Driving Under the Influence of Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonist XLR‐11

The case of a 22‐year‐old male Caucasian driver is presented. He was involved in a traffic collision. At the roadside, he displayed blank stare and mellow speech with a barely audible voice. A DRE found low body temperature, rigid muscle tone, normal pulse, lack of horizontal and vertical gaze nystagmus, nonconvergence of the eyes, dilated pupil size, and normal Pupillary reaction to light. A standard toxicology DUID protocol was performed on the driver's whole blood including ELISA and GC‐MS drug screens with negative results. Additional drug screening was undertaken for bath salts and synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists by LC‐MS/MS by a commercial laboratory and identified the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist XLR‐11 in the driver's blood. XLR‐11 was subsequently quantified at 1.34 ng/mL. This is the first documented case involving a driver operating a motor vehicle under the influence of the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist XLR‐11.     

Types of crimes committed by repeat DUI offenders

This study investigates whether repeat driving under the influence (DUI) offenders have more extensive histories of violent, property, and drug crimes than first-time drunk drivers. It also offers an exploratory investigation into the extent of their criminal specialization. Negative binomial regression was performed on arrest and criminal history data from a systematic random sample of 429 DUI arrestees. Analyses controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, and employment found that being a repeat DUI offender increased the total number of violent and property convictions (regardless of severity) and petty misdemeanor/violation property convictions. The results suggest DUI recidivists are generalists rather than specialists and that impaired driving is best viewed as just one manifestation of a host of deviant behaviors. They also illustrate the challenges of rehabilitating and deterring DUI recidivists and the potential differences between first-time and repeat DUI offenders. The findings should not be interpreted as support of enforcement or deterrent DUI policies that focus on repeat offenders, as limited resources are most efficiently directed at the general population of impaired drivers.     

再论危险驾驶罪的客观方面——超前立法观、实质解释论、类型思维法之运用

《刑法修正案(八)》第22条增设了危险驾驶罪,但是该罪的行为类型欠缺多样性,醉驾行为没有情节的限制,双重既遂标准同时存在,从而导致了该罪的预期功能与现实效果之间的扭曲。为了填补立法漏洞,加强本条的可操作性,应当运用超前立法观、实质解释论和类型思维法,适当丰富该罪的行为类型,将其解释为具体危险犯,以"足以危害公共交通安全"作为统一的既遂标准。     

A 2‐Year Study of Δ 9‐tetrahydrocannabinol Concentrations in Drivers: Examining Driving and Field Sobriety Test Performance,,

From November 1, 2010 through November 30, 2012, 1204 whole‐blood samples were confirmed to contain THC alone or in combination with other drugs out of nearly 5000 Orange County, California, drivers suspected of driving under the influence of drugs. The goal of this study was to examine police reports and drug recognition expert evaluations of THC‐positive samples within this 2‐year time frame to determine whether there is a correlation between whole‐blood THC concentrations and field sobriety tests performance on DRE and non‐DRE evaluations. The FSTs prove to be sensitive to impairment by marijuana although as suspected, the findings of this study did not find a correlation between performance on field sobriety tests and the concentration of THC tested in whole‐blood samples. Driving behaviors were also examined and found to be similar to those seen in alcohol impairment. Future studies examining DRE findings are needed to confirm the results.     

An Unusually High Cocaine Blood Concentration in an Impaired Driving Investigation

Cocaine is an illicit drug frequently encountered by forensic practitioners in driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) casework. Whole blood collected from a suspected drugged driver was found to contain 3.000 mg/L cocaine, 1.600 mg/L benzoylecgonine, and 0.260 mg/L methamphetamine. The high concentration of cocaine, while common in overdose death investigations, is unusual for an impaired driving case. Information from the officer revealed that the motorist swallowed cocaine during the traffic stop. Although a cocaine DUID charge could not be pursued, the blood methamphetamine concentration exceeded the State of Nevada “per se” limit for operating a motor vehicle. The motorist was successfully prosecuted for DUID based on his admission of using methamphetamine prior to driving and the blood methamphetamine result. This case highlights the importance of considering case history when interpreting laboratory results and the application of jurisdictional statutes as an approach to prosecuting suspected drug‐impaired drivers.     

Postmortem Analysis of Electrogram Records from an Implantable Cardioverter‐Defibrillator (ICD) in the Reconstruction of a Road Traffic Accident

The case of a 69‐year‐old man, equipped with an ICD and suffering from several chronic cardiac diseases, who died in a car accident, was presented. We analyzed electrogram records from the ICD explanted from the body during the autopsy, which showed that the driver had suffered from malignant ventricular arrhythmia—ventricular fibrillation (VF). A thorough analysis of the details of the accident, as well as the timing of VF and the rhythm observed after the discharge of the ICD showed that the direct cause of the accident was the episode of arrhythmia resulting in a loss of consciousness. Therefore, the presented case illustrates the usefulness of postmortem analysis of electrogram records from ICDs in the reconstruction of road traffic accidents. In such cases, if the victims are implanted with ICDs, it should be a routine procedure performed by forensic pathologists.     

Drug Recognition Evaluation and Chemical Confirmation of a 25C‐NBOMe‐Impaired Driver

This case report details an individual arrested for drug‐impaired driving after leaving the scene of multiple motor vehicle collisions and evading police. The driver was examined by a drug recognition expert and failed the drug recognition evaluation. The driver admitted to using cocaine, marijuana, an antidepressant medication and “N‐bomb,” a novel psychoactive substance that possesses hallucinogenic properties. Toxicological analyses at the Centre of Forensic Sciences’ Toronto laboratory revealed only the substance 2‐[4‐chloro‐2,5‐dimethoxyphenyl]‐N‐[(2‐methoxyphenyl)methyl]ethanamine (25C‐NBOMe) in the accused's urine. This is the first report in which 25C‐NBOMe was identified through DRE and toxicological analyses in a drug‐impaired driver.     

生命的守护还是疏离——评醉驾入刑的情节

鉴于醉酒驾驶机动车发生交通意外、危害公共安全的现象日益严重,《刑法修正案（八）》适时增设了危险驾驶罪,将醉酒驾驶行为纳入刑法调整范围。但是,单从《刑法修正案（八）》第22条条文本身以及立法原意来看,醉驾入刑似乎并不需要考虑情节问题。最高人民法院、最高人民检察院和公安部在对待此问题上的看法也不相一致。为此,有必要从理论上对该问题进行梳理、论证,以树立“情节”在醉驾入刑中的核心地位。     

危险驾驶罪立法解读

《中华人民共和国刑法修正案（八）》中增设了危险驾驶罪,这主要是为了应对风险社会的挑战而在刑法上做出的调整,以加强对公共交通安全的保护。本罪在行为上包括竞驰型和醉酒型两种危险驾驶行为,主观上为故意,在性质上属于危险犯。对本罪的认定要注意与交通肇事罪和以危险方法危害公共安全罪的区别。此外,本罪的立法仍然存在不完善之处,如行为方式范围较窄,入罪门槛过低,资格刑缺失等,有必要在今后的立法中进一步完善。     

中国创新型经济驱动力分析及运作模式构建

创新型经济是中国现阶段经济转型的主要方向,创新是这一经济模式的主要驱动力。该文在追溯创新型经济理论起源的基础上给出创新型经济的概念及特征,并分析了创新型经济的驱动力,构建了创新型经济发展的运作模式。