Seized Drugs Subcommittee

The Seized Drugs Subcommittee focuses on standards and guidelines related to the examination of evidence to identify drugs and related substances.

Officers | Members | Standards | Other Work Products

Officers

Agnes D. Winokur, Subcommittee Chair, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

Anne Slaymaker, Subcommittee Vice Chair, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

Lyndsay Cone, Subcommittee Executive Secretary, North Carolina State Crime Laboratory

Members

Standards

On the OSAC Registry

• ASTM E1968-19 Standard Practice for Microcrystal Testing in Forensic Analysis for Cocaine (added July 6, 2021).
• ASTM E1969-19 Standard Practice for Microcrystal Testing in the Forensic Analysis of Methamphetamine and Amphetamine (added July 6, 2021).
• ASTM E2125-19 Standard Practice for Microcrystal Testing in the Forensic Analysis of Phencyclidine and its Analogues (added to July 6, 2021).
• ASTM E2329-17 Standard Practice for Identification of Seized Drugs (added August 7, 2018).
• ASTM E2548-16 Standard Guide for Sampling Seized Drugs for Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis (added June 1, 2021).
• ASTM E2882-19 Standard Guide for Analysis of Clandestine Drugs (added July 6, 2021).
• ASTM E3255-21 Standard Practice for Quality Assurance of Forensic Science Service Providers Performing Chemical Analysis (added November 2, 2021).
• OSAC 2022-S-0013, Standard Guide for Testimony by Experts in Seized Drug Analysis (added December 6, 2022 sent to ASTM for further development and publication).

At an SDO for Further Development & Publication

• OSAC 2022-S-0013, Standard Guide for Testimony by Experts in Seized Drug Analysis (OSAC Proposed Standard on the Registry).
• REVISION to ASTM E1968 Standard Practice for Microcrystal Testing in Forensic Analysis for Cocaine.
• REVISION to ASTM E1969 Standard Practice for Microcrystal Testing in the Forensic Analysis of Methamphetamine and Amphetamine.
• REVISION to ASTM E2125 Standard Practice for Microcrystal Testing in the Forensic Analysis of Phencyclidine and its Analogues.
• REVISION to ASTM E2326 Standard Practice for Education and Training of Seized Drug Analysts.
• REVISION to ASTM E2327 Standard Practice for Quality Assurance of Laboratories Performing Seized Drug Analysis. 
• REVISION to ASTM E2329 Standard Practice for Identification of Seized Drugs.
• REVISION to ASTM E2548 Standard Guide for Sampling Seized Drugs for Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis.
• Standard Practice for Uncertainty Estimation of Quantitative Measurements in the Analysis of Seized Drugs.
• Standard Guide for Assessment of Gas Chromatography and Electron Ionization Mass Spectrometry Data During the Qualitative Analysis of Seized Drugs.
• Standard Guide for Assessment of Fourier Transform Infrared-Spectroscopy (FTIR) Data During the Qualitative Analysis of Seized Drugs.
• Standard Guide for the Development of Electron Ionization-Mass Spectral (EI-MS) Libraries.
• Standard Guide for Intralaboratory Blind Quality Control Programs for Seized Drug Analysis.
• Test Method for Gas Chromatograpy-Infrared Spectroscopy (GC-IR Vapor Phase Testing of Fentanyl Related Substances.

Under Development

• OSAC 2022-S-0014, Standard Practice for Building an Analytical Scheme for the Assessment of THC in Suspected Marijuana Plant Material Samples.
• Standard Test Method for the Analysis of Seized Drugs Using Color Tests.
• Standard Guide for Reporting of Seized Drug Analysis Results.
• Test Method for Building an Analytical Scheme for the Analysis of New Psychoactive Substances and True Unknowns in Seized Drugs.
• Standard Guide for Assessment of LC Data During the Qualitative Analysis of Seized Drugs.
• Standard Test Method for the Analysis of Seized Drugs Using Gas Chromatograph-Infrared Spectroscopy.
• Standard Practice for Evidence Handling of Seized Drugs.
• Standard Guide for the Assessment of Structural Similarity of Substances.
• Standard Practice for API Mass Spectrometry.

Other Work Products

Process Maps

• Seized Drugs Process Map (Current Practice), November 30, 2022. 

Reference Documents

• Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry Analysis Considerations.

Research & Development Needs

• See the research and development needs identified by the Seized Drugs Subcommittee.

Standards Development Maps

• Seized Drugs Roadmap

Discipline-Specific Bibliographies and Bibliographic References 

These documents may contain information to help forensic scientists, judges, lawyers, researchers, and other readers better understand the nature, scope, and foundations of the individual disciplines as currently practiced. The identification of these documents does not represent an endorsement by OSAC or NIST. Only standards that are posted on the OSAC Registry and Technical Guidance documents, are endorsed by OSAC. The referenced documents may be subject to copyright. Note: Subcommittee position statements or responses to data collections by the subcommittee do not necessarily represent the position of OSAC or NIST.

• SWGDRUG Recommendations, Current Edition

• SWGDRUG Supplemental Documents

  • SD-1–A Code of Professional Practice for Drug Analysts
  • SD-2–Quality Assurance/Validation of Analytical Methods
  • SD-3–Examples of Measurement Uncertainty for Weight Determinations
  • SD-4–Examples of Measurement Uncertainty for Purity Determinations
  • SD-5–Reporting Examples

  • SD-6–Examples of Measurement Uncertainty for Extrapolations of Net Weight and Unit Count

• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Publications of Manuals, Guidelines & Publications for Drug Testing Laboratories

• ENFSI-UNODC Guidelines on Representative Drug Sampling

• ENFSI-DWG Guidelines on Sampling of Illicit Drugs for Quantitative Analysis

• ENFSI-DWG Guidelines on the Use of Reference Materials in Forensic Drug Analysis

• Transcript, Evidentiary Hearing, "People of the State of California vs. Randy Chacon, et al", September 13, 2017

Literature:

• Instrumental Data for Drug Analysis (IDDA), Mills, Roberson, Matchett, Simon, Burns and Ollis (3rd edition) or current edition.
• Clarke's Analysis of Drugs and Poisons, Moffat, Osselton, Widdop and Watts (4th edition) or current edition.
• Understanding Mass Spectra: A Basic Approach, Smith (2nd edition) or current edition.
• Hallucinogens: A Forensic Drug Handbook, Richard Laing and Jay Siegel or current edition.
• The Shulgin Index, Volume One: Psychedelic Phenethylamines and Related Compounds, Alexander T. Shulgin (Currently out of print).
• Cannabis Resources
• Pharmacophore Resources

Monographs:

• European Project RESPONSE

• Southern Association of Forensic Scientists Forendex

• Forensic Drug Review

• SWGDRUG Monographs

Spectral Databases/Libraries:

• Cayman Spectral Library GC-MS

• DART Forensics Library

• Designer Drugs Online

• SWGDRUG MS Library

• SWGDRUG IR Library