State Police Will Use New Spectrometer to Trace Opioids, as Deaths Ticked Up in First Half of 2021

Maryland State Police will use a new mass spectrometer to quickly test drugs connected to overdoses in an effort to remove dangerous batches from the streets and prevent overdose deaths, which have been ticking upward for the second year in a row. The Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) Mass Spectrometer will test prescription opioids, heroin, fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia collected by law enforcement and harm reduction programs to identify the composition and potency of those drug samples.