Journal of Forensic Sciences
March 1, 2012
Kenneth Alper, Marina Stajić, James R. Gill
101 citations
Between 1990 and 2008, nineteen individuals died within 1.5 to 76 hours after taking ibogaine, a plant alkaloid used for opioid detoxification. The deaths did not show a characteristic pattern of nerve damage. In 12 of the 14 cases with sufficient autopsy data, advanced preexisting medical conditions—mainly heart disease—or the presence of other abused drugs explained or contributed to the death. Additional risk factors included seizures from alcohol or benzodiazepine withdrawal and use of unregulated traditional forms of ibogaine.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
December 13, 2013
Andres Jovel, Alan R. Felthous, Anjan Bhattacharyya
79 citations
A previously healthy young man developed severe delirium after taking a standard dose of the synthetic tryptamine 5-MeO-DALT, requiring hospitalization, physical restraint, and intravenous sedation. Symptoms included extreme agitation, rapid heart rate, sweating, and combativeness. A literature search found no prior clinical reports on 5-MeO-DALT. The case highlights the need for healthcare and forensic professionals to stay informed about novel, unscheduled synthetic tryptamines and their potential risks.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
January 1, 2002
James R. Gill, Jude R. Hayes, Ian S. Desouza et al.
77 citations
Between 1997 and 2000, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner recorded 22 deaths in which MDMA (ecstasy) was detected. Thirteen of these deaths resulted from acute drug intoxication, seven from mechanical injuries such as blunt trauma or gunshot wounds, and two from a combination of natural disease and drug intoxication. Recent opiate or cocaine use was found in seven of the acute intoxication deaths but in none of the traumatic or combined natural disease and intoxication deaths. All decedents were White, aged 17 to 41 years, and 18 of the 22 were men.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
May 1, 2001
Alison Grieshaber, Kate Moore, Barry Levine
77 citations
Psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms, is rapidly converted to psilocin in the body. Psilocin is then further metabolized into a glucuronide conjugate that can be detected in urine. By using enzymatic hydrolysis to break the conjugate and derivatization to make the molecule suitable for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), the detection limit for psilocin in urine improved from 200 ng/mL to 10 ng/mL. Testing of real urine samples found psilocin in 6 out of 8 samples, with concentrations ranging from 10 ng/mL to over 200 ng/mL. Without hydrolysis and derivatization, no samples tested positive.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
November 1, 2001
Barry K. Logan, Fiona J. Couper
62 citations
MDMA (ecstasy) impairs driving ability through stimulant and mood-altering effects that disrupt psychomotor skills. A review of laboratory driving simulators, anecdotal reports, and case series, along with eighteen new cases of apparent MDMA-impaired driving (six with only MDMA in blood), found subjects commonly showed muscle twitching, body tremors, dilated pupils, slow pupillary light reaction, elevated pulse and blood pressure, poor balance and coordination, and profuse sweating. Five of six drivers given field sobriety tests performed poorly. No clear correlation existed between blood MDMA concentration and specific demeanor. The evidence indicates MDMA use is inconsistent with safe driving, and impairment may persist long after last use.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
January 1, 2015
Loraine R Togni, Rafael Lanaro, Rodrigo R Resende et al.
54 citations
Ecstasy tablets sold in São Paulo, Brazil, increasingly lack the expected MDMA. Analysis of 150 different seizures by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry found MDMA in only 44.7% of samples. Twenty other active substances were identified, including caffeine, 2C-B, piperazines, amphetamines, phencyclidine, and methamphetamine (present in 22% of samples). The results demonstrate a major shift in the synthetic drug trafficking pattern, with MDMA replaced mostly by other illicit psychoactive substances, likely to evade legal restrictions. This wide variability in tablet composition raises the risk of drug poisoning.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
September 1, 1991
Ber K. Gan, Daniel Baugh, Rh Liu et al.
54 citations
A solid-phase extraction method using Bond Elute Certify™ cartridges extracts amphetamine, methamphetamine, and MDMA from urine. The extract is derivatized with trichloroacetic anhydride and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry with selected ion monitoring. Recovery exceeds 65% with less than 5% coefficient of variation. The lowest detectable concentration is about 50 ng/mL using a 2 mL sample. Within the 250 to 4000 ng/mL range, a second-order polynomial model yields a near-perfect fit.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
January 1, 2006
Nicole Anastos, Simon W. Lewis, Neil W. Barnett et al.
