The detection of illicit drugs in oral fluid: another potential strategy to reduce illicit drug-related harm.

As many of the harms associated with drug use may be due to intoxication, particularly where the individual is driving, operating machinery or involved in other tasks requiring high level psycho-motor functioning, it follows that having a valid, reliable convenient measure of recent drug use and, if possible, intoxication, will be important in reducing drug-related harm. Oral fluid testing is the latest technology offering promise in this area. As with any such technology, it has advantages and disadvantages. In this Harm Reduction Digest, Dyer and Wilkinson describe the technology, its strengths and limitations and provide examples of where it is currently being employed in practice. This is a must read paper for those of us interested in reducing drug-related harm.