Intelligent fingerprinting may be a valuable new way to detect drug use. A fingerprint drug test uses small amounts of sweat on the tip of a person’s finger to measure drug content in their body. The finger is pressed against a tamper-proof cartridge and results appear on a screen. The sample can be collected in as little as five seconds. If drugs have been used, a screen will report the kind of drug present within ten minutes. Tests have been used to cross-analyze results of these tests with fluid collected from saliva and found them to be just as accurate.
Fingerprint drug tests have been used on a trial basis in the United Kingdom as part of family care services, which helps families who are struggling with drug addiction. Many kinds of drugs can be screened for using this process, including opioids and marijuana. This technology is proving to be useful and effective for quickly and easily detecting drug use. Its potential extends to public health personnel, such as law enforcement and family services workers.