CHAPTER 2: Novel Detection Approaches to Tackle the Challenges of Complex Matrices for Alternative Drugs and New Psychoactive Substances

This chapter focuses on the challenges faced by forensic practitioners in regard to the detection of novel psychoactive substances. With the ever-evolving nature of these substances it has become clear that the long-established methods employed for the detection of traditional illicit drugs are not translatable to this new drug trend. As such the forensic community is required to adapt these protocols and consider alternative techniques. This chapter aims to highlight some of these alternative techniques and discuss the advantages they can offer alongside their current limitations, with a particular focus upon detection in complex matrices.