Testing for illegal drugs is an ongoing battle. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, there are approximately 100 new psychoactive substances (NPS) appearing at border checkpoints every year. The rapid detection and identification of these drugs is critical to prevent their widespread sale.
In recent years, death rates from drugs have ramped up to more than 40,000 a year in the US alone, reports the AddictionCenter. This ‘opioid epidemic’ specifically refers to the growing number of deaths and hospitalizations from opioids, including illicit drugs such as NPS. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the United States.