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Goal: To both develop and facilitate the implementation of scientifically valid, robust measurement tools for the chemical characterization of drug evidence.
Why is NIST Involved in Drugs and Toxicology?
From April 2020 - April 2021 the CDC National Center for Health Statistics estimated 100,306 opioid overdoses
Drug cases are the most frequently requested type of analysis in forensic laboratory, accounting for over 700,000 submissions in 2020 according to NFLIS-DRUG
The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 legalized hemp with less than 0.3% THC content
What is NIST doing?
Opioids and Emerging Threats – Tools and Resources
Developing and validating new analytical tools for rapid analysis of seized drugs for accurate identification and decrease case backlogs
Creating and curating mass spectra libraries and data interpretation tools to assist in the identification of new and emerging drugs
Working with public health and public safety officials to create a metrology framework for near-real-time drug surveillance
Forensic Cannabis Analysis – An Integrated Measurement Service
Developing an objective image analysis method for interpreting colorimetric test results
Developing fundamental measurements to support breath-based detection of Cannabis Use
Administering the Cannabis Quality Assurance Program (CannaQAP) to improve the comparability of the analytical measurements of cannabis and cannabis-derived products in forensic testing laboratories.
Developing of fit-for-purpose Cannabis analytical methods
Developing of community-suitable Hemp Reference Material
Maryam Abdur-Rahman is a Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) intern conducting forensic science research with NIST’s Cannabis team in the Chemical Sciences Division. Her job has been to help the team chemically analyze different compounds in the plant.
Photo illustration of 2 milligrams of fentanyl, a lethal dose in most people.