despite all the control efforts created. A new analytical method was developed and validated to determine a group of phenethylamines and synthetic cathinones: cathinone, flephedrone, buphedrone, 4-MTA, α-PVP, methylone, 2C-P, ethylone, pentylone, MDPV and bromo-dragonFLY in whole blood. A mixed-mode solid phase extraction was applied to 250μL of sample, and the extracts were derivatized with fast microwave technique before being analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The validation procedure followed the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Toxicology (SWGTOX) guidelines with parameters that included selectivity, linearity, limits of detection and quantification, intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy, recoveries and stability. The method presented linearity between 5 and 500ng/mL for cathinone, buphedrone, 4-MTA, methylone, 2C-P and bromo-dragonFLY, 10-500ng/mL for flephedrone, ethylone, pentylone and MDPV, and 40-500ng/mL for α-PVP, with determination coefficients above 0.99 for all analytes. Recoveries ranged between 70.3% and 116.6%, and regarding intra- and inter-day precision, the relative mean errors were typically lower than 8.6%. The method was successfully applied to over 100 authentic samples from the Laboratory of Chemistry and Forensic Toxicology, Centre Branch, of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Portugal.

Wide-scope target and suspect screening methodologies to investigate the occurrence of new psychoactive substances in influent wastewater from Athens

Almost all licit and illicit drugs consumed by the society end up either unchanged or as a mixture of metabolites in the sewage systems. The analysis of influent wastewater samples and the estimation of drug consumption is the field of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). A new trend of WBE is the estimation of the consumption of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), which are legal replacements of established narcotic and psychotropic drugs with slightly modified chemical structures and similar or new effects. To investigate the occurrence of NPS, 30 composite daily influent wastewater samples from the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of Athens (Greece) were collected in a four-year sampling campaign (2015–2018). A generic four-sorbent solid-phase extraction (SPE) sample preparation protocol able to retain compounds with wide physicochemical properties was used. Extracts were analyzed by liquid-chromatography coupled to quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) using target screening for 278 NPS and suspect screening for 451 NPS. Target screening method was validated for a subset of 49 representative NPS and illicit drugs with similar structures with the NPS. 24 NPS and related compounds were detected by target screening and two compounds were tentatively identified based on mass accuracy, prediction of retention time using in-house QSRR prediction models, isotopic pattern and HRMS/MS fragmentation, whereas the excreted mass loads were also calculated. The results indicated an occasional and low occurrence of NPS in wastewater during the week and over the years, whereas the estimation of the exact sources and the evaluation of the patterns in wastewater were critically discussed.

Metabolomic Strategies in Biomarker Research-New Approach for Indirect Identification of Drug Consumption and Sample Manipulation in Clinical and Forensic Toxicology?

Drug of abuse (DOA) consumption is a growing problem worldwide, particularly with increasing numbers of new psychoactive substances (NPS) entering the drug market. Generally, little information on their adverse effects and toxicity are available. The direct detection and identification of NPS is an analytical challenge due to their ephemerality on the drug scene. An approach that does not directly focus on the structural detection of an analyte or its metabolites, would be beneficial for this complex analytical scenario and the development of alternative screening methods could help to provide fast response on suspected NPS consumption. A metabolomics approach might represent such an alternative strategy for the identification of biomarkers for different questions in DOA testing. Metabolomics is the monitoring of changes in small (endogenous) molecules (<1,000 Da) in response to a certain stimulus, e.g., DOA consumption. For this review, a literature search targeting “metabolomics” and different DOAs or NPS was conducted. Thereby, different applications of metabolomic strategies in biomarker research for DOA identification were identified: (a) as an additional tool for metabolism studies bearing the major advantage that particularly a priori unknown or unexpected metabolites can be identified; and (b) for identification of endogenous biomarker or metabolite patterns, e.g., for synthetic cannabinoids or also to indirectly detect urine manipulation attempts by chemical adulteration or replacement with artificial urine samples. The majority of the currently available literature in that field, however, deals with metabolomic studies for DOAs to better assess their acute or chronic effects or to find biomarkers for drug addiction and tolerance. Certain changes in endogenous compounds are detected for all studied DOAs, but often similar compounds/pathways are influenced. When evaluating these studies with regard to possible biomarkers for drug consumption, the observed changes appear, albeit statistically significant, too small to reliably work as biomarker for drug consumption. Further, different drugs were shown to affect the same pathways. In conclusion, metabolomic approaches possess potential for detection of biomarkers indicating drug consumption. More studies, including more sensitive targeted analyses, multi-variant statistical models or deep-learning approaches are needed to fully explore the potential of omics science in DOA testing.

