Are you interested in learning more about our data from our Sentinel Site Directors? From EMS encounters? From the Rapid Street Reporting study? From our web monitoring? In networking and sharing your area’s trends? Join us for the 5th Annual Summit. It will be a hybrid event on Saturday, June 13 from 2:00–6:00 PM PT in conjunction with the 88th College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) Annual Scientific Meeting. Join us in person at the Oregon Convention Center or virtually via Zoom.

The agenda will feature updates from the NDEWS Coordinating Center and Early Warning Network, as well as presentations highlighting our latest publications and data. The program will also include dedicated time for an open-floor discussion for attendees to explore new partnership ideas, propose new research questions, and explore innovative approaches for data integration.

During CPDD, members of the NDEWS Coordinating Center and affiliates will present symposia and posters showcasing recent findings. While registration for the CPDD conference is not required to attend the NDEWS Summit, we encourage you to register and stay for what is the favorite conference for many of us.

In 1966, a book was published under the title, Unobtrusive Measures: Nonreactive Research in the Social Sciences" written by Eugene J. Webb, Donald T. Campbell, Richard D. Schwartz, and Lee Sechrest. The book was updated in 2000, as Unobtrusive Measures, Revised Edition, Sage Publications, Inc (ISBN:0-7619-2012-9). The content is rich in both editions and is dominated by two themes: first, a need for multiple methods used together to verify behavior or observations, and second, the principle that there is more than one way to gather data. The authors encouraged different methods that collected data with little to no interaction with participants, to minimize or avoid "reactive biases” stemming from people being aware they are being tested or surveyed, to eliminate as much as possible social desirability of being asked about change in behaviors, and the reduction of population sampling errors, interviewer and other biases.

These biases might be more significant when data are being collected on topics many consider difficult to obtain, or behaviors that are felt to carry stigma or when divulging the information could be perceived to lead to negative consequences. Drug use behaviors fit all of these categories. While NDEWS Investigators believe in self-report because they strive to use psychometrically sound surveys (which oftentimes they have developed and rigorously tested the reliability and validity of), solid interviewer training protocols, and oftentimes the use of anonymous surveys, they also understand the need for adjunct, complementary measures to reduce reactive bias.

This issue reminds us of the importance of unobtrusive measures in the armamentarium of epidemiological research methods, the importance of triangulation of methods that allow for a check on the reliability and validity of responses, and the need for innovative techniques and creativity in the measurement of behaviors, but in particular stigmatizing behaviors.

The papers by NDEWS Co-Director Joseph Palamar and colleagues use a newly initiated non-invasive mobile phone swabbing detection method among electronic dance music and nightclub event attendees to check concordance of the presence of drugs and adulterants with self-report and oral fluid testing. They also conducted a study of the presence of drugs on the surfaces at bars/nightclubs including bathrooms through swabbing, and compared results to those from subways, park benches, laundromats and public bathrooms. These unobtrusive measures are unique and offer clues for NDEWS, on emerging drug use, ways people use,

locations where people use and other ideas for data collection. This issue reminds us that these ideas are often cutting edge, highly practical to utilize, rigorous and actually necessary. We hope you enjoy reading the articles and perhaps even reading some chapters from Unobtrusive Measures. 

As always, we welcome your input.

Written by NDEWS Director Linda Cottler.

A recently published study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, led by NDEWS Co-Director Joseph Palamar and co-authored by NDEWS Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) Member Alex Krotuslki, examined whether mobile phone swab testing, in addition to self-report and oral fluid data, could provide information regarding drug exposure among nightlife attendees. In 2025, the authors evaluated self-reported drug use and analyzed oral fluid samples and mobile phone swabs from 127 adults attending nightclubs in New York City. Cocaine was found on 26.8% of phones, followed by ketamine (22.0%), 4-MMC (3.1%), and MDMA (2.4%). The authors noted that phone swabs often aligned with self-reported use but less so with biological measures, and may capture earlier or environmental exposure, supporting their use as a complementary detection tool. Read the full study here.

Another recently published study in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, led by NDEWS Co-Director Joseph Palamar and co-authored by NDEWS SAG Member Alex Krotulski, assessed the feasibility of surface swabbing in nightclub venues in New York City as an environmental method for monitoring the presence of commonly used party drugs. The 46 samples collected from 9 nightclub venues over 15 nights in 2025 were compared to 16 swabs collected from non-nightclub venues. Using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, cocaine and ketamine were detected at every nightclub during every night that samples were collected. Among non-nightclub comparison swabs, cocaine and ketamine were detected on 44% and 13% of surfaces, respectively, compared to 83% and 78% for cocaine and ketamine respectively in nightclub venues. The authors note that the study demonstrated that surface swabbing can be a useful method for drug monitoring in nightclubs. Read the full study here.

A recently published study in Addiction, co-authored by NDEWS Co-Director Joseph Palamar, NDEWS SAG Member Alex Krotulski, and NDEWS UF NIDA T-32 alum Nicole Fitzgerald, described temporal and geographic patterns in nitazene detections and assess substances co-involved in nitazene-positive biospecimens. The cross-sectional study analyzed nitazene detections from all 50 US states and the District of Columbia from 2019 to 2024. During that span, 7117 nitazene analog reports were submitted to NFLIS, increasing from 43 in 2019 to 1905 in 2024. Counts rose significantly from 2019 to 2021, but did not increase significantly from 2021 to 2024. The authors concluded that during the sharp increase from 2019 to 2024, there were shifting patterns in the prevalence of individual nitazenes and extensive polysubstance use involvement.. Read the full study here.

