Drug Primer: Designer Benzodiazepines

By Kevin Shanks, D-ABFT-FT What are Designer Benzodiazepines?  Designer benzodiazepines are substances synthesized to mimic the effects of traditional benzodiazepines, which are commonly prescribed for anxiety, insomnia, and other conditions. Unlike their...

Carfentanil Through the Years: A Look at Data From 2016-2024

By Stuart Kurtz, D-ABFT-FT Last month, Axis was represented at the Midwest Association for Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring’s annual meeting. Toxicologist Stuart Kurtz gave a presentation on the lab’s detections of carfentanil since Axis started testing for...

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Testing

By Kevin Shanks, M.S., D-ABFT-FT To quantify or not? That is the question. If you regularly read forensic toxicology reports, then you know laboratory tests can be qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative tests only provide a positive/present or negative result. ...