Trace Drugs Flashcards
what are the challenges of trace drugs
- knowing where to sample
- small amounts of sample (you need some bias in order to know what to test for first)
- mass specs are always in the lab (so they won’t be at the scene, and PO can’t use it)
- contamination (you swab a table, won’t just find cocaine but tons of other things)
what is pink cocaine
- contains a mix of
- ketamine
- methamphetamine, cocaine, opiods, or MDMA/ecstasy
true/false pink cocaine is mostly cocaine
- false
- it typically contains little, if any, cocaine, which adds to its danger
schedules are based on what
- how unsafe they are for us
- 1 is most highly controlled, and become less as the number goes up
what is schedule I drugs defined by DEA
substances or chemicals with no current accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse
what is schedule II drugs defined by DEA
substances or chemicals with a high potential for abuse, with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence
what is schedule III drugs defined by DEA
substance or chemicals with a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence
what is schedule IV drugs defined by DEA
substances or chemicals with low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence
what is schedule V drugs defined by DEA
substances or chemicals with lower potential for abuse than Schedule IV and consist of preparations containing limited quantities of certain narcotics
which drugs are included under schedule I
- Opium Poppy
- Cocaine
- Phenylpiperidines
- phenazepines
- amidones
- methadols
- fentanyls
- amphethamines
- GHB
- And their salts, derivates…
which drugs are included under schedule III
- Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
- cathinones
- and their salts
which drugs are included under schedule II
synthetic cannabinoid
which drugs are included under schedule IV
- barbiturates
- benzodiazepines
- their salts
true/false First responders, crime scene examiners, and forensic scientists are all in need of rapid and cost-effective procedures for the identification of drugs
true
true/false swabbing the outside of packages/containers can lead to determination if drug is hidden in a package or shipping container
true
true/false Customs and Border Protection Officers inspect and seize goods that are known of being used to conceal contraband coming from overseas
- False
- goods that are suspected of being…
How does law enforcement test for trace drugs
presumptive tests
true/false colour or spot tests are an acceptable way to presumptive test
- true
- follow w confirmatory ones later
colour or spot tests serve as ______ identification
presumptive
what is the difference between A B and C category tests
- A confirmatory
- B semi-confirmatory
- C not confirmatory at all
colour tests are recognized as category _____ test
C
true/false forensic labs often incorporate colour tests as part of the analytical scheme for drug identification
true
true/false category C tests can positively identify a drug
- false
- must be combines w the results of a test having greater discriminatory power to do that
the A B and C category tests are to what standard
OSAC-approved standard
what colour tests are used by law enforcement officers in the field for presumptive identification of drugs
commercially prepared field test kits
true/false the commercially prepared field test kits that law enforcement officers in the field for presumptive identification of drugs are specific to a single chemical compound
- false
- just helps direct their confirmatory tests
- allows police to make arrest decisions and how to impound evidence
the commercially prepared field test kits that law enforcement officers in the field for presumptive identification of drugs do what
- helps direct their confirmatory tests
- allows police to make arrest decisions and how to impound evidence
what is the colour test for cocaine
scott test
how does the scott test work
- presumptive test for cocaine
- combine tin and cobalt solutions (reagents)
- add a solid
- if there is cocaine, the colour will turn burn
where can field tests establish enough probable cause to arrest a suspect
in arizona
true/false in arizona, field tests establish enough probable cause to charge a suspect
- False
- arrest, not chargee
true/false in arizona, field tests can be used in a trial
- false
- confirmatory identification of the suspected drug is performed by a forensic lab if it makes it to trial
why do we need to confirm after doing colour tests
- identify false positives
- many of the tests are one use only
- presumptive tests aren’t always specific to just one drug class, so a secondary test can narrow down exactly what it is
- identify false neg (lack of sensitivity)
what is trunarc
- handhelf device
- points at a drug and will tell you what it is
true/false trunarc is confirmatory
- false but also true in some countries
- semi-confirmatory
true/false The global drug problem is increasing
true
what is making The global drug problem increase
- trafficking of methamphetamines, heroin
- emerging threats like fentanyl, and carfentanil
what does the Thermo Scientific™ TruNarc™ Handheld Narcotics Analyzer enables______________ to scan more than 530 suspected controlled substances in a single, definitive test
- officers
- customs
- border control
- other personnel
what does the Thermo Scientific™ TruNarc™ Handheld Narcotics Analyzer enables officers, customs, border control, and other personnel to do what
scan more than 530 suspected controlled substances in a single, definitive test
what can TreNarc test for
- narcotics
- stimulants
- depressants
- hallucinogens
- analgesics
why has Raman spectroscopy has been extensively deployed for use in homeland security applications
- high chem specificity
- each chem substance has a unique spectral fingerprint
true/false raman can tell the diff between morphine and heroin
true
true/false raman works based on structural differences
true
which is which: Morphine, Hydrocodone, Codeine
a) Morphine,
b) Codeine, and
c) Hydrocodone
what different fentanyl variants can TruNarc identify
- Carfentanyl
- Acryl fentanyl
- Fentanyl precursors (a substructure/ fragment of its structure) (NPP, ANPP)
- Fentanyl derivatives
- Fentanyl
- Alfentanil (a pharmaceutical)
- sufentanil (a pharmaceutical)
what is this
NPP
what is this
ANPP
what is this
fentanyl
what can the TruNarc results do in court
- expedites prosecution
- reducing the time
- reduces administrative burden
- captures scan results, including time and date stamps. all results are stored and saved
can TruNarc be used in court
- depends on jurisdiction
- may be allowed at prelim hearings
where is IONSCAN 600 used
- prisons
- airports
what can IONSCAN 600 detect
- Ketamine
- Cocaine
- MDMA
- Methamphetamine
- THC
- W-18
- Synthetic cannabinoids
what is W-18
- an analgesic made in the 80s
- schedule 1 in canada
what does synthetic mean
made in the lab
true/false IONSCAN 600 can distinguish between different varieties of the same drug
true
IONSCAN 600 is based on what
ion mobility spectrometry (IMS)
what are the major challenges in seized drug analysis
- throughput/backlog millions of drug cases are analyzed each year
- novel psychoactive substances (NPS) and emerging drugs,
- sample complexity
- changes to the law
what is the most frequently analyzed type of case in forensic labs in the US
drug cases
how many drug offences a year are there in canada (2023)
about 45k
how does the rise of emerging drugs make seized drug analysis harder
- there is a lack of reference data or standards for these compounds
- we have nothing to identify exactly what it is
The continuing emergence of new substances in this area adds to concerns that consumers of cannabis may be at risk of what
risk of inadvertent exposure to synthetic cannabinoids
_______ may appear similar to unadulterated cannabis
adulterated cannabis
what makes adulterated cannabis dangerous
- may appear similar to unadulterated cannabis
- can be mis-sold as cannabis to unsuspecting consumers
true/false Synthetic cannabinoids also sometimes appear in samples of other drugs
true
when did semi-synthetic cannabinoids start to appear on the europeans drug market
2022
what was the first semi-synthetic cannabinoids to appear on the european drug market
HHC= hexaxydro cannabinol
HHC is a derivate of what
THC
true/false HHC is synthetic
true
why did several cannabis oils and gels get recalled by health canada in august 2024
cause there was a lot of HHC in it, but it wasn’t on the label
In May 2023, for example, an unusual and unexpected outbreak of non-fatal poisonings involving more than 20 people was reported in Paris, France, caused by what
heroin adulterated with synthetic cannabinoids
in April 2023, Lithuania reported what
the seizure of heroin adulterated with synthetic cannabinoids
The ________ of NPS and emerging drugs has led to case submissions where the controlled or emerging substance is no longer the major constituent
high toxicity
The high toxicity of NPS and emerging drugs has led to case submissions where what is happening
- the controlled or emerging substance is no longer the major constituent
- Many submissions now contain a variety of diluents and cutting agents along with a minor amount of the substance of interest
new substances are becoming controlled how
on a rolling basis
When new compounds become controlled, laboratories must reassess what
- their methods and ability to not only detect these newly controlled compounds
- to differentiate them from other, uncontrolled substances.
what can false positives cause
May result in the wrongful arrest, prosecution, and detainment of an innocent individual
how many jurisdictions will accept guilty please based solely on field tests in the US
9/10
how much of police tests for meth were false positives
21%
true/false The majority of crime labs do not test a substance after a defendant pleads guilty
true
when will false positives happen
- some random over the counter items
- household items
- the exposure of the test to air or extreme temp
tylenol PM may test positive for what
cocaine
mucinex may test pos for what
heroin
chocolate may test pos for what
marijuana
soaps may test pos for what
GHB
what is a major limitation of field tests
- technical limitations
- subjectivity and human error of PO
- PO are expected to interpret results within minutes
what drug can test false pos in the tin and cobalt test we mentioned earlier for cocaine
fentanyl
what does CDSW stand for
canadian drug and substance watch
what is CDSW
- a drug early warning system designed to highlight new and emerging substances on the illegal drug market.
- tells us which drugs are emerging and where
- per province every 6-7 months
what is the best way to stay up to date on upcoming drugs
- waste water testing
- seized drug samples
- web monitoring
in R v Naccarato 2017, which drugs were mentioned
- heroin
- fentanyl
- cannabis
- cocaine
- meth
- MDMA
in R v Naccarato 2017, which drugs were not mentioned
- GHB
- LSD
- NPP
according to statista.com, which drug is most commonly found
- fentanyl
- 49% of drugs brought in have some mix of fentanyl
- 21% have meth
what did the FRSC LIT PAPER 2 tell us
- A canadian study using on-site testing for chemicals
- It can figure out the amount of the drug present (it is ____% fentanyl etc)
- Was able to do this for 49 drugs and also flag some other random drugs
what did the FRSC LIT PAPER 1 tell us
- the abundance of various drugs in Maryland
- most was fentanyl
- then xylazine
- then caffeien
- least was levamisole
what is the xylazine street name
tranq?
why was caffeine listed as a drug
just a filler drug
