According to a report in the Egineer Online publication, sensors that can detect illegal drugs are being developed by scientists at Queen’s University Belfast.  The devices will use special gel pads to swipe an individual to gather a sample.  The sample will then be analysed by a scanning instrument that can detect the presence of chemicals within seconds. The scanning instrument will use Raman spectroscopy, which involves shining a laser beam onto the suspected sample and measuring the energy of light that scatters from it to determine what chemical compound is present, making detection faster and more accurate.

Law enforcement agencies are hoping that the new sensors will provide the basis for developing breathalyzers that could be used for roadside drug testing like current breathalyzers test for alcohol because law enforcement officers are currently only able to use a Field Sobriety Tests to determine if a person is driving under the influence of drugs. 

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