Introduction In 2005, following on from the findings of the ROSITA and DrUID projects, the French government made the decision to investigate possible alternative matrices to urine for drug screening at the roadside. A special committee, which included French ministerial representatives, was established in 2006 and they decided to use a special procurement contract in the form of a “competitive dialogue”: this allowed manufacturers of screening devices to improve their product in accordance with the committee’s recommendations. From initial investigations carried out, oral fluid (OF) was found to be the best alternative matrix (non invasive sample taking, difficult to adulterate, existing prototypes), and so this was chosen for this work. The devices included in the work were screening tests based on immunochromatographic methods. Method In France the four major categories of drugs tested for are cannabis, cocaine, opiates and amphetamines therefore the devices selected had to detect these compounds. The French gendarmerie and police played an important role in this previously unfamiliar testing and 3 OF devices remained for evaluation in the final step of the selection process. For this step, 2 field evaluation studies were carried out in 3 of the most active territorial road units by the Centre of Research and Expertise on Logistic (CREL). In the first study, approximately 500 individuals were involved. A urine sample was collected for screening, if positive a blood sample for confirmation and one of the OF devices was tested. In the second study, 100 participants were involved and standard urine and blood confirmation was carried out but also OF was tested against all three of the devices for a comparative study. The toxicology unit of our laboratory performed more than 400 of the confirmatory analyses by a validated GC-MS method. For both of the field studies, CREL processed the findings from the roadside units carrying out the screening and determined sensitivity, specificity and efficacy of the 3 devices. As a result, the Rapid Stat ® (Mavand) screening device was introduced for roadside drug testing. French law was subsequently modified in July 2008 to allow the use of an OF screening test operated by a police officer (as opposed to medical personnel). Results & discussion This change in legislation has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of roadside drug tests performed and consequently the number of confirmatory analyses in blood (an increase from 15,000 in 2004 to 76,000 in 2010). Although OF has a number of factors requiring consideration when collecting, analysing and interpreting findings, it has become an accepted matrix for this type of testing and one which we are investigating. In March 2011, a new public contract was announced. A new device (Drugwipe5S ® , Securetec) was appointed, for 2011 to 2015. Last year, the Directorate General of the French Gendarmerie tasked our laboratory to carry out a feasibility study on the use of OF in confirmatory analyses. This includes evaluating financial, organisational and philosophical implications and establishing risk assessment criteria. With help from laboratories in Belgium and Switzerland, the analytical component of this study is now underway and several steps are planned, including the selection of the OF collection device, the choice of biological markers and the validation of both field testing devices and analytical methods. At this time, the collection device has already been chosen, the biological markers are being established and analytical method development is in progress. Since the work is in the early stages, no conclusion can be drawn as yet however, OF analysis offers us an interesting alternative matrix for future screening and confirmation.