How Is At-Home Drug of Abuse Testing Kit Sale Rocketing?

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) states that approximately 0.5 million lives were lost due to drug use in 2019, primarily on account of opioid consumption. The organization also forecasts that the number of individuals using drugs will surge by 11% by 2030. The UNODC further states that the total number of cocaine users and cannabis users around the world reached 20 million and 200 million, respectively, in 2019.

To detect the usage of illicit drugs and alcohol, people can use rapid DOA test kits, such as test strips, test cups, and test dip cards, and breath analyzers on drug abusers. Among different types of rapid DOA test kits, test cups will be adopted in large numbers in the coming years. These test kits use urine, hair, and saliva samples to detect the level of illicit drugs in the human body.

In recent years, manufacturers of at-home DOA testing kits have actively focused on developing new products to facilitate drug abuse level detection. For example, in July 2018, UCP Biosciences Inc. offers a u-Cup product line of point-of-care DOA testing cups for detecting levels of DOA. Additionally, at-home DOA testing kits manufacturers, such as Abbott Laboratories, Phamatech Inc., Express Diagnostics Int'l Inc., Quest Products Inc., Orient New Life Medical Co. Ltd., Confirm BioSciences, Home Health (U.K.) Ltd., and Assure Tech (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., have also engaged in acquisitions to meet the needs of end users.

The soaring production and trade of illicit drugs across the world are some of the biggest factors fuelling the demand for at-home drug of abuse (DOA) testing kits. As per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the total amount of opium produced in Afghanistan was found to be 9,000 metric tons in 2017, registering a rise of 87.0% from the previous year. The land area under opium poppy cultivation recorded a 63% increase from 2016 to 2017, rising from 201,000 hectares to 328,000 hectares during that period.

The other important reason behind the rising usage of at-home DOA testing is the rising utilization of illicit drugs amongst teenagers throughout the world. As per the statistics provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol are the most common substances abused by adolescents across the globe. The biggest factors pushing the teenagers toward substance abuse are escalating pressure from schools and parents for better performance in academics and sports, peer pressure, low self-esteem, and disturbed family life.

The biggest trend presently being witnessed in the at-home DOA testing market is the increasing addiction for bath salts, synthetic cannabinoids, and other emerging intoxicating substances amongst the people. Synthetic cannabinoids are basically artificially-made mind altering chemicals that are either sold as liquids that can be inhaled and vaporized through e-cigarettes and other devices, or sprayed on shredded and dried plant materials so that they can be smoked. The utilization of these drugs has been increasing in several countries, especially the U.S, since the last few years.

According to P&S Intelligence, the North American region dominates the at-home drug of abuse testing market due to the surging availability of illicit drugs and increasing cases of drug trafficking in the region. For instance, the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) states that 16,287 drug trafficking cases were recorded in the U.S. in the fiscal year 2020. As per this organization, there were 294 oxycodone trafficking offenders and 1,118 marijuana trafficking offenders in the country in 2020.

Furthermore, the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is expected to adopt a considerable quantity of at-home DOA testing products in the upcoming years, owing to the surging consumption of illicit drugs and large-scale availability of heroin, methamphetamines, amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), and heroin. For instance, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, states that 5.7 crore people in India consume unhealthy quantities of alcohol. The ministry also states that 2.26 crore people, accounting for nearly 2.1% of the population of India, use opioids, including opium and heroin.

Therefore, the surging consumption and production of illicit drugs will accelerate the adoption of at-home drug of abuse (DOA) testing products in the forthcoming years.