Case report of a drug-related death following the use of cathinone derivatives (MPHP and 4-MEAP)

The consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPS), such as cathinones, has been on the rise over the last few years, with adverse effects ranging from agitation, anxiety and hallucinations to convulsions, severe cardiac, hepatic and renal failures [1] . This work aims to report and discuss a fatal case related to the concomitant use of two cathinone derivatives (CDs). A 39-year-old man, known for drug addiction history, was found dead in his caravan. Multiple injection points were observed. The medical examiners concluded to a non-specific asphyxia syndrome combined with pulmonary and pericerebral edema and multivisceral congestion. Hence, the hypothesis of a death related to drug abuse was retained. Blood and urine samples were collected for NPS identification and quantification using LC-HRMS. A metabolic study using human liver microsomes was also conducted to identify human metabolites compared to published studies in animals. Ethanol concentrations were determined using GC-FID and toxicological screenings were performed using LC-UVDAD, LC-MS/MS and GC-MS. Various analyses detected the presence of two CDs, 4′methyl-α-pyrrolidinohexanophenone (MPHP) and N-ethyl-4′methylnorpentedrone (4-MEAP), as well as tetrahydrocannabinol [(THC): 1.4 μg/L and (THC-COOH): 6.6 μg/L] and ethanol (0.5 g/L in cardiac blood). The concentrations of MPHP/4-MEAP in the femoral blood, cardiac blood and urine were 47/1.6, 97/3.5 and 2380/49,700 μg/L, respectively. The in vitro metabolic study allowed us to identify five metabolites for MPHP and three for 4-MEAP, but only two metabolites were detected at low levels in biological samples. One metabolite of MPHP, the 4′-carboxy-PHP, was detected in all biological samples, with higher chromatographic signals than those of MPHP. Regarding the growing phenomenon of CD abuse, analytical toxicologists must have: – efficient tools to detect such NPS focusing on relevant biomarkers; – interpretation data (toxic and fatal blood levels) on CD. In this study, the CD concentrations found appeared to be of the same order of magnitude as the only two reports found in the literature, one concerning a case of death due to MPHP with a plasma (supernatant of heart blood) concentration of 32.9 μg/L [2] and another one on two cases of 4-MEAP intoxication with a positive outcome showing urine concentrations of 7676 and 4554 μg/L, respectively [3] . It is very likely that an additive or synergistic effect between both CDs might have precipitated the fatal outcome.

Ion mobility spectrometry as a fast screening tool for synthetic cannabinoids to uncover drug trafficking in jail via herbal mixtures, paper, food, and cosmetics.

The greatest challenge for European drug policies is how to effectively respond to the dynamic and constantly changing market for new psychoactive substances (NPS). Even small modifications in the chemical structure of substances often allow circumventing existing laws. Also in prison, the consumption of NPS is rising and there is growing evidence that NPS are responsible for a large share of drug-related problems. Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) is the technique of choice for trace analysis of illicit drugs or explosives at security points, for example airports. Currently, databases of the reduced mobility (K0 ) values are limited to classical drugs and should be completed with data of emerging NPS. In this article, K0 values, LODs (0.7-3.6ng) and drift times of 25 synthetic cannabinoids were evaluated. The data were added to existing databases of IMS which were then applied for fast screening in prison. The detection capability of the portable IMS technique was evaluated by the determination of intra-day (0.089%) and inter-day precision (0.004% to 0.14%), systematic error (0.19%), and separation capability for structurally related NPS. The applicability of the methodology was demonstrated by the successful analysis of 12 different pieces of paper impregnated with synthetic cannabinoids, 7 different cosmetics, and 5 food samples (liquids), spiked with a mixture of narcotic drugs and a synthetic cannabinoid. In addition, 14 herbal mixtures and 36 different casework samples from prisons were analyzed provided by the State Office of Criminal Investigation Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany).

Investigating the appearance of new psychoactive substances in South Australia using wastewater and forensic data.

New psychoactive substances (NPS) have increased in use and popularity worldwide. Wastewater analysis has been successfully applied to evaluate illicit drugs use within a population. However, for NPS, such an approach may be limited due to low doses of NPS combined with their ever-changing composition and usage. The dynamic nature of the NPS market means use may be opportunistic, infrequent, and with few users. Hence, the use of complementary information sources is recommended to improve the knowledge on NPS consumption. The aim of this study was to investigate the changing landscape of NPS use on a community scale by combining wastewater analysis and forensic toxicology. Forensic analysis provided specific information on NPS prevalence in post-mortem blood samples in Adelaide, South Australia over five years, while wastewater analysis showed community use over the same period. A qualitative liquid chromatography--high resolution mass spectrometry method was initially used to screen the wastewater samples. A total of 24 NPS were found: 6 in wastewater only, 13 in forensic post-mortem toxicology samples only, and 5 in both. As these results showed the presence of NPS, a targeted method was subsequently employed to quantify levels of these NPS in wastewater. Temporal trends were found in wastewater with distinct tendencies for synthetic cathinones visible over the period studied.

Structure determination of butylone as a new psychoactive substance using chiroptical and vibrational spectroscopies.

Recently, there has been a worldwide substantial increase in the consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPS), compounds that mimic the structure of illicit drugs, such as amphetamines or ecstasy. The producers try to avoid the law by a slight modification of illicit structures, thereby developing dozens of temporarily legal NPS every year. The current trends in the detection and monitoring of such substances demand a fast and reliable analysis. Molecular spectroscopy represents a highly effective tool for the identification of NPS and chiroptical methods can provide further information on their 3D structure, which is the key for the determination of their biological activity. We present the first systematic study of NPS, specifically butylone, combining chiroptical and vibrational spectroscopies with ab initio calculations. According to density functional theory calculations, 6 stable lowest energy conformers of butylone were found and their molecular structure was described. For each conformer, the relative abundance based on the Boltzmann distribution was estimated, their population weighted spectra predicted and compared to the experimental results. Very good agreement between the experimental and the simulated spectra was achieved, which allowed not only the assignment of the absolute configuration, but also a precise description of the molecular structure.