NCJ Number
203880
Date Published
2003
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This document presents the 2002 Annual Report of the National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS).
Abstract
Under the direction of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the NFLIS has been systematically collecting the results of drug analyses conducted by State and local forensic laboratories from around the country. Since 1997, this highly valid information system has been supplying timely data on changing and emerging drugs of abuse, as well as details on drug characteristics such as drug combinations and drug purity. Such information is invaluable in guiding national and local drug policy and drug enforcement initiatives. The report is organized into 2 main components; the first component contains section 1, which presents national and regional data on the 25 most commonly identified drugs during 2002. A total of 1,798,045 drug items were sampled by reporting laboratories during 2002; the 25 top most commonly identified drugs accounted for almost 94 percent of all drugs analyzed. Nationally, the top four drugs included cannabis/THC (40 percent), cocaine (36 percent), methamphetamine (13 percent), and heroin (7 percent). The second component of the report contains sections 2 through 5, which present drug analysis results for all State and local laboratories that reported data to NFLIS for at least a 6-month period during 2002. Section 2 describes the major drug categories reported to NFLIS during 2002, which include diverted pharmaceuticals, club drugs, anabolic steroids, and stimulants. Section 3 reports on drug combinations, where multiple substances were identified within a single drug item. During 2002, about 1 percent of all drug items contained two or more substances. The four most common combinations were heroin/cocaine, cannabis/cocaine, hydrocodone/acetaminophen, and pseudoephedrine/ephedrine. Section 4 reports findings on drug purity levels, which have an impact on drug markets and drug use trends, as well as drug-related medical emergencies. Section 5 provides an analysis on the distribution of four main drugs -- cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin – for selected cities across the country, including New York City, Seattle, St. Louis, Chicago, Baltimore, and Miami. The summary presents the major objectives for the NFLIS during 2003, which include increasing the flexibility of the NFLIS data and the continued recruitment of all State and local forensic laboratories that conduct drug analysis. References, appendix