Ecstasy tablets sold in São Paulo, Brazil, increasingly lack the expected MDMA. Analysis of 150 different seizures by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry found MDMA in only 44.7% of samples. Twenty other active substances were identified, including caffeine, 2C-B, piperazines, amphetamines, phencyclidine, and methamphetamine (present in 22% of samples). The results demonstrate a major shift in the synthetic drug trafficking pattern, with MDMA replaced mostly by other illicit psychoactive substances, likely to evade legal restrictions. This wide variability in tablet composition raises the risk of drug poisoning.
Discarded screen-printed electrodes can be recoated with a graphite and chitosan mixture to create a reusable sensor for detecting the recreational drug 2C-B in oral fluid and seized samples. The sensor, called SPE-Gr/CTS, detects 2C-B electrochemically with a linear range from 0.05 to 7.5 μmol L⁻¹ and a detection limit of 0.015 μmol L⁻¹. Responses are stable across different electrodes, with relative standard deviation below 5.0%. The method is selective for 2C-B even when seventeen other illicit drugs or adulterants are present. Real seized and oral fluid samples were analyzed, and results matched those from LC-MS. The device offers a rapid, portable, and environmentally friendly screening tool for forensic analysis, using only 50 μL of sample.