Trace Drugs Flashcards
What is in pink cocaine?
very little cocaine
mostly ketamine and methamphetamine, or;
cocaine and another opioid, MDMA or another psychoactive compound
What are schedules and who made them?
drug classifications based on how addictive the compounds might be by the DEA
what is schedule 1 (USA)?
substances or chemicals with no current accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse
what drug(s) is an example for schedule 1 (USA)?
heroin, LSD, ecstasy (MDMA)
what is schedule 2 (USA)?
substances or chemicals with a high potential for abuse, with use leading to severe psychological or physical dependance
what drugs are associated with schedule 2 (USA)?
cocaine, meth, hydromorphone, oxycodone, fentanyl, adderall, ritalin
what is schedule 3 (USA)?
substance or chemical with a moderate to low potential for dependence
what drugs are associated with schedule 3 (USA)?
tylenol with codeine, ketamine, anabolic steroids, testosterone
what is schedule 4 (USA)?
substances with low potential for abuse and low risk for dependence
what drugs are associated with schedule 4 (USA)?
xanax, valium, ambien, tramadol
what is schedule 5 (USA)?
substances with lower potential for abuse usually used for antidiarrheal, antitussive and analgesic purposes
what drugs are associated with schedule 5 (USA)?
lomotil, motofen, lyrica
what drugs are associated with Canadian schedule 1?
phenylpiperidines, and phenazepines along with their salt derivatives
what drugs are associated with Canadian schedule 2?
synthetic canabinoid (resembling THC)
what drugs are associated with Canadian schedule 3?
lysergic acid diethylamid (LSD), cathinones, etc.
and their salts
what drugs are associated with Canadian schedule 4?
barbiturates and benzodiezepines
What are category C testing methods?
colour testing
what is the problem with category C testing?
low discriminating power where they cannot discriminate within a class (between fentanyl and carfentanyl)
what is a Scott test?
colour test for cocaine testing for cobalt thiocyanate and tin (II) chloride reagents; it will turn blue for positive
T/F: colour tests are confirmatory.
false they are presumptive
what must category C tests be combined with?
combined with the results of a drug test
Why is law enforcement moving away from colour testing?
- likely to give false positives in non illicit substances
- tends to be destructive
- requires a secondary/ confirmatory test
what is TruNarc?
it is a handheld narcotics analyzer to scan for more than 530 suspected controlled substances in a single definitive test
T/F: TruNarc can distinguish structurally similar compounds
true: can distinguish morphine to heroin
what can TruNarc detect?
- stimulants
- hallucinogens
- depressants
- analgesics
why has Raman spectroscopy been deployed in homeland security?
- high chemical specificity
- with each chemical substance having a unique spectral fingerprint
What three substances are structurally extremely similar and how are they distinguished?
morphine: alcohol/hydroxyl groups
codeine: ether/methoxy groups
hydrocodone: Ketone
T/F: raman spectra can distinguish codeine, morphine, and hydrocodone
true
T/F: the TruNarc cannot identify fentanyl and fentanyl varients
false it can distinguish carfentanyl, acryl-fentanyl, fentanyl precursors, and pharmaceutical varients
what are the fentanyl precursors?
NPP (ketone) -> ANPP (benzene, amine) -> fentanyl (amine turnes to amide)
can you use TruNarc results in court?
depending on jurisdiction test results may be allowed at preliminary hearings
how does TruNarc help expedite prosecution?
by capturing all scan results, including time-and-date stamp and system self checks
what happens once TruNarc analyzes a substance?
full results are automatically stored for reporting and evidence submission
what kind of narcotics are identified by Ionscan 600?
ketamine, MDMA, cocaine, methamphetamine, THC, W-18, synthetic cannabinoid, Spice/K2
how is IONSCAN 600 used?
at airports and prisons hands or bags can be wiped with a small swab and scanned for traces of prohibited substances.
T/F: IONSCAN 600 can distinguish different varieties of the same drug.
true
what technology is IONSCAN 600 based on?
ion mobility spectrometry
what are the major challenges in seized drug analysis?
- throughput/backlog
- novel psychoactive substances and emerging drugs
- sample complexity
- changes to the law
what is HHC?
hexahydro cannabinol
what is the concern (in terms of cannabis) of new and emerging drugs?
risk of inadvertent exposure to synthetic cannabinoids
why is there a large problem with false positives?
majority of crime labs will not test a substance after a defendant pleads guilty
what are the challenges with presumptive field testing?
- over the counter items may test positive
- false positives may be caused by exposure to air or extreme temperatures
- there is a lot of subjectivity and human error
What is the early warning system for drugs?
by monitoring waste water, seized samples, and web monitoring
trace residue of drugs are mostly found on what?
empty bags
what is zombie drug?
fentanyl mixed with xylazine
what has been implemented in many jurisdictions as a public health intervention following the opioid crisis?
services for harm reduction and overdose prevention
what is the method of on site drug checking services implemented in Vancouver?
paper spray mass-spectrometry
what are the two highest drugs found in supervised consumption sites?
fentanyl and methamphetamine
