Drug of Abuse Testing Market to Grow Considerably Because of Growing Trade of Illicit Drugs
Peer pressure, particularly among young adults and school children, can result in some bad decisions, such as usage of drugs. Drug abuse, also known as substance abuse, is the utilization of certain chemicals for pleasuring the brain, which end up causing more harm than benefits, in the long run. There are about 190 million people across the world who use drugs, and the number is increasing at a substantial pace, primarily among people under the age of 30. Among the different types of drugs, hashish, cannabis, and marijuana are the most extensively abused ones across the globe. Approximately 141 million people consume cannabis, and about 30 million people take ecstasy and amphetamines.
Because of the rising prevalence of drug abuse, the need for testing these substances in the body is increasing rapidly. Drug of abuse testing is done for both legal causes, including workplace drug testing, and for medical purposes. Testing is basically performed for detecting illicit drug use and/or for monitoring medication compliance. As per P&S Intelligence, the global drug of abuse testing market is predicted to grow significantly in the near future, on account of the surging consumption of illegal drugs and high trade and production of these substances.
Consumables, such as assay kits & reagents and rapid test kits, and equipment, including breath analyzers, immunoassay analyzers, and chromatography instruments, are utilized for tracking drug abuse. As consumables are easily available for utilization and provide swifter test results as compared to equipment, their demand was higher in the past. Rapid test kits are projected to be in need the most in the coming years, owing to the fact that they are easy to use. Apart from this, the demand for breath analyzers is also expected to grow in the near future, because they can easily detect the presence of alcohol and drugs in the breath and are less expensive than other analyzers.
Drug of abuse testing is majorly done through hair, saliva, and urine samples. Mostly, a urine sample is used for the purpose, as these samples contain secreted metabolites that can be utilized for detecting the presence of illicit substances. The testing is primarily done at laboratories, workplace and at homes, and hospitals. The largest number of tests were conducted at hospitals in the past, since most of the latest techniques and experienced professionals are available at these medical settings.
When geographical scenario is taken into consideration, North America emerged as the largest drug of abuse testing market in the past, which is ascribed to the growing workplace monitoring activities for the consumption of illicit drugs, increased availability of banned substances, and rising drug trafficking activities in the region. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 24.6 million Americans aged above 12 years, which is 9.4% of the total population, were using illicit drugs in 2013. In addition to this, Asia-Pacific is also projected to witness a rise in drug of abuse testing in the coming years, because of the growing compliance in organizations to workplace drug of abuse testing.
In conclusion, the demand for drug of abuse testing is rising due to the rising prevalence of drug usage and increased trade of illicit intoxicants.