Schedule for Solid Drug Dose

Course II: Forensic Drug Analysis (focus on solid drug dose, pre-consumption form testing for drugs)

[attendees must take Course I: Forensic Chromatography prior to taking this course]

 

Day 1

8:45 am Introduction to Forensic Drug Chemistry
Why is this different than DUI?
Drug evidence and drug analyses
10:00 am The Government’s Burden: Accurate and Reliable Science

  • The capital properties of analytical chemistry
  • What makes good science?
    • Quality assurance/Quality control
  • Accreditation Requirements
10:45 am Break
11:00 am Guided exercise: Introduction to ISO Guide 17025 and ASCLD/LAB and lab
discovery requests
11:45 am Lunch
1:00 pm Anatomy of a Drug Case

  • Chain of custody
  • Evidence description
  • Weighing, sampling, and uncertainty
  • Drug analysis/qualitative analysis
1:45 pm Break
2:00 pm Anatomy of a Drug Case—Presumptive Testing

  • Color Tests
2:30 pm Anatomy of a Drug Case—Confirmatory Testing

  • Sample extraction for GC/MS
2:45 pm Break
3:00 pm Live Demonstration of Color Testing and Sample Preparation
3:15 pm Lab exercise: Color testing and sample prep at the bench
Prepare and load GC/MS sequences
5:00 pm End of session

Day 2

8:45 am Guided exercise: Data analysis for color testing
9:00 am Anatomy of a Drug Case—Confirmatory Testing

  • GC/MS
10:30 am Break
10:45 am Guided exercise: GC/MS data analysis (instructor provided data files)
11:45 am Lunch
1:00 pm Lab exercise: GC/MS data analysis of case samples
2:00 pm Break
2:15 pm Anatomy of a Drug Case—Confirmatory Testing

  • FTIR
3:15 pm Break
3:30 pm Lab exercise: FTIR analysis of samples
5:00 pm End of session

Day 3

8:45 am Guided exercise: Conclusions = Color test + GC/MS + FTIR
9:15 am Qualitative Drug Analysis Conclusions

  • SWGDRUG
  • Reviewable data
  • QC data
  • Conclusions and Reporting
    • Accurate and Reliable
10:15 am Break
10:30 am Marijuana Analysis:

  • The SWGDRUG exception
  • Validation is not general acceptance
11:15 am Lab exercise: Botanical testing—microscopy, Duquenois-Levine and TLC
12:00 pm Lunch
1:00 pm Continue lab exercise: Botanical testing
2:00 pm Guided exercise: Data analysis for botanical testing
2:30 pm Break
2:45 pm Live Demonstration of Cross-Exam of Marijuana Analyst
3:45 pm Break
4:00 pm Currency Analysis with the IONSCAN
5:00 pm End of session

Day 4

8:45 am Modern Issues in Forensic Drug Chemistry

  • The wave of new drugs
  • Legislative control by chemical class
  • Analog laws and prosecutions
10:15 am Break
10:30 am Modern Issues in Forensic Drug Chemistry

  • McFadden v. US
10:45 am Live Demonstration of Cross-Exam of Cocaine Analyst
12:00 pm End of session