Comparison of Laboratory Confirmed Drugs in Acute Recreational Drug Toxicity Presentations to an Urban Hospital in London, UK, 2016/17 versus 2019/20.
Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology January 1, 2025 Caitlin E Wolfe, Lachlan J Sund, John Rh Archer et al. 5 citations
In 2021, 258 UK deaths were attributed to novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Confirmatory testing for NPS is limited by cost and speed. Among 1000 acute recreational drug toxicity presentations to a central London hospital in 2019/20, 28 unique NPS were detected, compared to 31 in a 2016/17 cohort. Eight new NPS appeared in 2019/20: four benzodiazepines, two synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists, one cathinone, and one ketamine analogue. No NPS opioids were found in either cohort. Cannabis, ketamine, and opioid detection increased significantly from 2016/17 to 2019/20, while alcohol, cathinones, GHB, and MDMA decreased. The findings align with European forensic trends and underscore the need for ongoing surveillance of emerging drugs.