Widespread use of drugs at the currently popular 'raves' has caused concern principally because of an increasing number of cases of serious toxicity and even death. The availability and use of drugs at raves, mainly in the Edinburgh area, have been investigated and self-reported use of drugs compared with results of urine screening. Use of Ecstasy and LSD have been confirmed and there is evidence to support the use of Khat. A new preparation, Herbal Ecstasy, is readily available at Edinburgh raves and appears to be widely used. All urines tested positive for one or more drugs or drug metabolites and in general analytical results correlated well with self-reported use of drugs.

Two six-shot suicides are reported that occurred in adjoining counties in Ohio eleven-and-one-half weeks apart. There is no indication of any connection between victims, and it is doubtful that the second individual knew of the first death since there was no news media coverage of the first death. The most significant points of commonality between the two cases are the location of the gunshot wounds (anterior chest and upper abdomen) and the responses of disbelief from those outside the medicolegal professions. Knowledge of such cases with a high number of shots and more than one fatal wound can assist death investigators in confronting similar cases.

SUMMARY. Bionike one-step tests were used to screen urine samples for amphetamines, rnethamphetamines, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, methadone and opiates, and results were compared with those obtained using enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique d.a.u. assays. Taking into consideration different threshold levels and possible differences in cross-reactivities, there was good agreement between the methods. Results of Bionike tests correlated well with amphetamines, methadone and opiates detected in urine using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Bionike methods are rapid, simple to use, and relatively inexpensive for on-site testing of individual drugs or groups of drugs in urine.