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Scientists detect ‘legal high’ in oral fluid
Scientists detect ‘legal high’ in oral fluid
According to the charity Drugscope, “Khat is a stimulant drug with effects similar to amphetamine. Chewing it makes people feel more alert and talkative and suppresses the appetite, though users describe an ensuing calming effect when used over a few hours. Regular use may lead to insomnia (inability to sleep), anorexia and anxiety.
Oxfordshire,
Abingdon,
United Kingdom
(pr4links.com)
12/10/2010
"According to the charity Drugscope, “Khat is a stimulant drug with effects similar to amphetamine."
Toxicologists from Concateno, Europe’s most experienced drug and alcohol testing company, presented a method for detecting cathinone, a stimulant more commonly known as ‘khat’, at The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT) annual symposium held in Bonn last week.
“To our knowledge this is the first report of cathinone analysis in oral fluid” said Peter Akrill, who co-authored the research with another Concateno scientist, Claire George.
Cathinone, or Benzoylethanamine, is found in the shrub known as khat, and is chemically similar to amphetamines. The Khat plant itself is not controlled under the UK’s Misuse of Drugs Act, but the active ingredient cathinone is a Class C drug. Cathinone may not be lawfully possessed or supplied except under a licence for research. It is controlled by law in countries such as America, Canada, Norway and Sweden. Khat is a green-leafed shrub that has been chewed for centuries by people who live in the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula. It has begun to be seen in Europe, including the UK, particularly among emigrants and refugees from countries such as Somalia, Ethiopia and the Yemen.
“Analysis of this small cohort of workplace samples – we tested 155 samples in total for this study - indicates that use of cathinone amongst workers in safety critical industries within the United Kingdom occurs. The rate of positives of 2.6% was on a par with some other illicit drugs misused by employees. The results suggest that khat should be considered as a useful addition to the traditional workplace drug testing panel.”
According to the charity Drugscope, “Khat is a stimulant drug with effects similar to amphetamine. Chewing it makes people feel more alert and talkative and suppresses the appetite, though users describe an ensuing calming effect when used over a few hours. Regular use may lead to insomnia (inability to sleep), anorexia and anxiety. In some cases it may make people feel more irritable and angry and possibly violent. Psychological dependence can result from regular use so that users feel depressed and low unless they keep taking it.”
Click here to see the poster “The determination of cathinone in oral fluid by LC-MS-MS as part of a workplace testing programme”.
Ends
For more information regarding Concateno, please contact:
Carrie Lowe or Matt Trace
Telephone: +44 (0)1962 893 893
Mobile: +44 (0)7554 014 188
Email: carrie.lowe@concateno.com / matthew.trace@concateno.com
Concateno – global drug testing services
Informed testing for informed decisions, when it matters most
Concateno (www.concateno.com) brings together Europe’s strongest and most experienced drug and alcohol testing organisations and over 60 years of collected expertise. It offers an unparalleled breadth of advisory services and testing capabilities – spanning laboratory, point of care tests and all sample types for any biological specimen, including urine, oral fluids, hair and sweat.
Concateno’s 400 employees perform and deliver more than 10 million tests annually, supported by a global network of 600 sample collection officers, trained in-house in chain-of-custody procedures. Together, they conduct testing for approximately 8,500 clients in 130 countries around the world across all industries, healthcare and government bodies.
Concateno’s dedicated divisions specialise in: Child Protection, Clinical Diagnostics, Criminal Justice, Employee Services, Healthcare and Maritime.
Quality is assured by the highest levels of accreditation, supported by expert and responsive customer service. Concateno’s three UK laboratories are audited and accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to the international standard ISO/IEC 17025 for the testing for substance misuse in hair, oral fluids and urine, respectively. Laboratory products and point of care test products are manufactured within ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 certified facilities. The company is also subject to a range of external quality assurance programmes, including UKNEQAS, IIP and CAP (US scheme).
In August 2009, Concateno became a subsidiary of Alere Inc., formerly known as Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (NYSE: ALR).
About Alere
By developing new capabilities in near-patient diagnosis, monitoring and health management, Alere Inc. (www.alere.com), formerly known as Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc., enables individuals to take charge of improving their health and quality of life at home. Alere’s global leading products and services, as well as its new product development efforts, focus on infectious disease, cardiology, oncology, drugs of abuse and women’s health. Alere is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
About
Concateno is Europe's leading drug and alcohol testing service provider and a manufacturer of clinical diagnostic instruments and drug testing kits. Working in Child Protection, Clinical Diagnostics, Criminal Justice, the workplace, Healthcare and the Maritime industry.
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