From Emergence to Response: Mapping Substance Trends Across Intelligence Streams

This webinar breaks down how to track and analyze emerging drug trends by bringing together intelligence from multiple sources. You’ll see how substances move through the full drug life cycle—from first appearance and rising popularity to scheduling and legislation.

You’ll also learn how blending qualitative insights from online communities like Reddit with quantitative data from forensic partners such as the DEA and CFSRE creates a complete, 360° view of evolving drug threats. The session covers key emerging substances now appearing in the field, including medetomidine—a new xylazine replacement in fentanyl mixtures—and bromazolam, a highly potent benzodiazepine.

The webinar emphasizes the value of multi-source intelligence, strong cross-agency collaboration, and the critical role officers play as frontline intelligence contributors.