Its composition is regularly reconsidered and updated to stay in line with the current trends in the most consumed or problematic drugs.
NarcoCheck® has selected the drugs to be detected with this test according to the latest official reports and public studies on black market drugs and their consumption, but also according to the information reported directly from the field by our professional clients (health, law enforcement, customs, etc). The NarcoCheck® Evolutive® test therefore is balanced to detect both the most commonly consumed substances as well as those that are most dangerous due to their toxicity or rising popularity.
Currently, this test tracks 5 groups of drugs & narcotics :
1 THE CLASSICS...
• THC (cannabis) : commonly found in the form of resin (hashish) or weed (marijuana), it is today the most consumed drug of abuse, and especially by young people from 16-25 years old. Most teenagers and young adults who regularly smoke joints do not seem to be aware or alarmed at the fact that this drug violently disrupts the way in which their neurons develop and interconnect, and could significantly affect their intelligence quotient.
• COC (cocaine, crack) : nowadays, "coke" affects all segments of the population, because it is possible to obtain as easily as cannabis. It is one of the drugs that has become more commonplace in recent years because its price has dropped considerably. To increase profit, drug dealers add potentially dangerous cutting agents, such as levamisole, which can cause necrosis of the skin. Disturbingly, cocaine is currently a very trendy drug, accelerating further its trivialization and the increase in the number of consumers.
2 OPIATES AND OPIOIDS
• MOR (morphine, heroin) : these substances are opiates, i.e. made from opium. Their price has dropped drastically in recent years. In the body, most opiates, such as heroin, become morphine, which is detected by this test. Thus, this test will not only detect heroin, but most opiates that could lead to an addiction problem.
• FYL (Fentanyl) : Fentanyl was developed as a very powerful analgesic (pain killer). This opioid (synthetic opiate) is 50 times more powerful than heroin, leading to fast and extremely strong addiction. More and more Fentanyl is sold illegally because it is in high demand by people who have become addicted following medical treatment. Fentanyl is even more dangerous as it is used to cut opiates without the knowledge of consumers.
3 AMPHETAMINES
• AMP (amphetamines) : "speed" acts as a central nervous system stimulant. If used for prolonged periods, it can lead to addiction. When consumed in large quantities, it can also lead to a state of aggressiveness and paranoid hyperactivity.
• MDMA (ecstasy) : ecstasy is an extremely powerful psychostimulant, derived from amphetamine. Although its consumption was originally mostly associated with the rave scene, it is now widely used by young people from all social and cultural backgrounds, who often do not know that it may cause serious and irreversible brain damage, and that extremely harmful cutting products are regularly found in ecstasy tablets.
• MET (methamphetamine) : this is also an amphetamine derivative, and it's one of the most dangerous drugs currently being sold. It triggers an almost immediate addiction and has a devastating effect on the body, particularly the gums, teeth and face.
4 NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES
• K2 (spice) : appeared in the mid-2000s, spice (or synthetic cannabis) has nothing to do with natural cannabis. Although the appearance may be similar to weed, it is in fact a totally artificial and chemical product, and its consumption can be very dangerous.
• K3 (AB-Pinaca) : is the second generation of synthetic cannabis, appearing about fifteen years after K2. Based on the AB-Pinaca molecule, K3 is just as dangerous as its predecessor, and has already caused many hospitalizations and deaths.
• MCAT (methcathinones) : "methcaths" are a powerful and highly addictive new psychostimulants, with effects similar to those of amphetamines and methamphetamine. The medical and scientific communities worry more and more about methcathinones, because their popularity is increasing very fast, whereas the health consequences are yet poorly understood.
5 ALLUCINOGENES
• LSD : "acid" is a hallucinogen with extremely powerful effects. It has a deep effect on behavior, perceptions, and even the sense of time and space, which may lead to very dangerous behavioral changes. It is mainly sold in the form of blotting paper impregnated with the active substance.
• KET (ketamine) : "ket" was originally used in veterinary and human medicine as a general anesthetic. It has dissociative effects, meaning that it modifies sensory perceptions and can cause traumatic hallucinations. Ketamine is very often diverted from the medical network to be sold on the black market. It is more and more used for recreational purposes, snorted in powder form, by young people who often do not know how powerful this product is, so powerful that it is used in veterinary medicine to anesthetize horses!