Drugs of Abuse Monitoring in Blood for Control of Driving Under the Influence of Drugs
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring April 1, 2002 Manfred R. Moeller, Thomas Kraemer 98 citations
Driving under the influence of drugs is a growing concern in industrialized countries, contributing to road accidents. In forensic toxicology, the increasing number of blood samples for drug testing results from zero-tolerance laws and better-trained police officers. This review describes procedures for detecting amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, MDEA, MDA, cannabinoids (THC and its metabolites), cocaine and its metabolites, opiates (heroin, 6-monoacetylmorphine, morphine, codeine), methadone, GHB, LSD, PCP, and psilocybin/psilocin in whole blood, plasma, and serum. Sensitive immunologic screening methods are available for many analytes. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry remains the gold standard for confirmatory analysis, with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry also included. Two tables summarize basic data on biosample, internal standard, workup, column, mobile phase, detection mode, and validation.