NPS Data Hub: A web-based community driven analytical data repository for new psychoactive substances

Abstract In recent years there has been a rapid proliferation of new compounds emerging in the sphere of recreational drug use. These compounds are typically developed in an effort to stay ahead of drug scheduling laws banning their use and distribution. Keeping pace with the identification of these compounds is becoming an increasing challenge for forensic labs. The introduction of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is a global problem and reliable data to aid in the identification of these compounds is not always available and typically lags their distribution and proliferation. To help address these issues, a new web-based database, the NPS Data Hub, has been developed to serve as a community driven repository for analytical data related to new psychoactive substances. The aim is to elicit data from the global forensic community to facilitate identification of unknown substances and eliminate unnecessary duplication of elucidation efforts. The database can be found at https://nps-datahub.com/ .