Drug Use

Part1

Drug Abuse

• Two types of dependence• Psychological- the conditioned use of a

drug caused by underlying emotional needs.

• Physical- physiological need for a drug that has been brought on by regular use. Withdrawal sickness when drug is stopped

Classifications of Drugs

• Narcotics• Depressants• Stimulants• Hallucinogens• Anabolic steroids

Narcotics

• Analgesics- relieve pain by exerting a depressing action on the central nervous system.

• The source of most is from opium• Will most likely cause physical

dependence• Morphine, heroin, methadone, codeine,

oxycontin

Drug use part 2

Depressants

• Relax the CNS, create a sense of well being, produce sleep and stupor.

• Alcohol (ethyl alcohol)• Barbituates-downers, quaaludes• Tranquilizers- relaxing effect without sleep.

Valium and librium• Glue sniffing or huffing

Stimulants

*amphetamines-group of drugs that stimulate the CNS, provide feeling of increased alertness followed by decreased fatigue and loss of appetite.

Methamphetamines, ice, uppers, speed

Stimulants cont.

• Cocaine- powerful stimulant to CNS. Increased alertness, vigor, suppression of hunger, fatigue and boredom. Provides a sense of euphoria by stimulating pleasure center in the brain that controls emotions

• Crack- smoked• Coke-powder that is snorted

Hallucinogens

• Can cause marked alterations in normal thought processed, perceptions and moods.

• Marijuana-most widely used illicit drug . Most potent form is liquid hashish made by soaking in solvent, looks like tar.

• LSD, PCP, MDMA are other hallucinogens

Anabolic steroids

• Synthetic compounds that are chemically related to testosterone. Produce muscle mass and male characteristics.

• Causes liver cancer, infertility, diminished sex drive, halting bone growth, unprovoked anger, and unpredictable moods.

Drug Use Part 3

Oxyconone, LSD, ICE,Ecstasy

Opium

Controlled Substance Act

• Classification system for dangerous substances based on the drug’s potential for abuse, physical and psychological dependence, and medical value.

• Five schedules I is the most dangerous.

Control act schedules

• I – high potential for abuse, no medical value. Heroin, marijuana, LSD

• II- high potential for abuse, medical use limited. Cocaine, PCP, other opiums

• III- small potential for abuse, medical uses. Codeine, barbituates

• IV-low potential for abuse, valium• V- very low potential for abuse, most non-

narcotics.

Federal Penalties• Schedule I• 15 years/$125,000• Schedule II

15 years/$125,000• Schedule III

5 years/$50,000• Schedule IV

$25,000• Schedule V• 1 year/$10,000   

Drug Use Part 4

Drug Identification

• Presented with many different pills, powders, tablets, capsules, vegetable matter, liquids, pipes, cigarettes and syringes.

• Chemist must make 100% ID no room for error.

ID cont.

• Screening tests are done first to reduce the number of possibilities.

• Color tests– Marquis- purple for heroin, morphine, opiums

orange-brown for amphetamines, meth– Dillie-Koppanyi- violet blue for barbituates– Duquenois-Loevine- purple for marijuana– VanUrk- blue purple for LSD– Scott test- blue for cocaine

Screening test cont.

• Microcrystalline tests- when a drop of chemical reagent is added to a drop of drug on microscope slide, the a crystalline precipitate will form. These crystals are specific for each drug. Most of the common drugs of abuse are cataloged for comparison.

Chromatography

• Used to separate drugs from the diluents to help in the identification process.

• Based on the fact that chemical substances will escape into the surrounding environment when dissolved in a liquid or absorbed on to a solid.

• Measured in retention time Rt

Chromatography cont.

• Gas chromatography- separates mixtures based on distribution between stationary liquid phase and moving gas phase.

• High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) stationary phase is a thin film moving phase is gas. Room temp good for LSD

• Thin layer chromatography (TLC)- stationary phase is gel, moving is liquid. Used for tentative ID by running known next to unknown.

Chromatographs

TLC & paper chrom.

Drug Use Part 5

Spectrophotometry

• Based on the absorption of light in the UV and IR regions of the light spectrum.

• The UV spectrum only gives a probable ID.

• The IR spectrophotometry is one of the few ways to specifically ID a substance. Can produce a “fingerprint” of a drug but only in the purest form.

Spectrophotometer

Mass Spectrometry

• Under carefully controlled conditions, no two substances produce the same fragmentation patterns.

• Often paired with a gas chromatograph (GC) to purify before running and getting optimal results.

• Test is called GC/MS • Can run very small amounts

GC/MS

Drug Use Part 7

Sequence of testing

• Screening– Color test– Microcrystalline test– Chromatography• Use GC paired with Mass spectrometry for

positive ID • Use IR spectrophotometry for positive ID

Collection and Preservation

Usually best to keep in the original packaging.

If volatile substance, put in air tight container.

Mark all packages with enough information so the officer can ID it during trial.

Investigator needs to supply any info that could lead to positive ID

Drug Use Part 7