Fighting the War on Drugs:What Weapons for Analysis and Detection?

Fighting the War on Drugs: What Weapons for Analysis and Detection?

The abuse of drugs has become one of the most serious socialproblems in the world. According to the “United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime” (UNODC) latest report, between 149 and 272 million people used illicit substances at least once in the year 2008.The world population of “Problem drug users”, defined as regular users of illicit substances is estimated at between 15 and 39 million. Amphetamines, cocaine, opiates and cannabis are the most abused substances. In addition non-medical use of prescription drugs is reportedly a growing health problem in a number of developed and developing countries.