Review article

Identification of drug abuse

Ljiljana Skender ; Institut za medicinska istraživanja i medicinu rada, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Abstract

Drug abuse poses health and safety hazards, both in the workplace and in the wider community. There is increasing pressure to use urine drug tests to determine the prevalence of drug abuse, to deter illicit use of drugs, and to identify drug abusers for rehabilitation. Drug-abuse testing programs have been implemented for employees, job applicants, policemen, firemen, enlisted personnel of the army, athletes, and workers in occupations that are considered critical to public safety and health, such as those in nuclear power plants and the transportation industry. Since the consequences ot a positive test can be quite severe, there is a need to develop uniform and internationally recognised methods for identifying drug abuse The paper discusses selection ot biological specimens for drug-abuse testing, main characteristics of drugs of abuse and recommended analytical techniques tor their determination. The impoitance of a quality assurance program for drug-testing laboratories is emphasised.

Keywords

analytical techniques; biological samples; drugs ot abuse

Hrčak ID:

144325

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/144325

Publication date:

3.7.1998.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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