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Detection of drugs of abuse: evolving analytical strategies and emerging challenges
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DOI：10.3389/fchem.2026.1739599.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
The detection of drugs of abuse in biological and non-biological matrices remains a cornerstone of forensic; clinical; and public health investigations. Traditional matrices such as urine and blood provide short-term evidence of drug intake; while alternative specimens such as hair offer extended detection windows; and oral fluid provides a reliable indicator of recent drug intake comparable to blood. This review summarizes current knowledge on specimen selection; factors influencing drug absorption; distribution; and elimination; and highlights analytical strategies ranging from chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods to emerging electrochemical; optical; and biosensor platforms. Special emphasis is placed on the challenges posed by new psychoactive substances (NPS) such as synthetic cannabinoids (SCs); cathinones; hallucinogens; and amphetamine type stimulants; which continuously evolve to evade regulation and complicate detection. Advances in sample preparation; miniaturization; and portable analytical devices are critically evaluated in terms of sensitivity; specificity; and applicability to forensic and clinical settings. A central theme of this review is the two-tiered analytical framework that integrates rapid field screening technologies with highly selective chromatographic–mass spectrometric confirmation; providing a practical and scalable approach for addressing both conventional drugs of abuse and emerging NPS challenges.
Keywords:
mass spectrometry
drugs of abuse
analytical techniques
new psychoactive substances (NPS)
forensic toxicology
portable sensors
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