Workflow to facilitate the detection of new psychoactive substances and drugs of abuse in influent urban wastewater

The complexity around the dynamic markets for new psychoactive substances (NPS) forces researchers to develop and apply innovative analytical strategies to detect and identify them in influent urban wastewater.

The use of prescription medication and other drugs by New Zealand drivers with illegal blood alcohol levels

14 Oct, 2024

This study examined the prevalence of the use of prescription medicines and other drugs by a selected subgroup of New Zealand drivers. The use of potentially impairing prescription drugs by the driving population is largely unknown. The population studied was drivers who were stopped by police, failed a breath alcohol test, elected to provide a blood sample for laboratory analysis, and had blood alcohol levels exceeding the legal limit.

The behaviour and transformation of pseudoephedrine/ephedrine cutting agents during the manufacture of methamphetamine.

No description availalble

Controlling new psychoactive substances in New Zealand

The emergence of new psychoactive substances into the global drug market has presented challenges for effective drug legislation and enforcement. One approach to prohibition uses controlled drug analogue legislation, which involves assessing the structural similarity of new substances compared to listed controlled drugs, as opposed to the new substance being specifically listed in legislation itself. An issue arises of there being no clear definition for what constitutes similarity between two substances, and as such, there is level of subjectivity in any decision made. This paper outlines the global and local drug scene in New Zealand, including the emergence of new psychoactive substances, and the legislation that is available for the control of illicit substances in a New Zealand context and the current method for considering new psychoactive substances as potential controlled drug analogues. The authors go on to propose an alternative method to this assessment process, which involves an objective and reproducible similarity scoring mechanism.

Fantasy islands-The emergence of NMP in GBL-containing liquids in New Zealand

Over the last few years there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of “Fantasy” type drugs seized in New Zealand, with gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) being by far the most prevalent. In 2018, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) was detected in a liquid, along with GBL, for the first time in New Zealand. Since this seizure, the number of seizures containing mixtures of GBL and NMP that have been submitted for analysis by New Zealand authorities have significantly increased, with 82% of submitted samples containing GBL also containing NMP. Analysis of these liquids showed that the majority had GBL and NMP purities of approximately 60–70% and 30–40%, respectively. Subsequent investigations by New Zealand authorities revealed a potential source of these liquids being a diverted legitimate industrial product. The health and psychoactive effects of NMP, along with GBL and NMP mixtures, are unknown. Health statistics in New Zealand have indicated increased harm from GBL use over the last few years.

The impact of traditional kava (Piper methysticum) use on cognition: Implications for driver fitness

Few studies have examined the impact of kava (Piper methysticum G. Forst. f.) on cognition when consumed at traditionally influenced volumes; most have used modified tablet-form kava, with the results erroneously overlaid on naturalistic kava consumption. Kava is a culturally significant Pacific drink with similar effects to Benzodiazepine. Traditionally influenced kava use sessions last, on average, 6 h in which attendees consume 3.6 L (7.6 pints) each of beverage kava, with some then driving home.

Prevalence of psychoactive drugs in injured patients presenting to an emergency department.

The aim of the present study was to obtain an unbiased understanding of the prevalence of psychoactive drugs in trauma patients presenting to a large ED.