These are minimum standards applicable to the identification of seized drugs.

It is recognized that the correct identification of a drug or chemical depends on the use of an analytical scheme based on validated methods and the competence of the analyst.

This practice requires the use of multiple uncorrelated techniques. It does not discourage the use of any particular method within an analytical scheme. Unique requirements in different jurisdictions may dictate the actual practices followed by a particular laboratory.

These are minimum standards for identification of commonly seized drugs. However, it should be noted that they may not be sufficient for identification of all drugs in all circumstances. Within this practice, it is up to the individual laboratory to determine which combination of analytical techniques best satisfies the requirements of its jurisdictions.

1.1 This practice describes minimum criteria for the qualitative analysis (identification) of seized drugs.

1.2 Listed are a number of analytical techniques for the identification of seized drugs. These techniques are grouped on the basis of their discriminating power. Analytical schemes based on these groupings are described.