SINGAPORE: Singapore’s first forensic laboratory for investigating new psychoactive substances was launched on Monday (Apr 14), amid an exponential increase in the supply of such substances worldwide.
Known as the Forensic Innovation and Research for Strategic Transformation (FIRST) lab, the facility under the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) leverages scientific techniques to evaluate the psychoactive potential of the suspected substances, the statutory board said in a media release.
New psychoactive substances mimic the effects of controlled drugs such as cannabis and heroin and have been modified to evade drug enforcement.
Last year, more than 1,200 new psychoactive substances were reported to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime by 142 countries and territories.
There are now 566 such substances on the market, of which 44 are newly identified, a 2024 report on the drug situation in Singapore by the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) stated.
Speaking at the opening of the lab, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam said that the facility was a “very important, strategic capability”.
It works backwards to identify the possible chemicals that are coming out and the different chemical combinations that can give users a kick or a high, he added.
“We are working ahead of time, and legislation has been amended to deal with new psychoactive substances,” Mr Shanmugam said, referring to amendments passed to Singapore’s drug laws in March 2023 to combat new psychoactive substances more effectively.
Scientists at FIRST synthesise drugs to get a better idea of the consequences of taking them. “They are doing very quick hair analysis testing. Within 10 minutes, you can identify whether a person has taken drugs,” he said.
Dr Ngeow Kao Chin, a senior forensic scientist, told CNA that in this way, CNB may then take enforcement action based on the psychoactive potential of suspected substances rather than relying solely on the drugs’ chemical structures.
On the challenges that the team faced, Dr Ngeow who is from HTX’s forensics centre of expertise acknowledged that the concept of testing substances for their psychoactive potential or effect was “quite a new thing”.
“The capability is very new, so we have to set up many things ourselves … I think that was the main difficulty.”
