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Drugs and toxicology

What IS Drugs and Toxicology ANALYSIS?

Forensic drug analysis, or seized drug analysis, identifies illegal or controlled materials. The goal of forensic drug analysis is to answer the question, “What is this substance?”

Forensic toxicology tests biological samples to determine whether drugs, alcohol or poisons are present. The goal is to answer the question, “What did this person ingest and how much?”

What is NIST’s Role?

Our experts:

  • Develop and validate tools to quickly analyze seized materials.
  • Create reference materials, reference data and data interpretation tools to help identify new drugs or chemicals in seized materials. 
  • Provide near real-time data on the seized drug landscape to support law enforcement and public health agencies.

News and Updates

NIST Study Shows How the Toxic Substances Mixed Into Fentanyl Vary Across the U.S. and Change Over Time

NIST Expands Its Library of ‘Chemical Fingerprints’ to Identify Unknown Substances

NIST’s New Hemp Reference Material Will Help Ensure Accurate Cannabis Measurements

Blog Posts

When Scientists Become Accidental Detectives

Speeding Up the Wheels of Justice: How NIST Resources Can Help Crime Labs Work Faster

NIST Partnership Helps Communities Manage Unknown Dangers in Common Street Drugs

View drugs and toxicology publications View drugs and toxicology research projects View drugs and toxicology patents
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