Forensic Drug Analysis Assignment Sample

Introduction

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The analysis for forensic drugs presented the multiple disciplines of numerical figures, which is detected for serving the examine and clarification of these poisons and drugs in modern medical sciences. Because of this pandemic situation on covid-19 cases, drugs are basic needs for human beings. For this, the demand for drugs increases day by day. So, drugs should be needed for examination and analysis on a large scale. Forensic drug analysis is based on the "quantification and identification" which make through illegal ways. The new drug is made through two steps. These are:

1. Protecting or screening: After readying new drugs, they should be screening in the laboratory.

2. Confirmation: In the laboratory, the pharmacist tests this new drug, and he or she delivers the report of this new drug that is confirmed for marketing or not.

Drugs for confirmation, as well as their metabolism, require high sensitivity and selectivity and are often driven by GC ( Gas chromatography) or MS(mass spectrometry). In spite of confirmation, The developers have unwavering demands for development and detect the analysis for improvement of recent drugs. It is identified through the local and transpiring substances which are illegal in nature. It can enlarge the activity. After screening and confirmation of a new drug that is after analysis of drug details, drugs are sent for the legalization company. If they get green signalling, it is free for marketing.

All drug analysis should be sent to the forensic lab for determining the material substances. If any drug analysis can detect negative in a sense, then the enforcement of law can punish the criminal charges. Courts also have the right to punish them for creating unhealthy situations intentionally.

A history of the development of the particular instrumental technique or type of analysis:

Multiple agencies are there, who try to reduce the harm sites of drugs and make new drugs whose harm sites are less than the good sites. The main objective of these agencies is to distribute this new testing drug in a large market like hospitals, clinics, medicine shops etc. The agencies also provide the necessary knowledge or awareness about the proper dose of drugs among the stakeholders, especially primary stakeholders. All drug testing agencies are under the control of the government(Lesiak,  and Shepard,, 2018). Total three basic benefits for drug testing before taking any medicine. This has short as well as long term adverse effects. This may be an overdose or fatality. All institutions like hospitals, public health, medicine shops are awarded and try to avoid any adverse effects. End of this, a worldwide picture is created for calculating drugs. Forensics relates with the profession as well as science which is thought about as significant for looking to find out the root cause of injury, illness, death. It is explained as the implementation of the modern technology of medicine making by using a legal code of conduct. A pharmacologist is a specialist in drugs science and involved in the distribution, clinical and administrative aspects of pharmacy.

Objectives:

The main objectives of Forensic drug testing are pointed below:

1. For identifying and detecting illegal drugs, lots of techniques and procedures are there. This may be GC, MS, FTIR, UV-Vis, HPLC etc. These all are found in the chemistry department.
2. For improving the techniques of analysis, there are multiple tools. These are:
3. Coupling individual analytical tools, which is similar to GC/ MS and FTIR
4. Integrate the existing tools FTIR-ART. For drug detection, FTIR is best on the surface.
5. Improve the new substitute for analysis. GC and HPLC are used in the form of stationary phases.

These things are very interesting for this its tendency to encourage the all level of student to do it.

The samples of different substitutes are analyzed by the Forensic drug analyst. Different types of materials are needed for it, like liquids, powders, stains which can determine the compound characteristics, which are called the sample. The sample can make simple compounds, or a lot of complexities are there, but all compounds are drug-related(Al?Hetlani, E., 2019).

The drugs which are considered illegal are categorized by classification formed on the way drug drugs act on the human brain and physical structure. For example, individuals taking stimulant drugs such as methamphetamines will respond. The person who has used drugs or marijuana is different from the police. Finding the different levels of drug users can harm singles for helping the enforcement of law where the officers respond, control, and suspected questions in drug-related cases (Filho, J.F.A et al. 2021).

