Application of a pyroprobe to simulate smoking and metabolic degradation of abused drugs through analytical pyrolysis

Smoking of illicit drugs can produce unique metabolic biomarkers. Smoking conditions can be partially modeled via pyrolysis, a process that decomposes a chemical compound by extreme heat. Pyrolytic decomposition was found to be useful as a limited metabolic mimic in that analytical pyrolysis can be used to generate some of the same compounds produced by metabolic degradation. This project focused on the pyrolysis of cocaine and methamphetamine using a pyroprobe coupled with a GC/MS and more generally, potential applications of pyrolysis to forensic toxicology. Common diluents including lidocaine, caffeine, and benzocaine were pyrolyzed in mixtures with cocaine and methamphetamine. Correlations between pyrolytic and metabolic degradations revealed that this method has the capability to produce some of the reported metabolites such as norcocaine and cocaethylene for cocaine, and amphetamine for methamphetamine. The results demonstrate that analytical pyrolysis has the potential to identify some metabolic products and to supplement in vivo and enzymatic studies.     

Fatalities associated with fentanyl and co-administered cocaine or opiates

Fatalities associated with fentanyl hydrochloride are increasingly seen in Massachusetts. Between September 2005 and November 2006, 5009 medicolegal investigations associated 107 deaths with licit or illicit fentanyl use, along with a co-detection of an opiate/opioid or cocaine/benzoylecognine, or both. Deaths associated with illicit fentanyl use occur in younger people (39.4 vs. 61.5 years) with higher fentanyl (17.1 ng/mL vs. 4.4 ng/mL) and lower morphine (76.9 ng/mL vs. 284.2 ng/mL) postmortem blood concentrations, and more frequent cocaine co-intoxication (65% vs. 3%), than deaths associated with illicit fentanyl use. A wide range of postmortem blood concentrations of fentanyl was detected (trace-280 ng/mL), with a minimum concentration of 7 ng/mL of fentanyl strongly associated with illicit use of fentanyl in poly-drug cases. The most commonly detected opiates/opioids in illicit fentanyl users were: morphine (29%), oxycodone (14.5%), and methadone (14.5%). Ethanol, cannabinoids, diazepam, citalopram, and diphenhydramine were each detected in greater than 10% of the licit fentanyl cases. Most fentanyl abusers died at their own home and their deaths were most often classified as accidental. Mapping of primary residences of decedents revealed conspicuous clustering of the illicit fentanyl use cases, as opposed to the random pattern in licit use cases. Fentanyl misuse is a public health problem in Massachusetts.     

浅议我国民事审前准备程序的完善

我国现行民事诉讼审前准备程序不当地突出了法院职权的积极运作,忽视了双方当事人的程序主体地位,给庭审效率的提高乃至司法公正的实现带来一系列负面影响.我们可以汲取西方有益经验,结合我国国情,通过明确进入审前准备程序的案件范围,完善答辩状制度,设立专职审前准备程序法官,建立审前准备程序强制履行制度等途径,改进和完善我国民事诉讼审前准备程序.     

美国检察机关庭审阶段职权浅析

美国检察官在庭审阶段享有较为广泛的职权,涵盖出庭支持公诉权、挑选陪审员权、法庭辩论权及对陪审团指示的检察建议权等等.其中,检察官在庭审阶段的法庭辩论权,大体上又可分为开庭陈述权、展示证据权、交叉询问权与结案陈词权等等.此外,检察官在法官向陪审团作出指示前,亦可提出相应检察建议.     

释明的理论逻辑

释明有时会使案件结果发生逆转,所以必须有逻辑可循。释明不得背离保护权利、维护实质正义的释明主旨和其他正当目的,不能超出当事人主张的事实和已呈现的事实。此为释明的目的边界和事实边界。时效制度与释明制度之主旨相悖,所以不能就时效释明。在事实边界内,法官应进行一切合目的的释明,包括对当事人未主张的权利和重要事实的释明,原告的请求额不足时也应释明。法官就事实无法形成心证时应告知当事人追加证据。遵循逻辑的释明不会使法官丧失中立性。辩论主义并非绝对不可突破,也不能以尊重处分权为名漠视权利之丧失。     

