New Tech: Community Drug Tests

New technology will soon allow law enforcement officials to test entire communities for drug use, by running samples from the local sewage treatment plant.

A study of 10 unidentified cities by Oregon State University scientists shows that such "community urinalysis" is feasible, reports the Associated Press. While such group testing would not pinpoint individual users of illegal drugs, it could encourage law enforcement officials to target communities excreting higher-than-usual levels of forbidden substances.

The researchers presented their results today to the American Chemical Society at a meeting in Boston. The drug most commonly used, according to their testing, they said, is caffeine.