Question: do you ever work with illegal drugs

Fiona Scott answered on 4 Mar 2019:

Great question! I’m afraid I don’t work with illegal drugs. I’m trying to make brand new molecules that may one day lead to medicines that are prescribed by a pharmacist.

The word “drug” describes any substance that causes a biological effect – good or bad!

I do know that my colleagues occasionally use very small quantities of restricted substances to shut down certain things in the cells they’re studying. We have to fill out a lot of paperwork in order to be allowed these substances in our labs and they are kept in a locked safe! These are purely for research purposes and we would get in a lot of trouble if we used them otherwise!

Analytical chemists in hospitals sometimes get to work with illicit drugs more regularly because they are often checking patient blood samples for any traces of illegal drugs!