Drugs What is a drug A drug is

Drugs

What is a drug? • A drug is defined as a natural or synthetic substance that is used to produce a physiological or psychological effect in humans or other animals. • Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the US. • 90 million Americans drink alcohol regularly and 10 million of these people abuse alcohol

Drug Use in the US • 23 million people in the US are users of illegal drugs • 500, 000 are heroin addicts • 6 million are cocaine addicts • 75% of evidence processed in forensic labs is drug related

Toxicology • Toxicology is the study of poisons and the ID of drugs and other substances a person may have used for medicinal, recreational or criminal purposes. • Toxicity is the degree to which a substance is poisonous or can cause injury.

Drug Dependence • There are many factors to consider when determining an individual’s dependence on drugs. • There are generally two routes examined: • 1. Psychological dependence- largely depends on the nature of the drug used • 2. Physical dependence- occurs when drug users adhere to a regular schedule

Drug Dependence • Drugs such as marijuana, LSD and cocaine create strong anxieties when use is discontinued, but no medical evidence exists to support physiological dependency. • Drugs such as alcohol, heroin and barbiturates can result in physical dependency.

Narcotics • Derived from the Greek word narkotikos, meaning sluggish or lethargic • These drugs relieve pain and produce sleep. • They are analgesics, meaning that they relieve pain by exerting a depressing action on the central nervous system. • ie: opium, heroin, codeine

Death by Narcotics • • Signs of overdose. Difficulty breathing Low blood pressure Weakness/dizziness Confusion Coma Small pupils

Hallucinogens • Derived from plants • Affect user’s thinking, perceptions and selfawareness • Examples: LSD(odorless and colorless), PCP(angel dust), MDMA (ecstacy)

Overdose of Hallucinogens • • • Symptoms. Increased heart rate and blood pressure Hallucinations/euphoria Dry mouth Anxiety, muscle cramps, stroke Dilated pupils

Stimulants • Increase energy, alertness, and decrease appetite • Users may “crash” when drug wears off becoming depressed • Examples: crack, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines

Overdose of Stimulants • • Symptoms. High blood pressure/ rapid heart rate Stroke Bleeding in the brain Tremors Seizures Dilated pupils

Methamphetamine • Intravenous use of methamphetamine is the most common delivery system. • Users experience a rush followed by intense euphoria for days…along with anxiousness and even hallucinations. • Smokable meth is called “ice”. When meth is slowly evaporated to solid form it may be smoked and the effects last longer than crack.

Meth • User may become paranoid, violent and exhibit acute psychosis. • After meth wears off, the user may sleep for days and is totally exhausted. Many become depressed for weeks after use, leading to psychological dependence.

Anabolic Steroids • Promote cell growth and division • Produced in the lab with a structure similar to testosterone • Can be used to treat hypogonadism, delayed puberty and impotence • Side-effects- acne, increased body hair, high blood pressure and cholesterol

Depressants • Used to relieve anxiety and produce sleep • User becomes calm, all bodily functions slow down • Examples: alcohol, barbituates, benzodiazepines • Side effects- slurred speech, loss of coordination, slowed breathing and heart rate

Club Drugs • Synthetic drugs used at night clubs, bars, etc. • MDMA, GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), Rohypnol (Roofies), ketamine, and Meth • GHB and Rohypnol cause users to feel drowsy, sluggish and maybe even loss of consciousness and ability to remember the hours after consuming the drug, thus they are referred to as date-rape drugs • They are colorless and tasteless

Cocaine • In the late 1800 s, Sigmund Freud “discovered” a new drug that had a “seemingly limitless potential as a source of exhilaration and lasting euphoria. ” This allowed intensive mental or physical work without the need for food or sleep. • Cocaine is derived from the leaves of a plant grown in South America and tropical Asia.

Coke- continued • Most commonly snorted or may be injected • Produces a feeling of euphoria by stimulating the pleasure center at the base of the brain and nerves responsible for emotions • Crack is a form of coke mixed with baking soda and water and heated. The crystals are then broken off • Nearly impossible to break yourself of the crack habit

Columbian Cocaine Trade • Most coke in the US is from columbia. • Farmer is paid $200 for coca leaves to make 1 pound of coke. Product leaves Columbia at $1000. Sells for $20, 000 in the US. • 75% of the cocaine in the US is from Columbia

Schedules of Drugs • Schedule I- no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse • Examples: Marijuana, Heroin, LSD, ecstacy • Schedule II- high possibility for abuse and addiction • Examples: Meth, oxycontin, adderall, ritalin • Schedule III-low potential for physical and psychological dependence

Schedule of Drugs • Examples: Hydrocodone (Vicodin), tylenol with codeine, ketamine, testosterone • Schedule IV-low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence • Examples: xanax, soma, darvoset, ativan, ambien • Schedule V- lower risk for dependence than schedule IV, limited quantity of narcotics • Examples: Robitussin, Lomotil, Lyrica

Drug Control Laws • Penalties often depend of the weight of drug or its concentration in the mixture. These things affect the way a forensic scientist approaches analysis. • National and Local law enforcement and political and moral philosophies shape the laws that surround drugs and alcohol.

