Fight vs. party drugs boosted thru latest tech

The University of the Philippines Drugs of Abuse Research Laboratory (UP-DARL) unveiled a new device on Tuesday capable of rapidly identifying new types of party drugs in a bid to boost the country's fight against illegal drugs.

The state-of-the-art technology, currently only available at the UP Manila College of Pharmacy, efficiently identifies the psychoactive substances found in new party drugs, aiding law enforcement agencies and medical teams during emergencies.

"What an inter-professional effort with a vision to make an impact in solving the drug problem in our country," said UP Manila Chancellor Michael Tee said during his speech.

Tee noted that more than a laboratory to test drugs, this will also serve as a teaching-learning facility where future experts will be trained.

"We hope that through this, we can help replicate the expertise in regional centers and other state colleges and universities so they too can assist our government in fighting the proliferation of illegal drugs," he added.

The laboratory was set up through the cooperation of the UP Manila College of Pharmacy, College of Medicine, the National Poison Management and Control Center, and the University of California San Francisco' Clinical Toxicology and Environmental Biomonitoring Laboratory, with a P112.6-million grant from the Philippine California Advanced Research Institutes Program of the Commission on Higher Education.

Meanwhile, Laboratory Manager of UP DARL Prof. Joanna Toralba the new technology "will certainly give our law enforcers the upper hand in the fight against the new kinds of recreational drugs proliferating in the market."

Toralba explained that the laboratory can provide results after 24 hours "on a perfect day" but emphasized the importance of ensuring accuracy of the results before they are shared.

"We have to be sure also of the processing and when we offer the results, it's a real and validated result," she explained.

Currently, the laboratory accepts urine, hair, and blood samples for testing.

"Providing public information about these party drugs will boost the campaign against illegal drugs, including drug misuse and overdose," she added.

Last year, reports indicated authorities were keeping an eye on the possible entry of a new kind of illegal drug said to be three times stronger than "shabu" and ecstasy.

The said illegal drug was reportedly seen in high-end bars in Thailand and Myanmar.

As a special clinical laboratory for toxicology, UP-DARL also tests biological products for drug analysis.

It can analyze 110 compounds, including pharmaceuticals, common drugs of abuse, and new psychoactive substances.

Since its creation in 2019, UP DARL has been training medical officers and laboratory analysts from key government agencies, according to its president Dr. Paz Doquino.

UP DARL has also utilized various technologies for the identification of drugs of abuse and has assisted law enforcement agencies, including the Food and Drugs Administration.