Laboratory and scientific services
UNODC provides scientific and technical support services to Governments through its Laboratory and Scientific Section to ensure that national laboratories and other scientific institutions can reliably provide the forensic expert services required by national and international drug control frameworks and treaties.
More specifically, UNODC helps drug analysts meet minimum performance standards. The Office helps law enforcement authorities by developing and making available appropriate tests for the rapid field detection of drugs and precursors, and by building national capacity for the systematic use of scientific findings in operational activities. UNODC also aids Governments by providing scientific input to assess the scope and extent of the illicit drug problem, including implications for public health and related drug intervention strategies. Overall, these activities improve the knowledge base about illicit drug manufacture, trafficking and abuse, and the capacity for forecasting and trend analyses.
Scientific expertise, advice and guidance are also provided to regulatory and competent authorities, to its the governing bodies -such as the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND)- and to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).
Why drug testing? Why forensic expert services?
The dynamics and complexity of illicit drug production, trafficking and abuse present major scientific challenges. Drug analysts must be able to reliably identify an increased variety of drugs and precursor chemicals. Police and customs personnel must have access to tools that enable them to test drugs in remote locations. Law enforcement authorities, the criminal justice system and health authorities must have access to drug testing services and expert advice for use in court or to support drug treatment efforts. Policy advisers must have accurate and scientifically sound information as a basis for the development and implementation of policies.
Drug testing laboratories provide reliable data in all these areas: for use in court, to support drug treatment efforts, intelligence-led approaches to law enforcement, and to improve the knowledge base on illicit drug manufacture, trafficking and abuse, for research, strategic and policy purposes.
The scientific support and expertise they provide are central to the network of partners in an integrated drug control framework.
Drug testing laboratories as a primary source of scientific expertise and information provide facts that can help answer key questions on:
- The identity and quality of a suspect material
- The quantity of drug produced
- Clandestine manufacturing methods and the sources of seized drugs and precursors
- Whether someone has taken drugs
- Emerging drug trends