This article seeks to provide law enforcement and policymakers with timely, evidence-based knowledge on drug prevalence in criminal justice populations in order to inform prevention and law enforcement strategies and practices, public health measures, and enforcement of probation and parole conditions.
Forensic toxicologists usually analyze urine or oral fluid for court-ordered mandatory drug testing. However, these tests only detect use during a short window of time (usually less than a week). Drug testing hair offers a longer window to detect use (generally up to a few months), but these tests do not typically search for fentanyl or fentanyl-related compounds. Law enforcement and policymakers need timely, evidence-based intelligence of drug prevalence in criminal justice populations, including patterns of fentanyl and fentanyl-related compounds. This will help inform prevention and enforcement strategies, improve public health measures, and help increase compliance with probation and parole conditions. National Institute of Justice-funded researchers developed a more accurate picture of fentanyl use prevalence among people under court-ordered mandatory drug testing. First, they determined the pervasiveness of fentanyl and a selection of fentanyl-related compounds in hair specimens submitted for such testing. They then compared results from court-ordered mandatory drug testing to results from the general workforce who were also tested for drug use. Finally, they conducted a six-year retrospective analysis comparing results for oral fluids and hair samples.