With the growing consumption of illicit drugs, the demand for at-home drug of abuse (DOA) testing is rising sharply across the world. Moreover, the increasing trade and production of illicit drugs is also propelling the worldwide requirement for at-home DOA testing kits. As per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium production in Afghanistan surged by 87% from 2016 to 2017 and reached 9,000 metric tons in 2017. Furthermore, the area under opium poppy cultivation also soared to 328,000 hectares in 2017 from 201,000 hectares in 2016, registering an increment of 63% during this period.
In recent years, the consumption of these drugs and various other illicit substances, such as alcohol, has increased massively among teenagers, who are consuming these products in order to relieve stress. This has subsequently made the adoption of at-home DOA testing products, such as dip cards and strips, by educational institutes and parents necessary, as these products would assist them in detecting drug and alcohol consumption. As per the data produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol are the most widely used substances by adolescents.
Pressure from friends and school, low self-esteem, and disturbed family life are the major reasons behind the increasing consumption of illicit drugs by teenagers. Thus, in order to detect and subsequently reduce drug consumption, the demand for at-home DOA testing products is rising sharply, which is causing the expansion of the global at-home DOA testing market. According to the estimates of the market research company, P&S Intelligence, the value of the market will grow from $483.6 million in 2017 to $831.9 million by 2023.
Test strips, test cups, and test dip cards are the most commonly used types of rapid DOA test kits. Out of these, the demand for test cups is predicted to surge rapidly in the forthcoming years. These cups are extensively used in urine drug testing procedures at homes. Geographically, the sales of at-home DOA testing kits are expected to soar in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in the forthcoming years, primarily because of the growing consumption and production of illicit drugs, such as methamphetamines, amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), heroin, and opium, in the region.
Hence, the demand for at-home DOA testing kits will shoot up all over the world in the coming years, primarily because of the growing consumption, trade, and production of illicit drugs and alcohol and the rising requirement for drug testing kits which can be easily used at homes.
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