Identification of synthetic cannabinoids in herbal incense blends in the United States

Abstract: Synthetic cannabinoid agonists are chemically diverse with multiple analogs gaining popularity as drugs of abuse. We report on the use of thin layer chromatography, gas chromatography mass spectrometry, high‐performance liquid chromatography, and liquid chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry for the identification and quantitation of these pharmacologically active chemicals in street drug dosage forms. Using these approaches, we have identified the synthetic cannabinoids JWH‐018, JWH‐019, JWH‐073, JWH‐081, JWH‐200, JWH‐210, JWH‐250, CP47,497 (C=8) (cannabicyclohexanol), RCS‐4, RCS‐8, AM‐2201, and AM‐694 in various commercially available products. Other noncannabinoid drugs including mitragynine have also been detected. Typical concentrations of drug in the materials are in the range 5–20 mg/g, or 0.5–2% by weight for each compound, although many products contained more than one drug.     

Bayesian adaptive approach to estimating sample sizes for seizures of illicit drugs

A considerable amount of discussion can be found in the forensics literature about the issue of using statistical sampling to obtain for chemical analyses an appropriate subset of units from a police seizure suspected to contain illicit material. Use of the Bayesian paradigm has been suggested as the most suitable statistical approach to solving the question of how large a sample needs to be to ensure legally and practically acceptable purposes. Here, we introduce a hypergeometric sampling model combined with a specific prior distribution for the homogeneity of the seizure, where a parameter for the analyst's expectation of homogeneity (α) is included. Our results show how an adaptive approach to sampling can minimize the practical efforts needed in the laboratory analyses, as the model allows the scientist to decide sequentially how to proceed, while maintaining a sufficiently high confidence in the conclusions.     

Looking Inside the Black Box of Drug Courts: A Meta‐Analytic Review

There has been a rapid proliferation of drug courts over the past two decades. Empirical research examining the effectiveness of the model has generally demonstrated reduced rates of recidivism among program participants. However, relatively little is known about the structure and processes associated with effective drug courts. The current study seeks to address the issues by exploring the moderating influence of programmatic and non‐programmatic characteristics on effectiveness. The methodology goes beyond previous meta‐analyses by supplementing published (and unpublished) findings with a survey of drug court administrators. Consistent with previous research, the results revealed drug courts reduce recidivism by 9% on average. Further analyses indicated target population, program leverage and intensity, and staff characteristics explain the most variability in drug court effectiveness. These findings are discussed within the context of therapeutic jurisprudence and effective interventions.     

Revisiting the Racial Threat Thesis: The Role of Police Organizational Characteristics in Predicting Race‐Specific Drug Arrest Rates

Previous research examining the relationship between structural factors and drug arrest rates has neglected the role of the police organization. A central proposition of racial threat theory is that indicators of a threatening Black population will be associated with law enforcement actions as a form of social control. In order to fully test this proposition, however, organizational aspects of law enforcement beyond size of the police force must be considered. Hence, the present study examines police organizational factors as direct predictors of race‐specific drug arrest rates but also as potential moderators of the effects of structural factors on drug arrest rates. Using data from 260 cities, we find that police organizational factors matter, both directly and as moderators of the association between racial economic competition and Black drug arrest rates. Consistent with expectations derived from racial threat and organizational theory, we find that racial threat measures are associated with Black drug arrest rates under conditions of relatively low organizational control.     

Considering the Effectiveness of Drug Treatment behind Bars: Findings from the South Carolina RSAT Evaluation

Through funding from the national Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program, the South Carolina Department of Corrections implemented the Correctional Recovery Academy in the Turbeville Medium Security Institution to treat drug‐dependent offenders. The program features a cognitive–behavioral change modality delivered in a modified therapeutic community to first time, non‐violent, drug‐dependent, youthful male offenders. A quasi‐experimental design was employed to specify impact as indicated by recidivism, relapse, and parole revocation. While analyses revealed no statistically significant difference between treatment and control group participants on these outcome measures, implications regarding the efficacy of the treatment modality are ambiguous as implementation failure masked determination of program effects. Drug testing frequency after release, however, was found to be a significant factor precluding failure, contrary to the conventional view that increased testing identifies greater use.