[Forensic-toxicologic detection of pholcodine in urine and hair]

Pholcodine (3-morpholinoethyl-morphine) is used in many countries as an antitussive without analgesic or addictive properties. It is of forensic significance that pholcodine interferes with opiate immunoassays. In this article a GC-MS procedure for the detection of pholcodine in urine and hair is described and its efficiency as a confirmatory test for fluorescence polarisation immunological and radio immunological results is reported.