NMS Labs Offers Law Enforcement Officials a Powerful Tool to Assist with Enforcing the Ban Of Salvinorin A & B

WILLOW GROVE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NMS Labs is the only known commercial laboratory to offer a chemical test that can detect Salvinorin A & B (the active drug and metabolite of the hallucinogenic herb Salvia divinorum) in a person’s blood, plasma, or urine. This test uses the most advanced laboratory technology (LC tandem mass spectrometry), ensuring the results are highly specific and legally defensible. NMS Labs had previously performed testing of plant material to identify Salvia -- an herb common to southern Mexico, Central America and South America.

“As more states have worked to regulate the use and possession of Salvia, NMS Labs saw the opportunity to assist with the enforcement of these laws. We are well positioned to do so as a forensic toxicology lab with close to 40 years experience working with the law enforcement community.”

NMS Labs National Director of Forensic Services, Dr. Barry Logan commented, “As more states have worked to regulate the use and possession of Salvia, NMS Labs saw the opportunity to assist with the enforcement of these laws. We are well positioned to do so as a forensic toxicology lab with close to 40 years experience working with the law enforcement community.”

Commonly, Salvia divinorum is consumed by chewing fresh leaves or by drinking its extracted juices. The dried plant leaves can also be smoked as a joint, consumed in water pipes, or vaporized and inhaled. Although Salvia divinorum is not a drug regulated by the Federal Controlled Substances Act, several US states have passed legislation to regulate its use. As of last month, several countries and 17 U.S. states had scheduled or otherwise regulated the sale or distribution of Salvia, including CA, DE, FL, IL, KS, LA, ME, MS, MO, NE, NC, ND, OH, OK, SD, TN, VA. Legislation is pending in several other states.

These tests were developed and are performed according to accreditation standards set by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT) and the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors – Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD-LAB).

Dr. Logan further explained, “We [NMS Labs] are proud to serve as an integral part of the criminal justice community by providing the most comprehensive testing available and outstanding expert services for trials and litigation. Through our innovative test development, NMS Labs has shown itself to be passionate about public safety and providing science in the service of justice.”

About NMS Labs:

NMS Labs has been setting the standard for excellence in forensic testing and clinical toxicology for close to 40 years, responding to the needs of the criminal justice system, coroners, healthcare providers, and medical researchers with state-of-the-art tests that other labs do not or cannot provide. NMS Labs is national reference laboratory that is unsurpassed in its scope of tests, accuracy of results, client service, scientific expertise, and innovation in clinical and forensic toxicology, endocrinology, and esoteric testing. NMS Labs provides superior service by providing expert consultative services and clinical research support.

For more information about NMS Labs, please visit www.nmslabs.com.