An in-depth critical evaluation of the existing state of knowledge of the topic:

For making new drugs and their analysis, there are different processes and evaluate this by different parameters. Firstly, for transfer the drug analysis data, it should be transferred by the

1. People: for analysis of the drug, it is not understood by all levels of humans. For this, a specialised person should be needed for doing this work. It may be postdoctoral student, pharmacist, lab technician etc.
2. Information: The information should be spread through journals, reports, books, online articles, and lectures in public places like seminars.
3. Hardware. Different electronic devices are used like laptops, computers etc.
4. Software: Using upgraded technology.

1. Improve the design for identifications and sharing the data with the forensic department:

Knowledge transfer is the basic thing of any research. For accurate information in technical view, it should be needed and concerned to all. In Forensic departments, all post-doctorate students, researchers, managers are all-time interested in the gain of their knowledge in the technical department. It is helpful to all for using any type of technology which is very convenient. "Professional societies such as the AAFS, ASCLD, and the American Chemical Society (ACS), among many others, represent a large and diverse segment of the forensic, industrial, and academic community". These institutions always spread the  research information through print paper or online electronic devices. These are Journal, online article, workshops, seminar, Internet site, Internet chat room (Gooch, J et al. 2017), Thesis, personal contact, meeting, administrative department etc.

2. "Establish a project appraisal procedure for the selection of technologies at the national laboratories:"

First, a categorization and prioritization of the process should be arranged on the technology. After selecting a techniques, an evaluation of the technology must be chooses in accordance with the set of criteria mutually agreed upon (Lobato-Freitas et al, 2021). The criteria are:

a)Accuracy and precision: It tries to fulfil the minimum specializations.

Affordability: The technology must be economical in view. All laboratory establishments have some budget constraints regardless of size.

b) Applicability: Coordination should be very clear among the analysis of focus group of forensic department

c) Methodology: Different methods are followed by them.

Sensitivity: Sensitivity technologies should be used because low accuracy is caught up in these technologies.

d) Timeliness: All data should be done within a specific timeline.

3. Make a framework for sample study in the laboratory. If possible, it will happen in the field area.

4. Get feedback from users.

5. Searching data for evaluation and creating a report.

6. Contact the resource result.

7. Recommended

8. “Decide to implement or abandon the technology”.

An understanding of the practical and theoretical basis of its use in a modern workflow:

In forensic drug analysis, first, apply to identify the type of illegal materials. Otherwise, it should be an offence as a criminal work. In an example, atoms and molecules always a good relationship with each other. All substances have a signature formed with chemical substances or set of properties that are unique and exclusive to that substance only (Ribeiro, C et al. 2018). Analysts use these properties to detect substances using technical methods.Other chemists can replicate it and thus presented as true in court. The department of forensic science can cover the poisons, explosives, and drugs.

From this above picture, it is a practical workflow of forensic drug analysis. Firstly, samplers are prepared and take the proper record of weight in the samples. Then the samples are confirmed by the instrument though quality checking. Then it is performed by the analytical techniques with samples. Results of these analytical techniques are recorded in the proper way. Again these results are performed by the analytical techniques with samples. Finally, the result comes. The result may be agreed or may not be agreed inconclusive. If the result is agreed to all, then a report will be generated. If the result will be not agreed inconclusive, then it is performed by the analytical process with both samples for the third time. Again results come to the lab analyst. It also generates two results. One result may be agreed upon. And other results may not be agreed upon or inconclusive. After testing three timings, the inconclusive results are again retested by the lab policies. In most cases, new samples should be generated (Johnston, L et al. 2020).

For identifying illegal drug substances, there are two ways. These are:

1. Presumptive test
2. Confirmatory Test

Hypothetical tests are less specific and refer that any substance which is in an illegal category may or may not be present. A positive idea should be gained through the confirmatory tests in this field. Experimental testing may be carried out by enforcement of law officers or in a lab  after the illegal material has been received(Hondebrink, L et al 2020). The “confirmatory test” is depending on the electrical device like GS -MS ( Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry) or disbursement of spectroscopy which can divide all of the components and tries to get back the positive results. Try to catch up with the illegal substitute.