A recently published study in the International Journal of Drug Policy, co-authored by NDEWS Sentinel Site Director Ellenie Tuazon, determined whether there was an association between the prevalence of specific compounds and drug-involved overdose death rates. Using generalized additive modeling, 26 months of study data from November 2021 through December 2023 were examined, during which 5,549 drug-involved overdose deaths occurred, and 594 drug checking samples contained an opioid. The results concluded that a significant nonlinear association was observed between the prevalence of xylazine in drug checking samples and the rate of overdose deaths involving xylazine. The same association was also observed between fentanyl prevalence in samples and the overall rate of overdose deaths. Read the full study here.

A recently published study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence by Halifax et al. gained insights on the illicit drug supply in San Francisco using urine toxicology of opioid use disorder intake patients. The purpose of the study was to assess temporal trends and co-occurrence patterns and detect emerging compounds of concern and to inform local overdose prevention and opioid use disorder treatment efforts. A total of 1,763 opioid treatment intake patient urine samples were analyzed from March 2023-August 2025. The authors concluded that urine toxicology of a relevant patient population established the presence of xylazine in the San Francisco drug supply.   Read the full study here.

If you did not get a chance to give your feedback in our recent Weekly Briefing survey, please do so by clicking the link below to our Reader Response form! We believe that feedback is a gift!

Are you committed to advancing the science of substance use and public health? The University of Florida’s NIDA-funded T32 Training Program offers predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars an exceptional opportunity to launch impactful research careers focused on NDEWS!

What We Offer:
- Interdisciplinary training at the intersection of addiction science, epidemiology, and surveillance
- Mentorship from leading UF faculty in epidemiology, public health, psychology, medicine, and more
- Hands-on research with landmark and important NIH-funded projects and access to rich data
- Career development support, including grant writing, publishing, and professional networking
- A collaborative, inclusive research community committed to reducing the burden of substance use

Eligibility:
- US citizens or permanent residents
- Interested in a PhD in Epidemiology, or early-stage postdoctoral fellows
- Demonstrated interest in substance use, addiction, or public health research

Location: Gainesville, Florida — a dynamic hub for scientific innovation with high quality of life and low cost of living.

Laboratory Director and NDEWS Scientific Advisory Group Member Agnes Winokur has worked for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for more than 28 years in various roles (e.g., forensic chemist, supervisor, program manager). In this webinar Dr. Winokur will present on orphines, Benzimidazol-2-ones, a class of potent synthetic opioids and designer drugs that have emerged in the US illicit drug market. 

📅 Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026

🕑 Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET

📍 Location: Virtually via Zoom

Register for the webinar here.

Dear friends of NDEWS,

Have you ever been to a College on Problems of Drug Dependence meeting? If not, you are missing an opportunity to learn about drugs from the bench to the community. Many of us have made lifelong friends by attending the annual meeting. This year, the conference will be held on 13 - 17, 2026 in delightful Portland, Oregon! If you have never been before and want to learn more about the meeting and organization, click here.

Register for CPDD’s 88th Annual Meeting here.

We’d also love to see you at the Annual NDEWS Summit, which will be held as a hybrid event on Saturday, June 13 from 2:00–6:00 PM PT. While it is held in conjunction with CPDD, registration for the CPDD conference is not required to attend the NDEWS Summit.

Register for NDEWS Summit here.

📅 Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026

🕑 Time: 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm PT

📍 Location: In person at the Oregon Convention Center & Hyatt Regency Portland or virtually via Zoom.

We hope to see you there!

The NDEWS team

The NDEWS Weekly Briefing curates emerging data and findings from across the Early Warning Network, which includes three core components: our Scientific Advisory Group (SAG), comprised of national experts and federal partners; our Sentinel Site Directors (SSDs), who lead local surveillance in key geographic regions; and our Community-Based Health Experts, who provide on-the-ground insights from populations most impacted by drug trends. Together, these contributors generate timely, multidisciplinary and impactful information, ranging from peer-reviewed research findings to local surveillance data. These contributions inform public health and research communities.

You can share the NDEWS Weekly Briefing with friends, colleagues, and others who would benefit from information on recent and relevant news, articles, and data related to novel drug trends in the US and globally by clicking here.

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If you miss or want to learn more about NDEWS Original Content, you can find our archived content on the NDEWS website:

     • NDEWS Hotspot Alerts using substance-related EMS data
     • NDEWS Rapid Street Reporting (RSR) survey data reports
     • NDEWS Web Monitoring Team Reddit Alerts
     • NDEWS Sentinel Site Reports
     • Previous issues of the NDEWS Weekly Briefings

The Weekly Briefing is a newsletter published each week by the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) Coordinating Center, which is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (U01DA051126) to the University of Florida (MPI: Cottler (contact), Co-Is: Goldberger, Nixon, Striley), NYU Langone Health (MPI: Palamar), and Florida Atlantic University (Co-I: Barenholtz). Any item may be reproduced provided the source is acknowledged.