Controlled Substances and Forensics PDF

Controlled Substances & Forensics  Introduction Drugs have been prevalent in the early history of the United States for hundreds of years In the early 1900’s cocaine was said to cure everything, and it was even added to flavor Coke 1909 brought the first law reg...

Controlled Substances & Forensics  Introduction Drugs have been prevalent in the early history of the United States for hundreds of years In the early 1900’s cocaine was said to cure everything, and it was even added to flavor Coke 1909 brought the first law regulating opiates and coca products in the Harrison Narcotics Act Controlled substance a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession, or use is regulated by a government  Federal Schedules Controlled Substances are classified into 5 schedules, or groups : Schedule I- drugs with no medical use and a high potential for abuse Heroin, LSD, marijuana Schedule II- some medicinal use but high potential for abuse Cocaine, methamphetamine, Vicodin, oxycodone, Ritalin Schedule III- some medicinal use & moderate potential for abuse Tylenol with codeine, testosterone, steroids Schedule IV- medicinal use and low potential for abuse Xanax, Valium, Ambien Schedule V- medicinal use & extremely low potential for abuse Robitussin, Lyrica  Categories of Controlled Substances There are 5 main categories for controlled substances Hallucinogen- alter reality LSD, peyote, PCP, mushrooms, marijuana Narcotics- dulls the senses, relieves pain, opioid family Heroin, Oxycontin, Vicodin, codeine, methadone, fentanyl Stimulants- increase the Central Nervous System Cocaine, methamphetamine, Adderall, Ritalin Depressants- slow down the Central Nervous System Heroin, Xanax, Valium, barbiturates Anabolic Steroids- enhance performance  Texas Penalty Groups Texas has multiple penalty groups to categorize drugs by name: Penalty Group 1 Methamphetamine, Heroin, Cocaine Penalty Group 1A LSD Penalty Group 1B Fentanyl Penalty Group 2 THC oil, ecstasy, PCP Penalty Group 2A Benzothiazole Penalty Group 3 Tramadol Penalty Group 4 Codeine Marijuana  Drug Paraphernalia The possession of drug paraphernalia is illegal in Texas Common examples include: Scale or balance Grinder Bags or envelopes Pipe Rolling papers Spoon Needle  Marijuana ***Listed in the Health & Safety Code as Marihuana*** Hallucinogenic drug derived from the Cannabis plant extract THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) Some states now allow recreational use, but it is still illegal federally and in Texas Effects: Reddening of the eyes Decrease in short-term memory Increased appetite Impaired motor skills  Marijuana Concentrates Concentrates are created and extracted from the cannabis plant, meaning they are much more potent than the flower alone Commonly seen with students vaping: Live Resin Shatter Wax Crumble Wax Honeycomb Wax Budder or Badder Pull and Snap THC Oil A dab is a common name used to categorize many cannabis concentrates that require a dab or oil rig to smoke it  THC, Juuls, Vaping In Texas, possession of THC is a felony while possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor On Sept 1, 2019, Texas has a new law allowing possession of CBD oil with 0.3% THC content Recently, there’s been an explosion in use of THC products among teens It is especially seen with vaping (e- cigarettes) with THC oil  Methamphetamine Meth is a strong Central Nervous System stimulant Highly addicting and highest relapse rate Effects: Loss of appetite Dilated pupils Hyperactivity Twitching, muscle tremors Paleness Increased libido  Signs of Meth Use Open sores from picking Cranks- thinking bugs crawling on skin Loss of hair From picking Loss of teeth Meth mouth Extreme weight loss Age 19 Age 34  Rising Opioid Drug Epidemic Drug overdoses are killing people at twice the rate of firearm and motor vehicle accidents From 2015 to 2016, overdoses rose 21% from the previous year 64,070 people overdosed and died in 2016 Ohio has 11 people dying per day from OD-ing Opioid overdoses are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 50  Heroin Derived from the poppy plant which is native to Asia; Central Nervous depressant that constricts the pupils Gives euphoria feeling; first high is the best Extremely addicting and tolerance is built up Comes in colors ranging from white to brown to black tar  Fentanyl Opioid used for pain relief; lasts 1 to 2 hours 50 times more potent than heroin Effects include: Relaxation Euphoria Pain relief Sedation Drowsiness Nausea  Cocaine Extremely addicting drug; Central Nervous system stimulant Derived from coca leaves native to South America Usually in a white powder form, can be injected or snorted Tolerance builds rapidly, leading to overdoses as it takes more and more to get the same euphoria feeling Effects: High temperature and blood pressure, heart rate Dilated pupils Insomnia Loss of appetite  Crack Cocaine Purer form of cocaine that gives a more intense, although shorter, high; hits the brain in 8 seconds Made by taking cocaine powder and adding baking soda, then heating it Multiples hits in a short amount of time (binging) leads to paranoia, hallucinating, & bizarre behavior  Forensic Drug Analysis Drugs are unique in that street drugs have varying compositions and may be sold as one type of drug but be another substance There are two types of tests for drugs: Presumptive Quick screening to determine class of drugs Color test is positive/negative May have false negatives and false positives Confirmatory or Definitive Test Identify exact drugs present in sample Takes much longer and is more expensive  Color Tests In chemical reactions, drugs will change colors depending on the drug and their reactant Police officers use color tests in the field as a presumptive test for identification of class of drug Color tests for drugs: Marquis Heroin turns purple Methamphetamine turns orange-brown Duquenois-Levine Marijuana turns purple Van Urk LSD turns blue-purple Scott Test Cocaine turns blue  Microcrystalline Tests Another quick test to determine the identity of drugs is a microcrystalline test A small amount of a drug is placed on a microscopic slide A drop of a chemical reagent is added A precipitate (solid) forms from the chemical reaction Each precipitate forms a crystal solid, which is unique to the drug Though a scientist must interpret the results  Chromatography Chromatography A test which separates components in a mixture Drugs are commonly mixed with other substances to dilute the product to sell more of it There are two types of chromatography tests: Gas Thin layer In basic terms, the components of a mixture will separate based on their affinity to the substance There will be different lines for different drugs  Spectrophotometry The most accurate test to identify drugs is spectrophotometry A spectrophotometry test will analyze the wavelengths absorbed by the substance Each chemical compound will absorb different wavelengths of light The two specific wavelength ranges tested are: Ultraviolet Infrared More accurate of the two Scientists have taken known drugs samples and mapped out the patterns in spectrophotometry to compare to unknown samples