At present detection of drug abuse is the prime interest shown in different fields of legal medicine. Among other sources, saliva is a fluid that has increased in the last few years for this purpose and the publication of texts as the Proposed Revisions to Federal Mandatory Guidelines for Workplace Drug Testing Programs emphasizes its acceptance. The advantage of this fluid is not being an invasive sample, easy to obtain and difficult to tamper or damage or to forge. In a progressive and routine form, the saliva is first collected and analyzed, coming from samples of the workplace, criminal justice and rehabilitation centers. By using detective kits in 1983, along the side of highways, drivers were detected, who were driving under the influence of the drugs. Toxicologists are frequently asked about the duration of detection times of drugs, but is difficult to get approval for this kind of studies, because illicit products have to be given to healthy volunteers and doses administered are low compared with street doses.
Last date updated on July, 2014
