Pandemic Fentanyl Positivity Rose Among Benzodiazepine-Positive Tests as Testing Volume Fell

Changes among tested specimens are not necessarily changes in the whole population.

What the supplied paper shows

A national laboratory analysis reported a marked fall in test volume during early pandemic months. Among tested samples, nonprescribed fentanyl positivity increased, including within the benzodiazepine-positive subgroup.

Limits of the finding

Who was tested changed during the period, potentially changing the sample’s risk profile. Clinical testing data are not a random population survey, and co-positivity does not establish simultaneous ingestion or the sequence of use.

What matters in a forensic review

Report test-volume changes alongside percentages. For a case, distinguish screening, confirmation, medication reconciliation and the sampling window. A historical co-positivity trend cannot identify the ingredients in an individual pill or assign a causal role to either drug without additional evidence.

Source and related reading

Source: PMC7875135, supplied full-text paper. Findings are paraphrased; forensic implications are an interpretation.

Related: A Benzodiazepine-Positive Result After Emergency Sedation May Reflect Treatment Rather Than the Initial Overdose.