Controlled Substances Act • Put in place by federal government. Many states use this as a guideline for their drug laws. • It is responsible for the schedules previously discussed. • It also has a clause that an offense involving a controlled substance analog (similar in potency as other drugs but different chemical structure) carries a schedule I penalty.

Controlled Substances Act • This is to prevent designer drugs being manufactured in clandestine laboratories. • Example: China White- 10 times more potent than morphine, caused many deaths in CA and PA • This act also regulates the manufacture and distribution of precursor drugs.

Example penalties • Criminal penalties for Individual trafficking (first offense) • Schedule I- 0 -20 years/$1 million • Schedule III- 0 -5 years/$250, 000 • Schedule IV-0 -3 years/$250, 000 • Schedule V-0 -1 year/$100, 000

Forensic Drug Analysis • Color tests can determine if drug is present, but is never used as a final ID of drug presence: • 1) Marquis- purple when mixed with opiates, heroin and morphine: orange-brown in meth and amphetamines • 2) Dillie-Koppanyi- Turns violet blue in presence of barbituates

Forensic Drug Analysis • 3) Duquenois-Levine- a series of chemical solutions added to marijuana, turns purple when chloroform is added • 4) Van Urk- blue-purple in presence of LSD • 5) Scott test- color test for cocaine, turns cobalt thiocyanate solution blue, add HCl and it turns clear pink, add chloroform and a blue color is present in that layer

Forensic Drug Analysis • Chromatography- TLC is used to determine presence of certain drugs based on their movement up with the solvent. They must be compared to known samples. • Gas Chromatography (GC)- can detect nanograms of material present in a sample, similar in process to TLC, but in a packed silica column

Forensic Drug Analysis • Spectrophotometry may also be used- UVVis or IR • Both produce patterns that are unique to functional groups in the materials tested. When compared to a known sample, the test is fairly definitive. • Mass spectrometry- uses mass of substances and their fragments to determine ID of substance

Positive ID • IR spectrometry and GC-MS are the most used methods of ID for drugs. These are the reports that will hold up in court.

Collecting Drug Evidence • Since the types of drugs and the state of matter may vary it is best to use common sense when packaging the drugs. • Be sure that none of the sample will be lost. Also be careful that no cross-contamination occurs. • Volatile solvents, like those used in huffing, must be packed in air-tight containers to prevent escape.

Organic and Biotoxins • Organic toxins are produced by living organisms. They are proteins that can be absorbed by another organism that affects that organism’s metabolism. • Venom is an example of such a toxin. • Biotoxins are poisons that come from plants or animals.

Bacterial Toxins • Botulism is the most poisonous toxin known to humans. • It acts as a neurotoxin, paralyzing muscles by releasing a neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. An antitoxin made from horse serum can be administered if caught in time. • If not caught in time, painful muscle spasms occur before death.

Bacterial toxins • Clostridium tetani, produces tetanus, a deadly nervous system disease. • The bacterium releases tetanospasmin, a poison that blocks nerve signals from the spinal cord to muscles. • Muscle spasms are so severe that they can tear muscles or fracture bones. • Can interfere with breathing and often starts in the jaw…

Bacterial toxins • Anthrax- bacillus anthracis • Can be ingested, inhaled or absorbed through skin • If inhaled, death is the usual outcome. • Only 20% of people die if it is absorbed through skin. • Ingestion is fatal in 25 -60% of cases. • In 2001, anthrax was sent by mail to 22 individuals, half of whom died.

Other biotoxins • Abrin-derived from rosary peas, inhibits protein synthesis, leading to cell death • Symptoms are profuse vomiting and diarrhea followed by organ failure • Ricin- similar in mechanism to abrin, from castor beans • Death within 36 -72 hours after exposure

Other biotoxins • Strychine-source, a plant found in southern Asia and Australia, bitter taste, white powder • Used primarily as a pesticide to kill rats • Sometimes mixed with street drugs • Affects muscles and produces spasms, eventually person tires out and cannot breathe

Other biotoxins • Tetrodotoxin-found in puffer fish and blue octopus • Signs of exposure- gastrointestinal pain, vomiting and diarrhea • Weakness and cranial nerve dysfunction