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Open research questions in Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis

60 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,658 Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • Limitations of this study and future perspectives This study has several limitations that should be con- sidered when interpreting the results. However, the scope of the study is limited to these specific events; there- fore, caution should be exercised when extrapolating the findings to a broader context.

    Wastewater-based assessment of episodic changes in psychoactive compounds and hormones during music festivals · 2026 · DOI

  • FUTURE DIRECTIONS 1) Adoption of Advanced Analytical Techniques: Future research should focus on using highly sensitive and selective methods like LC-MS/MS and GC-MS. Overall, this research lays a solid analytical groundwork and suggests that future work should focus on enhancing sensitivity, specificity, and real-time detection capabilities.

    Evaluation and Method Validation of Common Psychoactive Substances: Current Issues and Future Directions (Nicotine) · 2026 · DOI

  • 9 151 An important limitation of this case is that confirmatory toxicologic testing beyond standard 152 hospital urine drug screening was not available.

    Survival Following a Fentanyl-Related Mass Casualty Event: A Case Report · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a limited knowledge regarding the short- and long-term effects of α-PVP and metabolites, and pharmacogenetic influence, hence further clinical and forensic toxicological studies are required.

    The synthetic cathinone α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP): pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic clinical and forensic aspects · 2018 · DOI

  • OBJECTIVE: Although persons who inject drugs (PWID) in the western United States-Mexico border region are known to inject both heroin and methamphetamine, little is known about the prevalence and risks associated with co-injection of this depressant-stimulant combination (also known as "goofball" and "Mexican speedball").

    Prevalence and Correlates of Heroin–Methamphetamine Co-Injection Among Persons Who Inject Drugs in San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico · 2016 · DOI

  • The present review was designed to fill the gap in knowledge about methamphetamine abuse in the European Union (EU) and to illustrate the main clinical effects of prolonged use.

    Methamphetamine abuse and meth mouth in Europe · 2015 · DOI

  • Immediate insertion of penile prosthesis is proposed beyond 72 hours of priapism, although the application can be limited by the high cost of the device [7].

    Designer drugs and sexual dysfunction · 2015 · DOI

  • CONCLUSIONS: The analysis has demonstrated that judicial bodies expect forensic expertise based exclusively on toxicological examination results; when expert findings are inconclusive, they only administer litigations opportunistically applying the principle of the presumption of innocence understood literally.

    Medico-legal and legal-penal aspects of expert opinions and adjudication in cases of intoxications with intoxicating agents and ethanol-like intoxicants · 2015 · DOI

  • MDPV has a marked potential to impair driving performance, however, only limited data are available on the prevalence and drug concentrations of MDPV in driver specimens.

    MDPV in Queensland Drivers · 2015 · DOI

  • The treatment of MDMA use and the use of other new ATS drugs has not been extensively studied and the lack of evidence makes it difficult to treat people who use new ATS drugs (Rogers 2009).

    PROTOCOL: Cognitive‐behavioural treatment for amphetamine‐type stimulants (ATS) use disorders · 2014 · DOI

  • As the drug GHB remains an underresearched topic, a scoping review was chosen as a technique to map the available literature into a descriptive summarized account.

    Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB): A Scoping Review of Pharmacology, Toxicology, Motives for Use, and User Groups · 2014 · DOI

  • Moreover, the study shows that those who have received some type of prevention, showed a smaller consumption prevalence, indicating that further work is needed in this area with young people to consolidate activities of health promotion and drug use prevention, working with infant population is needed, including a systematic evaluation of the actions mentioned above.

    El consumo de drogas en México: Resultados de la Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones, 2011 · 2012 · DOI

  • OBJECTIVE: Methylphenidate (MPH) is a prescription stimulant drug with known abuse potential; however, little is known about its patterns of misuse or the characteristics of its abusers.

    Characteristics of Methylphenidate Misuse in a University Student Sample · 2005 · DOI

  • Studies of the effects of phenytoin on aggression have produced equivocal results primarily because of a lack of (1) common objective criterion measures of aggressive acts across studies; (2) rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria for selecting subjects; and (3) a nosologic basis for classifying different types of aggression.

    The Effects of Phenytoin on Impulsive and Premeditated Aggression · 1997 · DOI

  • Despite reports of an increase in MDMA usage among adolescents and young adults in the past decade, systematic scientific information concerning MDMA and its effects remains insufficient, thus limiting or eliminating MDMA from inclusion in the drug education curriculum.

    MDMA (Ecstacy): Useful Information for Health Professionals Involved in Drug Education Programs · 1996 · DOI

  • The experimental subjects believed that MDMA is both safe and beneficial, but there is insufficient evidence to accurately judge either the drug's potential harm or benefit.

    The Psychological and Physiological Effects of MDMA on Normal Volunteers · 1986 · DOI

  • system. Twelve tables, references, an appendix of the survey method, and an index are included. Drugs in American Society by Erich Goode. Alfred A. Iinopf, 1972, 260 pp., paperback. Inc.

    Drugs in American society · 1973 · DOI

  • A cause for con- siderable concern was the discovery of nine cases in the "certain" category (14-3%) which had not been reported by any other source whatsoever, particularly when, it was known that access to other circles of users was not granted to us.

    Misuse of Heroin and Methadone in the City of Oxford · 1973 · DOI

  • In particular, little is known about the distribution patterns in the body or post-mortem redistribution processes. Data on the detailed toxicological assessment of fatal cases associated with synthetic cannabinoids are still scarce.

    Synthetic cannabinoids in human post-mortem samples – ADB-BUTINACA and metabolites in three fatalities · 2026 · DOI

  • Beta blockers are foundational therapies in acute coronary syndromes, yet their use after cocaine exposure remains controversial due to concerns about unopposed alpha adrenergic stimulation.

    β-Blockers for ED Presentations with Recent Cocaine Use: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

  • Although hair analysis is well established in forensic toxicology, its potential application to monitor occupational exposure to hazardous drugs among healthcare workers remains unexplored.

    Analytical Methods for the Quantification of Drugs and Their Metabolites in Human Hair: A Systematic Review From 2010 to 2025 · 2026 · DOI

  • Development of these substances was discontinued in the 1950s due to their high abuse potential, and little is known about their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

    Yeni Bir Sentetik Opioid Protonitazen Saptanan Ölüm Olgusu · 2025 · DOI

  • Expanded postmortem and illicit drug product testing for xylazine is needed to clarify prevalence in drug supplies; further investigation of xylazine's effects on humans is necessary to characterize morbidity and overdose risk.

    Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyl–Involved Overdose Deaths with Detected Xylazine — United States, January 2019–June 2022 · 2023 · DOI

  • The study found that the symptoms observed and recorded in the protocols are insufficient to make a decision about the impact of Thc on psychomotor performance.

    Correlation of symptoms registered during blood collection from drivers who tested positive for Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) · 2022 · DOI

  • In conclusion, a revision of the current medical investigation protocol is warranted to standardize clinical symptom scores that better correlate with driving impairment.

    Drug consumption of suspected drug-influenced drivers in Hungary (2016–2018) · 2022 · DOI

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60 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 1,658 Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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