A new method using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry can detect and quantify 122 new psychoactive substances (NPS) and 15 classical drugs of abuse (DoA) in hair samples. The method was validated according to European Medicines Agency guidelines and applied to 22 authentic forensic hair samples. Among these, 17 tested positive for DoA and 10 for NPS, with most samples showing co-occurrence of both. Detected NPS included ketamine, norketamine, 5-MMPA, ritalinic acid, methoxyacetyl fentanyl, methylone, and RCS-4. The approach offers a cost-effective, wide-panel tool for forensic laboratories to assess NPS prevalence and co-use with classical drugs.
Among 88 people diagnosed with substance use disorder at an addiction treatment service in Bologna, Italy, hair analysis showed that 95.5% tested positive for at least one substance. Of those, 88.1% had only traditional drugs of abuse, while 11.9% also had new psychoactive substances (NPS). Polydrug use was common: 67.9% of positive samples contained more than two drugs. Combining traditional drugs with NPS was more frequent in younger patients (under 21–30 years old). Ketamine appeared in 8.0% of all samples, often alongside cocaine (85.7% of cases). Fentanyl was detected in 3.4% of samples. Among NPS, only buphedrone was found. NPS consumption was relatively low in this group, but the high rate of polydrug and ketamine-cocaine use warrants monitoring.