Agency implements new drug tests to hasten court trials

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has implemented a new drug test to hasten court trials and place criminals in jail or into drug treatment programs. BCA is one of a handful of drug testing labs in the US to use it.

The purpose of the new procedure is to clear a large backlog of drug-related cases. The BCA is using Hennepin County for pilot testing the new test and the results have been good. Prosecutors and defence lawyers need the test results for court hearings, and the new procedures are speeding up the process.

The process – microcrystal testing – involves adding a chemical reagent to a small sample of a drug. The reagent causes crystals to form, and the shape of the crystals identifies the type of drug being tested. The BCA is using the process to test for cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin.

BCA Deputy Superintendent, Catherine Knutson, said that only a test using a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometer could positively identify the presence of a specific drug but that microcrystal testing can show its likely presence.

Microcrystal testing is cheaper and faster. Knutson said that it can take up to six months to receive the results from traditional testing but that results from microcrystal testing are available in two-to-four weeks.

A spokesperson for Hennepin County reported that the new drug test has resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of court hearings, resulting in the faster closure of cases.

The BCA is projecting a record-high of about 8,800 drug-related cases this year and expects the new test to reduce the time it takes to get drug test results once the procedure is implemented throughout the state.