Impaired Driving Toxicology

This really isn't news, since the 2017 Report to Congress on Marijuana Impaired Driving said the same thing, but its nice to have it from NIJ also. The NIJ article is a summary of a summary of research that is still to be fully published.

Fake Adderall containing methamphetamine. Fake Xanax containing fentanyl.

Glad to see the 2019 numbers went down. We'll see what effect COVID has had on the 2020 numbers. Fewer cars on the road this year. I'm predicting another significant drop.

Pattern matches are a matter of opinion. Watch out for the math they use to try to quantify them.

Forensics Under Fire: bullet and cartridge case matching is a matter of opinion. Sometimes opinions are wrong.

Another reason not to mix...

Police serving the community...

New case report of ethanol fermentation in the bladder of a diabetic, with no alcohol in the blood.

Starts out about alleged maintenance records fraud but then mostly about lack of source code disclosure

What will we think of today’s lab practices 30 years from now?

Not driving related, but fascinating implications...

The problem with a study like this is it ignores the increase in the background rate of people using cannabis. If the background rate goes up, then the number of those involved in accidents also goes up.

Somewhat alarmist headline when under the influence is defined so differently in various states, and when, as the article notes, there is no test or national standard for when a person is too unsafe to drive because of marijuana use.

This one came out today and is in the news. It requires a careful reading, with a heavy emphasis on distinguishing correlation from causation. In summary, some chronic cannabis users drive as poorly sober as intoxicated people. This seems to be related to impulsivity and the age at which chronic cannabis use began (before age 16). So in a DUI case involving a chronic user, the question can be raised whether the marijuana is causing driving impairment now, or if the person always drives that way.

Not toxicology, but it could happen in tox too.

Detecting THC is not enough. The real problem is developing a test that tells us when a person is so affected by the drug that their driving is impaired to the extent the law prohibits.

If you decide to go this route, make sure you lock up your car keys. Research says doubling up on these two drugs can have quite potent effects.

There are studies that document the observation in police reports, as if that validates it.

I heard the wine is getting stronger too.