Hair testing for cocaine in living men: an epidemiological study on hair samples collected for various medico-legal purposes

The collection and analysis of hair samples offers higher chances of identifying people addicted to drugs than urine samples. In our study we propose hair analysis as a useful epidemiological indicator to identify the extent of cocaine use in different medico-legal situations: currently the epidemiological trends of substance abuse are estimated indirectly, mainly through large-scale surveys or through medical and crime statistics that may be too generic. We conducted a cross-sectional study, analysing hair samples, collected for various medico-legal purposes, from living men belonging to different categories, in order to complete a previous study conducted in 2016. Of 104 samples collected for different purposes, 55 were positive for drugs (52.88% of total) and, in this group, positivity for cocaine was found in 28 cases (26.92% of total), with a mean concentration of 4.58 ng/mg of hair, and a mean concentration of 0.75 ng/mg of hair of its major metabolite (benzoylecgonine). This datum is in line with the Italian Superior Health Institute reports, which declared a reduction in the use of cannabis and benzodiazepines, but a notable increase in cocaine use. Despite its limitations, this study adds further information to the previous one conducted in the same context, and furnishes an interesting picture of the phenomenon of cocaine addiction in Italy. © 2017 Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences