New Tech Available to Help Identify Illegal Drugs

There’s a company in Silver Spring called InfraTrac that is making news because they have improved technology. They have created a new kind of Spectrometer.

A Spectrometer has been around for about fifty years, but they are quite large and very expensive – not exactly something that everyone can afford. InfraTrac has developed some that are smaller, lighter, less expensive and easier to use. The story said that they range in size from “a double breadmaker to a hairdryer to a barcode reader.” It works by using light to show the chemical substance that is in a drug. Pharmacists can make use of it to determine whether medicines are the real thing or counterfeits. Unfortunately, there have been some situations here in the United States (although more often in third-world countries) where counterfeits have slipped through. InfraTrac is also establishing a reference library so that drugs can be identified.

Now, just imagine if this technology can also be applied in law enforcement. Whenever a substance is collected from a suspect, it would quickly and easily be identified for what it is, without the time required for lab testing, and without it changing hands as many times as it currently does. This would improve on the reliability.

Of course, they are still not cheap, so it’s going to be a while until they become a regular part of hospitals and pharmacies, and perhaps police stations too. The main purpose is to get rid of counterfeit drugs and to reduce errors in medication which have sometimes made people ill or even caused death. If they could be used to identify confiscated materials as well, it would be another tool in law enforcement’s toolbox.

Right now the Spectrometers cost about $20,000, but the cost is expected to drop to around $500 for the small ones. That would make them quite affordable, considering that they could be paid for with confiscated drug money which is usually far more than $500.