Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) is funded by the Home Office Drugs Misuse and Firearms Unit (DMFU) through an activity called the Forensic Early Warning System (FEWS). The aim of FEWS is to identify trends in new psychoactive substances (NPS) available in the United Kingdom. The NPS trends identified by FEWS may be used as evidence to support future drug legislation. Any new substances which are not currently controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1971 can be commissioned for in-vitro testing (to determine whether a substance is capable of causing a psychoactive effect) in order to support the Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA) 2016. FEWS reports any newly identified NPS to the UK Focal Point who creates a watch list of substances within the UK.

In FY 2021 to 2022, FEWS collated data from samples of suspected NPS from UK Border Force (UKBF) locations and UK prisons. From prisons, 500 non-attributable samples and 600 attributable samples (data) were collected. 70 of the non-attributable samples collected were non-drug items and were not analysed. No drugs were detected in 153 of the 500 samples analysed. Of the remaining samples, 349 substances were detected comprising of 47 unique substances. It was reported that no drugs were detected in 87 of the attributable samples. 609 substances were detected in the remaining 513 samples comprising of 80 unique substances.

FEWS collected 490 samples from one UKBF location. The samples sometimes contained more than one substance. 671 substances were detected in the samples analysed, comprising of 89 unique substances. No drugs were detected in 12 samples. 201 NPS were detected comprising of 40 different drugs.

Dstl were tasked by DMFU, as part of a response to a recommendation made by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to collect samples of cocaine and heroin and analyse them for NSOs. No NSOs were detected in samples collected this year. Only a single NSO (ocfentanil) has been identified in traditional samples selected for analysis in all FEWS collections.