6-Monoacetylmorphine Drug Driving limit = 5 µg/L
6-Monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) is one of three active metabolites of heroin, the others being morphine and the much less active 3-monoacetylmorphine (3-MAM).
6-MAM is rapidly created from heroin in the body, and then is either metabolized into morphine or excreted in the urine. Since 6-MAM is a unique metabolite to heroin, its presence in the urine confirms that heroin was the opioid used. This is significant because on a urine immunoassay drug screen, the test typically tests for morphine, which is a metabolite of a number of legal and illegal opiates/opioids such as codeine, morphine sulfate, and heroin. Trace amounts of 6-MAM, a specific metabolite of heroin, are also excreted for approximately 6-8 hours following heroin use so a urine specimen must be collected soon after the last heroin use, however, the presence of 6-MAM suggests that heroin was used as recently as within the last day.
