Finally, forensic chemistry has been the subject Presented (12,13,14), and a number of scientific working groups are currentlyĮstablishing national/international standards for forensic analysis of illicitĭrugs (15,16,17(see also:18)). Systematic approaches to substance identification have also been In addition, several articles have given more general overviews of the field Minor review articles and monographs over the past 10 years (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9). The forensic analysis of illicit drugs has been the subject of a number of Order to avoid ambiguity with some of the more crowded or obscure acronyms, as follows: AA Atomic Absorption AP Atmospheric Pressure C-13 Carbon-13 CE Capillary Electrophoresis CEC Capillary Electrochromatography CGC Capillary Gas Chromatography CI Chemical Ionization CZE Capillary Zone Electrophoresis DAD Diode Array Detection DSC Differential Scanning Calorimetry ECD Electron Capture Detection EKC Electrokinetic Chromatography EI Electron Impact FID Flame Ionization Detection FT Fourier Transform GC Gas Chromatography GLC Gas Liquid Chromatography HPLC High Performance Liquid Chromatography HPTLC High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography IMS Ion Mobility Spectrometry IR Infrared Spectroscopy IRD Infrared Detector IRMS Isotopic Ratio Mass Spectrometry ITD Ion Trap Detector LC Liquid Chromatography MECC Micellar Electrokinetic Capillary Chromatography MEKC Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography MS Mass Spectroscopy MSD Mass Selective Detector MS-MS Tandem Mass Spectroscopy NMR Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (Spectroscopy) NPD Nitrogen Phosphorus Detection PDA Photodiode Array RP Reverse Phase SFC Supercritical Fluid Chromatography SHS Static Headspace SPME Solid Phase Microextraction TD Thermal Desorption TLC Thin Layer Chromatography UV Ultraviolet (Spectroscopy) Vis Visible (Spectroscopy) Previous Reviews and Overviews The authors have utilized common abbreviations throughout the review however, all terms are defined in