Laboratory diagnosis of opiate drugs

Where laboratory evidence on the consumption of drugs of abuse is central to rehabilitation of offenders or to prison terms, the techniques employed in drug detection in urine and the interpretation of laboratory results is extremely important. Where the misuse of drugs is wide-spread and rehabilitation includes "Aftercare" programmes involving regular urine tests for considerable periods of time, mass-screening, of up to 1,500 specimens a day, calls for fast, cheap, efficient and reliable tests. This paper deals with Singapore's experience in alternative methods of testing for morphine in urine arising from abuse of opiate drugs including heroin in large-scale screening programmes. Immunological/Thin-layer chromatographic/Gas Chromatographic systems and the cost and performance of combination of these techniques are highlighted. This paper also provides criteria for interpreting test results for codeine consumption.