New psychoactive substances, sold online as 'legal highs' or disguised as 'bath salts' and 'plant food', are increasingly used by young people in Sweden. In a project monitoring these drugs, urine and blood samples from 103 emergency department cases of suspected recreational drug intoxication were analyzed. Psychoactive substances were detected in 82% of cases; 78% of subjects were 25 or younger, and 81% were male. Detected substances included synthetic cannabinoids, substituted cathinones, tryptamines, plant-based substances, and conventional drugs. In 44% of cases, more than one new or conventional drug was present. The findings document widespread use of diverse new psychoactive substances among Swedish youth.
A quantitative gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method was developed to measure amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDA, and MDMA (ecstasy) in human hair. The procedure uses liquid-liquid extraction of hydrolyzed hair with deuterated internal standards and derivatization with perfluorooctanoyl chloride. Validation showed a linear range of 0.25 to 25 ng/mg, intra-day precision of 3–6% RSD, inter-day precision of 3–17% RSD, and trueness between 96% and 106%. Detection limits ranged from 0.07 to 0.14 ng/mg and quantification limits from 0.24 to 0.46 ng/mg. Applied to 40 authentic hair samples, concentrations ranged up to 3.2 ng/mg for amphetamine, 0.4 ng/mg for MDA, and 5.9 ng/mg for MDMA; methamphetamine was detected once at trace level. The method is simple, robust, and sensitive enough for measuring these drugs in abusers' hair.