1. Forensic Toxicology

3. Definition The science of detecting and identifying the presence of drugs and poisons in body fluids, tissues and organs

4. Controlled Substances Act Federal Law established 5 schedules of classification of controlled substances based on: Drug’s potential for abuse Potential for physical and psychological dependence Medical value Note: Federal law also controls materials that are used in making drugs that are manufactured to resemble drugs

5. Drug Schedules Schedule I: Drugs with high potential for abuse and addiction, no medical value (i.e.: heroin, LSD, Ecstasy, Marijuana) Schedule II: Drugs with high potential for abuse and addiction, have some medical value with restrictions (i.e.: PCP, cocaine, amphetamines, most opiates, some barbiturates)

6. Drug Schedules Schedule III: Drugs with less potential for abuse and addiction, currently acceptable for medical use (i.e.: Some barbiturates, codeine, steroids) Schedule IV: Drugs with low potential for abuse and addiction, currently acceptable for medical use (i.e.: tranquilizers like valium, Xanax, Librium) Schedule V: Drugs with lowest potential for abuse, currently acceptable for medical use use, lowest potential dependency (i.e.: some opiates with non-narcotic ingredients)

7. Role of the Toxicologist Must identify one of thousands of drugs and poisons Must find nanogram to microgram quantities dissipated throughout the entire body Not always looking for exact chemicals, but metabolites for desired chemicals)

8. Toxicology Procedures Screening: quick test to narrow down the procedures color tests, TLC (thin layer chromatography), GC, immunoassay Confirmation: Determines the exacy identity GC?Mass Spec

9. Color Tests Marquis Test Turns purple in presence of heroin, morphine, opium Turns orange brown in the presence of amphetamines Cobalt Thiocyanate Test (AKA Scott Test) Three solutions Blue then pink, then blue in the presence of cocaine Duquenois-Levine: Test for Marijuana- turns purple

10. Analytical Tests Microcrystalline Tests Identifies drug by using chemicals that react to produce characteristic crystals Chromatography (TLC)Thin Layer ChromatographyThin Layer Chromatography (HPLC)High Performance Liquid ChromatographyHigh Performance Liquid Chromatography Gas Chromatography Separate drugs for tentative identification Mass Spectrometry Chemical fingerprint, not two drugs fragment the same way

11. Why? Think of all the people that you have heard of the “do” drugs US drug manufacturers produce enough barbiturates and tranquilizers each year to give each person in the US 40 pills (about 12 billion pills) 18,000-44,000 annual traffic deaths are alcohol related and over 2 million people sent to the hospital because of such an accident