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Forensic Toxicology
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Forensic Toxicology Definition:
The science of detecting and identifying the presence of drugs and poisons in body fluids, tissues, and organs.
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Controlled Substances Act
Federal Law established 5 schedules of classification of controlled substances based on Drug’s potential for abuse Potential to physical and psychological dependence Medical Value Note: Federal law also controls materials that are used in making drugs and those that are manufactured to resemble drugs
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Prison sentences in US Highest in world 750 out of 100,00 people
70% are drug abuse cases
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Drug Schedules Schedule I:
Drugs with high potential for abuse and addiction, NO medical value Ex: Heroin, LSD, Ecstasy, Marijuana Schedule II: Drugs with high potential for abuse and addiction, have some medical value with restrictions Ex: Cocaine, Amphetamines
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Drug Schedules Schedule III:
Drugs with less potential for abuse and addiction, currently acceptable for medical use Ex: Codeine, Steroids Schedule IV: Drugs with low potential for abuse and addiction, currently acceptable for medical use Ex: Tranquilizers like Valium
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Drug Schedules Schedule V:
Drugs with low potential abuse, medical use, lowest potential dependency Ex: Some Opiates with Non-Narcotic Ingredients
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Poisonous chemicals introduced in body
Arsenic Cadmium Nickel lead
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How do folks get drugs From legal medicine From over 18 folks
From peers (most common) From adults at home (prescriptions)
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How are drugs taken in Under skin Pills orally in mouth IV – heroin
Sniffed cocaine
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Withdrawal symtoms Restless, muscle pain Insomnia, diarrhea
Cold sweat, dilated pupils Tremors, panic Shallow breathing stroke
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People who died of overdose
Know which drug: Jim Morrison Janis Joplin John Belushi
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Mixing drugs Pure cocaine – from coca plant Crack cocaine – mixed
Speed ball – an upper (cocaine) plus a downer (heroin)
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How do drugs work Some are hallucigens like LSD
Causes changes in emotions, thinking, memory From fungus- LSD is odorless, colorless, tasteless- eaten as a capsule
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Norcotics Feel No pain Like heroin, morphine
Happy, dizzy, drowsy, not hungry, pupils drawn towards each other, cannot use rest room, heart races
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Cocaine Appetite suppressant Initial euphoria Lose weight
Can stay awake Very expense
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Crack cocaine Cheaper Very dangerous Causes heart attacks
Most hospital cases for drug abuse
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Marijuana – to legalize or not to legalize
Plant has more than 60 different chemicals called cannabinoids that can give a high Has receptor in brain More in the frontal lobes, induces deep sleep No receptors in brain stem
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Marijuana continued Receptors in spleen- reduces stress
Does not cause overdose The receptors the cannabinoids bind to is used by a normal endorphin, Anandamoids Used throughout history as pain killers
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Anandamoids An endorphin (natural pain killer)
Induced naturally by activity such as in pregnancy- when fetal cells bind to uterus Making love Eating spicy foods, chocolate Endorphins also called runners high
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Marijuana continued Deaths per year due to marijuana use = 0
Deaths per year due to alcohol overdose – 331 Be able to argue 2 reasons why it should be legal and 2 reasons why it should not be legal
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Toxicology samples blood 2 consecutive urine samples
Some drugs take a while to show up in urine (1-3 days) Vitreous humor (fluid behind eye) Hair samples
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Color Tests Marquis Test: Scott Test: Three solutions
Turns purple in the presence of Heroin, morphine, opium Turns orange-brown in presence of Amphetamines Scott Test: Three solutions Blue then pink then back to blue in the presence of Cocaine Duquenois-Levine: Test for marijuana –turns purple
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More Analytical Tests Chromatography: separate drugs/tentative ID
Mass Spectrometry: chemical “fingerprint” no two drugs fragment the same
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Why? Think of all the people that you have “heard” do drugs.
US drug manufacturers produce enough barbiturates and tranquilizers each year to give every person in the US 40 pills (that’s about 12 billion pills) 18,000 out of 44,000 annual traffic deaths are alcohol related and send over 2 million people to the hospital
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Toxicology of Alcohol Alcohol intoxication depends on
Amount of alcohol consumed Time of consumption Body weight Rate of alcohol absorption
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Fate of Alcohol Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream
Distributed through-out the body’s water And finally eliminated by oxidation and excretion
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Analysis of BAC Breath Tests Field Sobriety Tests Blood Tests
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Breath Tests A breath test reflects the alcohol concentration in the pulmonary artery. One instrument used for breath tests is called The Breathalyzer. The Breathalyzer is a device for collecting and measuring the alcohol content of alveolar breath.
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The Breathalyzer
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Field Sobriety Testing
Two reasons for the field sobriety test: Used as a preliminary test to ascertain the degree of the suspect’s physical impairment To see whether or not an evidential test is justified.
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Field Sobriety Tests Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus
Involuntary eye jerk as eye moves horizontally Walk and Turn (divided attention tasks) One-Leg Stand
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Parts of the brain affected by Alcohol
Alcohol 1st affects the forebrain and moves backward Last affected is medulla oblongata
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Alcohol and the Law 1939-1964: intoxicated = 0.15% BAC
At least we don’t live in France, Germany, Ireland, or Japan (0.05%) or especially Sweden (0.02%)! Alcohol and the Law : intoxicated = 0.15% BAC 1965: intoxicated = 0.10% BAC 2003: intoxicated = 0.08% BAC
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Alcohol and the Law Try the drink wheel:
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A nerve cell
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Go to this site go to the middle of the page and click on Mouse Party Place each mouse in the chair to know 1. how the drug works in the brain 2. what does the drug do to the person
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