Drug Testing: Is It Keeping Up With Today's Drug Trends?

by Jermaine Galloway

Drug testing is one of the most important tools we have for identifying trends from our streets to our schools. The information gathered through testing helps shape treatment, enforcement, education, and prevention efforts. But accurate or not, why does it feel like, at the Boots on the Ground™ level, drug identification and testing from hospitals to laboratories aren't always keeping up with the rapidly changing drug market? The reality is that drug trends evolve much faster than many people realize, and the systems responsible for detecting those drugs might have to play catch-up. That doesn't mean they're doing a poor job, it simply means the challenge has become much more complicated.

Written by Jermaine Galloway June 2026

If you have attended one of my in-person trainings over the last two years, listened to one of my podcasts, or followed recent drug trend reports, you have probably noticed a common theme: psychedelics are becoming one of the most talked-about drug categories in America.

By Tall Cop Jermaine Galloway

Nitrous oxide, commonly called “laughing gas,” is a colorless gas with a long history of legitimate medical and dental use. In hospitals and dentist offices, it is used to help relax patients during procedures because it acts quickly and its effects wear off rapidly. Nitrous oxide falls into the drug category known as inhalants.

Most people associate nitrous oxide with dentistry, but from a “Boots On The Ground” perspective, we are increasingly seeing it show up outside of medical settings. Recreational misuse of nitrous has been around for years, but recently its visibility, accessibility, and popularity appear to be increasing in many communities.