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Examining NPS Drugs in EDM Festival Attendees

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Based in Pennsylvania, toxicologist Dr. Barry Logan serves as the chief scientist and senior vice president of forensic science initiatives at NMS Labs. He is also the executive director of the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education. Committed to ongoing research, toxicologist Dr. Barry Logan often publishes articles in leading peer-reviewed journals, such as Forensic Science International (FSI).

In a 2017 article published in FSI, Dr. Logan and a team of researchers examined the prevalence of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) at electronic dance music (EDM) events. NPS drugs have become popular in recent years as boutique products specifically formulated to skirt existing drug laws.

Given the rapid popularity cycle of these drugs and the subsequent inability for regulations to keep up with them, significant challenges exist for public health professionals and other key stakeholders to curb their use. Dr. Logan’s two-year study attempted to gauge the use of NPS during their peak periods from blood, urine, and saliva samples of EDM attendees.