Wastewater Highlights Growth In New Synthetic Drugs

The use of new psychoactive substances — a range of drugs designed to mimic illicit drugs, such as cannabis, cocaine, and LSD — has become widespread in industrialized nations, according to a new report analyzing wastewater at 14 sites across eight countries.

A new paper published in Water Research outlines the international study, which was led by the University of South Australia. Samples were collected over the New Year, then shipped to South Australia for analysis. Officials expect the results will help complement hospital, legal, and forensic data, along with global surveys, to identify which designer drugs are the most dangerous in their community.