Before any definitive steps are taken to establish a national laboratory service for drug control, a feasibility study must be put in hand to assess, within the context of prevailing needs and legal and administrative provisions, the precise functions it will serve, the scale of operation, and the projected costs. Provision must be made in the costing for: land and/or buildings, services, furnishings, equipment, consultancy fees, training of staff, and routine maintenance and operational costs. The necessity or practicability of phasing the development of the service should also be examined.