Presumption testing

This is usually chromatic, which means the test indicates that the substance, which may be suspected in nature, is present or absent though the colour changes. When the test colour is different, it is assumed that the substance is suspected. When coloured does not change, then no suspected substance is there. Assessment tests by the enforcement of law are usually followed, which are tested in a lab(Schulenberg, J et al. 2020).

1. Microscopic analysis: It seems at the construction of the fact to build an initial guess as to what it might be. This test is mainly acceptable for the material of plant category.
2. Microcrystalline test: A small amount of the sample is dissolved in the solution, which is formed from the crystals. The materials will materialize in an unquestionable way allowing analysts to find out the elements in a sample by looking at the crystals. The whole process is done under polarized light.
3. Ultraviolet spectroscopy: It acts as a material bearer to the ray of ultraviolet. It is estimating the way of absorbing materials of the light. Different synthetic drugs absorb light in different ways. It can provide different clues for analytical purposes. From this, everyone knows what may be found in the material.
4. Gas chromatography: It may propose the recognition through the presumptive way of materials. It is a simple way for behaving as separate parameters of the confirmatory testing.

“Confirmatory testing”:

It utilizes the analysis of materials to identify in a positive way the indexes of the yield material. A process is required in multiple steps for separating the individual compounds. It also determines and prioritizes the category of chemical substances (Earwaker, H., et al. 2020). This is called qualitative analysis. It refers the presence of any substance and if any of these substances is invalid. Many civil and criminal law assignment help cases are involved by miss utilization of drugs and other chemicals. These laws act as forensic law. Specific recognition is needed for the forensic pharmacologist. They have expertise, knowledge, work, skill(Breindahl, T et al. 2020). The forensic pharmacologist should be an expert on multiple sectors like:

1. Drug abuse

2.     Sports medicine and doping

3.     Blood levels

4.     Drugs, alcohol, and driving

5.     Criminal cases

6.     Forensic pharmacovigilance

7.     Environmental toxicology and ecotoxicology

8.     Off-label drug use

1.Gas chromatography – A device that dissolves substances and separates them into separate components in a liquid solution.

2. Liquid chromatography – Gas chromatography and liquid chromatography is the same. Only the phase of evaporation is removed using an oven(Fabregat-Safont, et al. 2020).

3. “Capillary electrophoresis” – It uses an electrical field for separating the components

4. “Wet chemistry” – It involves the use of liquid solvents for separating compounds.

Appreciation of the contribution of the analytical Science:

The basic goal of forensic department is to aid the agencies of  enforcement of law and the legalization  system for the basic function fulfilment of the detection, the prevention, & the crime investigation, with delivery time of justice (Carew and Errickson,  2020.). The results of “legal cases in Ghana” are not reported, especially the lower courts cases. It is a difficult challenge to discover the endowment of legal forensic science enquiry(Hall, M.J., 2021). Media is The basic source for criminal and other legal case pieces of information. In drug peddling and illegal use of it, forensic science plays a major role along with the police enquiry. In drug peddling cases, the forensic sciences are used mainly for the identification of drugs to know whether the drug is legal or not. One example of such a case of "Iddrisu Yobi". “In this case, the accused person acknowledged the illegal possession of the alleged illegal substance after the forensic testing, and this situation is a common situation in most drug offences. Testing of Forensic drugs is essential because it helps the court to correctly assess the evidence and to inform verdict and then sentence or punishment given by the jury(Rocchi, A. et al. 2021).”

