The Forensic Pharmacology Of Drugs Of Abuse

A well structured reference work reviewing the five main classes of drugs of abuse that figure prominently in forensic work: alcohol, the benzodiazepines, the opioids including heroin, the stimulants including amphetamines and cocaine, and cannabis. It begins with an introduction to drug classes, a practical guide to specimen collection, explanation of pharmacokinetic concepts and measurements, techniques used to analyse drugs and the importance of the concepts of tolerance and dependence analysis. There are then seven sections for each drug class covering nomenclature and source (legal and illegal), pharmacokinetics and metabolism, analytical methods for detection in biological fluids, expected and adverse effects in humans, issues of tolerance and dependence, and finally toxicology.

Forensic Pharmacology explores the many links between drugs and forensic science, from drug-induced violence and crime to determining whether a person taking a certain medication is capable of standing trial for a crime, to the forgery of prescriptions. The reader is introduced to the daily work of the scientists, and the principles of pharmacology and toxicology, as well as the various classes and technical analysis of drugs of abuse.

New designer drugs, access to databases, and changing availability of samples for analysis have changed the face of modern forensic toxicology in recent years. Forensic Toxicology: Drug Use and Misuse brings together the latest information direct from experts in each sub-field of the discipline providing a broad overview of current thinking and the most innovative approaches to case studies. The text begins with an in-depth discussion of pharmaco­epidemiology, including information on the value of nationwide databases in forensic toxicology. The use and abuse of drugs in driving, sport and the workplace are then discussed by industry experts who are conducting case work in their field. Not only are new drug groups discussed (NPS), but also their constantly changing impact on drug legislation. Synthetic cannabinoids, khat and mephodrone are discussed in detail. Following a section devoted to legislation and defence, readers will find comprehensive chapters covering sample choice reflecting the increasing use of hair and oral fluid, and also the less commonly used sweat and nail analysis. New and old case examples are compared and contrasted in the final part of the book, which will enable readers to understand how drugs impact on each other and how the interpretative outcome of a case are dependent on many aspects. From use of pharmaceutical drugs in a clinical setting, through smart drugs to new psychoactive drugs, this book documents the wide range in which drugs today are abused. This book will be an essential resource for postgraduate students in forensic toxicology, and for researchers in forensic toxicology laboratories who need the latest data and knowledge.

Forensic Pharmacology offers a unique and comprehensible account of pharmacological methods and knowledge, and how to use them to solve problems in crimes from drunken driving to murder. It also deals with negligence in giving drugs, and adverse reactions to drugs. The text is enlivened by cases from the literature and from the authors' experience. Appendices give detailed examples of pharmacological problems and their solutions; tables and equations for alcohol calculations; and data for medicines encountered in forensic work. Experts do not always understand what lawyers want of them, and lawyers fail to appreciate that experts in medicine and pharmacology may not be experts in the law. The section entitled 'legal considerations' was written by a barrister with wide experience of using expert evidence and explains clearly the legal principles. It also contains some helpful hints on how to deal with court procedure and adversarial lawyers.

Written in the same accessible manner as previous editions, the fifth edition of Karch‘s Pathology of Drug Abuse is an essential guide to the pathology, toxicology, and pharmacology of commonly abused drugs. The book focuses on the investigation of drug-related deaths, practical approaches to the detection of drug abuse, and discussions of medical

Provides a self-teaching reference text for forensic chemistry laboratories and law enforcement agencies world-wide. The text includes sections on the importance of physical examinations of drugs and their wrappings; and the use of gas and high-performance chromatography.

With the rapid spread of drug use and abuse in this country over the last decade, events relating to drugs have become increasingly prominent in the court of law as well as in society in general. It is anticipated that throughout the 1980s this problem will continue to be one of the major social problems in the United States. With the complexity of the Federal and state laws and their interrelationships, and with the increasing demand for the expert chemist or toxicologist, or both, in the courtroom, more education for these people relating to drugs must be implemented. The prosecuting and defense attorneys are also in need of accurate toxicological information to adequately handle cases in which drugs playa role. This book is intended to be a practical as well as an educational book-a resource tool for the active forensic chemist, as well as for the student. It is with the forensic chemist in mind that the material on controlled substances and substances found in cases of drug abuse has been arranged in a systematic order for quick and easy reference. This section includes synonyms, pharma ceutical preparations, biochemistry and/or pharmacognosy, toxicology and/or pharmacology, and how the substance is controlled under Federal law. Under the concept of scientific consideration as compared with the Federal law, this book enables one to deal with some of the major conflicts in the American legal system concerning scientific evidence and how it is presented in a court of law.

A comprehensive review of the science of drug testing in all its aspects, placing emphasis on technologies that use body fluids other than urine for determining the presence of drugs of abuse. The authors discuss the various body fluid specimens suitable for testing for illicit drugs-particularly saliva, sweat, and hair-describe the structural and manufacturing aspects of on-site testing devices based on lateral flow immunoassay, and detail the pitfalls of using these specimens. They also discuss in detail the problem of sample adulteration and its detection. Since oral fluid has the best potential of succeeding urine as the next matrix of choice for drug detection, four popular saliva testing devices are examined: Intercept®, the Drager Drug Test®, Oratect®, and Drugwipe. Political, social, and legal issues are also considered in articles on privacy, the use of drug testing in courts, and the problem of sample adulteration.