This report covers the activities and discussions of the National Opioid and Emerging Drug Threats Policy and Practice Forum held on July 18-19, 2019, under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and its Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.
The forum examined ways in which government agencies and programs, law enforcement officials, forensic laboratory personnel, medical examiners and coroners, researchers, and other experts can cooperate in responding to problems associated with drug abuse and misuse. Panelists from these attendee groups discussed ways to address the rapidly expanding crime laboratory caseloads; workforce shortages and resiliency programs; analytical challenges related to fentanyl analogs and drug mixtures; laboratory quality control; surveillance systems to inform response; and policy related to stakeholder, research, and resource constraints. This report on the Forum has a section for each of the eight panels conducted during the Forum. For each panel there is an overview of the subject discussed, a summary of the material presented, an outline of "key takeaways" from the panel discussion, and future recommended actions. References related to each panel topic are listed.