Heroin remains Europe’s most popular opioid
In Europe, heroin is still responsible for the majority of opioid-related deaths and remains the most commonly consumed illegal opioid. However, the structures and challenges associated with the heroin scene have changed. …
Antigen tests are now a matter of course
Almost everyone uses antigen tests, has already benefited from their effectiveness and knows what they involve. Thanks to its use in COVID-19 rapid tests during the pandemic, a method that once seemed so alien is now a normal part of daily life. …
HHC – a new drug trend in the NPS market
HHC is still legal in many countries. It’s also easily purchased, promises an enjoyable high and, due its rapid spread, is causing alarm among authorities and governments. Of course, legal does not equal harmless, and users of HHC are at risk of …
A ballooning trend in the use of nitrous oxide
15 poisoning incidents in all of 2015, compared with 67 in the first half of 2019 alone – these figures from the Netherlands are indicative of the rising misuse of laughing gas across Europe and in the United States. One study conducted …
Natural saliva versus artificial saliva
99.5% water and 0.5% dissolved enzymes, minerals and salts—it sounds so simple, yet human saliva is a highly complex fluid. To date, it has not been possible to produce realistic artificial saliva. This presents a challenge for laboratory verification of saliva-based drug …
Detecting misuse of hallucinogens
The consumption of hallucinogens is rising sharply across Europe. Both the number of seizures and the quantities seized are on the increase. In the past 12 months, around 20% of drug users have taken LSD and 13% have taken ketamine. This increases …
Detecting misuse of sedatives
Drug testing of drivers involved in accidents – first and second places go to THC and benzodiazepines. Consuming benzodiazepines (BZO) before driving causes a five-fold1 increase in the risk of being injured in a road traffic accident. If alcohol is consumed at the …
Detecting misuse of stimulants
Stimulants have now infiltrated not only party districts, but also, rather frequently, everyday life. In routine situations, this drug use results in inappropriate behaviour: The number of accidents resulting in personal injury under the influence of drugs has increased fivefold from 1991 …
Ketamine – From Anaesthetic to Party Drug
The famous song “Space Oddity” by David Bowie, commonly believed to be about the experience of taking mind-altering drugs, perfectly describes the feelings of alienation and dissociation that come with using ketamine. Ketamine users have intense hallucinations and even near-death experiences, as …
Roadpol, the European Roads Policing Network
70 per day. That’s the average daily number of road deaths in Europe right now. And governments and dedicated non-governmental organisations are using various approaches to reduce this figure further. One of the most active organisations campaigning for greater road safety is …