Case Study :

"On 18 May 2017, two law enforcement officers (a police officer and a Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) officer) at Asankragwa in the Western Region of Ghana found a group of young men smoking a substance that was suspected to be cannabis. The officers were able to arrest one member of the group, Iddrisu Yobi, while the other suspects fled. The officers recovered the money, 104 wrappers of suspected cannabis in a bag and other items from Yobi. At the police station, Yobi declared in a statement that the items (exhibits) belonged to him. The statement was made in the presence of an independent witness. Yobi was accused of illegal drug possession in an arraignment hearing before the Tarkwa Circuit Court and remanded pending forensic testing of the substance by the FSL of the Ghana Police Service. On 27 August 2017, the report of scientists at the FSL confirmed the seized substance (the 104 wrappers) to be cannabis, including 144.87g of dried leaves and 757.72g of seeds. Yobi was subsequently charged with the offence in which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced by the Circuit Court to 10 years in prison custody."

Reference list:

Journals

Lesiak, A.D. and Shepard, J.R., 2018. Recent advances in forensic drug analysis by DART-MS. Bioanalysis, 6(6), pp.819-842.

Al?Hetlani, E., 2019. Forensic drug analysis and microfluidics. Electrophoresis, 34(9-10), pp.1262-1272.

Gooch, J., Daniel, B., Parkin, M. and Frascione, N., 2017. Developing aptasensors for forensic analysis. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry, 94, pp.150-160.

Ribeiro, C., Santos, C., Gonçalves, V., Ramos, A., Afonso, C. and Tiritan, M.E., 2018. Chiral drug analysis in forensic chemistry: An overview. Molecules, 23(2), p.262.

Johnston, L., Miech, R., O'Malley, P., Bachman, J., Schulenberg, J. and Patrick, M., 2020. Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2019: Overview, key findings on adolescent drug use.

Schulenberg, J., Johnston, L., O'Malley, P., Bachman, J., Miech, R. and Patrick, M., 2020. Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975-2019: Volume II, college students and adults ages 19-60.

Earwaker, H., Nakhaeizadeh, S., Smit, N.M. and Morgan, R.M., 2020. A cultural change to enable improved decision-making in forensic science: A six phased approach. Science & Justice, 60(1), pp.9-19.

Carew, R.M. and Errickson, D., 2020. An Overview of 3D Printing in Forensic Science: The Tangible Third?Dimension. Journal of forensic sciences, 65(5), pp.1752-1760.

Rocchi, A., Chiti, E., Maiese, A., Turillazzi, E. and Spinetti, I., 2021. MicroRNAs: An Update of Applications in Forensic Science. Diagnostics, 11(1), p.32.

Hall, M.J., 2021. The Relationship between Research and Casework in Forensic Entomology. Insects, 12(2), p.174.

Fabregat-Safont, D., Felis-Brittes, D., Mata-Pesquera, M., Sancho, J.V., Hernández, F. and Ibáñez, M., 2020. Direct and Fast Screening of New Psychoactive Substances Using Medical Swabs and Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe Triple Quadrupole with Data-Dependent Acquisition. Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 31(7), pp.1610-1614.

Breindahl, T., Hindersson, P. and Kimergård, A., 2020. New psychoactive substances (NPS) escape routine drug testing: a case report of phenibut. Toxicology Communications, pp.1-4.

Hondebrink, L., Nugteren?van Lonkhuyzen, J.J., Hunault, C.C., van den Berg, J., Van Der Gouwe, D. and van Riel, A.J., 2020. New psychoactive substances (NPS) in the Netherlands: occurrence in forensic drug samples, consumer drug samples and poisons center exposures between 2013 and 2017. Addiction, 115(4), pp.716-725.

Lobato-Freitas, C., Brito-da-Costa, A.M., Dinis-Oliveira, R.J., Carmo, H., Carvalho, F., Silva, J.P. and Dias-da-Silva, D., 2021. Overview of Synthetic Cannabinoids ADB-FUBINACA and AMB-FUBINACA: Clinical, Analytical, and Forensic Implications. Pharmaceuticals, 14(3), p.186.

Filho, J.F.A., Dos Santos, N.A., Borges, K.B., Lacerda Jr, V., Pelição, F.S. and Romão, W., 2020. Fiber spray ionization mass spectrometry in forensic chemistry: A screening of drugs of abuse and direct determination of cocaine in urine. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 34, p.e8747.