For nearly two decades, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and it's predecessor, Center for Studies of Narcotics and Drug Abuse, NIMH, has provided the scientific community working on problems of drug abuse with authentic, standardized supplies of controlled research drugs and chemicals and analytical support. These included marijuana cigarettes, known, known hallucinogens, heroin, amphetamines, cannabinoids, and many other drugs essential for both clinical and laboratory research studies. Besides supplying drugs, NIDA also provided analytical services through sample analysis by GC-Mass spectroscopy and radioimmunoassay (RIA). The RIA and related methods provide a rabid, sensitive and specific assay technique for the analysis of drugs in biological fluids. The quantification of delta9-THC, 11-NOR-THC-9-carboxylic acid (9-carboxyl- THC) anandamide, orphanin FQ (nociceptin), and other drugs of abuse and related compounds is required for a variety of studies involving pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of marijuana smoking, pharmacology and toxicology of cannabinoids, and other drugs of abuse. Through this contract NIDA plans (1) to develop analytical assays by radioimmunoassay (RIA) or any other related methods for cannabinoids, anandamide, orphanin FQ (nociceptin), and other drugs of abuse and related compounds as required by the Project Officer, (2) to assist research investigators in analyzing their research samples for afore said drugs, and (3) to supply assay kits to those researchers who would like to perform assays in their own laboratories.
