Examining the use of drug screening technologies in night-time entertainment districts

Background

We sought to determine whether various ion scanner devices could provide a practical alternative in field-based research, where affordable and accessible drug screening is needed for comprehensive and ongoing investigation.

Methods

In Study 1, off-site sample analysis proved inconclusive, rendering Protocols A and B impractical for ongoing drug screening. Conversely, Study 2’s on-site, real-time analysis (Protocol C) emerged as a more effective method. The Itemizer3, particularly in Protocol C, excelled in discerning drug users. Comparing admitted drug use rates in both studies, the mere presence of an objective measure, confirmational or not, likely facilitated more truthful participant responses, highlighting the efficacy of real-time, on-site drug screening using IMS/ITMS technologies.

Findings

All samples analyzed off-site in Study 1 were found to be inconclusive. As such, Protocols A and B were not feasible for on-going drug screening and monitoring. Conversely, the results of Study 2 Protocol C demonstrated that harvesting samples directly off participants on-site and analyzing these in-real time to be a more efficacious method. Our findings in Protocol C also show that the Itemizer3 was better at identifying those who did not use drugs from those who did. Looking at the incidence rates of admitted drug use in Studies 1 and 2, we find that simply having an objective measure present (irrespective of whether it is confirmational or not) likely resulted in us obtaining more truthful responses from participants about their use of drugs.

Conclusions

Our results underscore IMS/ITMS practicality for on-site NED drug screening.