44 citations
A method using high-performance liquid chromatography with chemiluminescence detection was developed to measure psilocin and psilocybin in hallucinogenic mushrooms. Simple methanolic extraction proved most effective among tested methods. Separation was achieved on a C12 column with a methanol-ammonium formate mobile phase in five minutes. A dual chemiluminescence system using acidic potassium permanganate and tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) provided better detectability than UV absorption at 269 nm, with detection limits of 1.2 × 10⁻⁸ mol/L for psilocin and 3.5 × 10⁻⁹ mol/L for psilocybin. The procedure was applied to three Australian mushroom species.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
September 1, 2004
Kathryn S. Kalasinsky, J. Hugel, Sj Kish
42 citations
Hair analysis of 21 people who requested only ecstasy from their supplier found that 19 had MDMA in their hair, but 8 also had amphetamine or methamphetamine, and 7 had levels of the MDMA metabolite MDA equal to or greater than MDMA itself, indicating use of MDA in addition to MDMA. These additional amphetamine derivatives may be included by clandestine laboratories to enhance effects or because MDA synthesis is perceived as simpler. Drug users and researchers studying possible brain neurotoxic effects of MDMA must consider that ecstasy tablets can contain MDA and methamphetamine despite no demand for those drugs.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
November 1, 1996
Kenneth S. Webb, Pb Baker, N. P. Cassells et al.
42 citations
A forensic procedure for detecting lysergide (LSD) in urine uses a novel enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and immunoaffinity extraction alongside an established radioimmunoassay (RIA). Initial screening is followed by quantitative estimation via high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection after solid phase extraction. Final confirmation and quantitation, without derivatization, uses HPLC with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and methysergide as an internal standard. The detection limit is 0.5 ng/mL. A blind trial confirmed the results. The study discusses internal standard choice, LSD's photo-sensitivity, and shows no interferants among a wide range of compounds tested. Comparisons are made between extraction and screening methods.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
October 18, 2007
Ruth Smith
38 citations
Profiling the impurities in illicit ecstasy tablets can help law enforcement identify the synthesis method used to make MDMA, link tablets to a common manufacturer or production batch, and disrupt drug trafficking. Current techniques typically extract organic impurities for analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Recent work has begun exploring trace metal profiling and applying more robust statistical and chemometric methods to compare tablets. This review covers advances in MDMA impurity profiling from 2002 to the end of 2006, noting that the full potential of profiling as a tool against drug trafficking has not yet been realized.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
November 1, 2003
Wing-Chi Cheng, Nai-Leung Poon, Monica S. M. Chan
38 citations
During 2000-2001, the Government Laboratory of Hong Kong analyzed over 600,000 ecstasy tablets from more than 2,600 cases. Using GC-MS and FTIR, the tablets were categorized into four groups based on their major amphetamine-type stimulant: MDMA, methamphetamine, MDA, or amphetamine. MDMA tablets constituted 98% of all ecstasy tablets examined in 2000 and 71% in 2001. Chemical profiling of 613 MDMA cases (123,776 tablets) in 2001, using GC-MS and HPLC, allowed determination of whether tablets from different seizures shared a common origin. Common impurities detected included MDP2P, MDP, MDB, piperonal, and N-formyl-MDMA, which served as markers for inferring synthetic routes. The finding of a dihydrogen phosphate salt of MDMA (HMDMA)H2PO4 was noted, with a 1:1 ratio of phosphate to MDMA.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
November 1, 2009
Julia C Drees, Judy A Stone, Alan H.b. Wu
34 citations
A 39-year-old woman suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke after using cocaine, MDMA, and 2C-I, a novel designer amine. Multi-targeted LC-MS/MS urine testing detected 2C-I and MDA, but ruled out MDMA. The stroke was caused by an underlying cerebrovascular condition called Moyamoya, exacerbated by substance abuse. Standard clinical confirmation tests often target only amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and MDA. This case demonstrates the value of broader LC-MS/MS testing to better identify and understand the prevalence and toxic effects of emerging novel amines like 2C-I.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
December 12, 2018
Emma Honyiglo, Angélique Franchi, Nathalie Cartiser et al.
33 citations
A young man without psychiatric history died after jumping from a second-story balcony while under the influence of psilocybin mushrooms. Psilocin concentrations measured 60 ng/mL in peripheral blood, 67 ng/mL in cardiac blood, 2230 ng/mL in urine, 3102 ng/mL in bile, and 57 ng/mL in vitreous humor. The case and literature review demonstrate that even regular users in seemingly safe circumstances can suffer fatal outcomes from psilocybin mushrooms alone.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
May 1, 2020
Simon Elliott, Tanith Holdbrook, Simon D. Brandt
32 citations
The concept of a prodrug—a substance that metabolizes into an active drug—is well established in medicine but has recently extended to new psychoactive substances (NPS), posing forensic challenges. Prodrugs of NPS, such as 1-propanoyl-LSD, 1-butanoyl-LSD, 1-acetyl-LSD, and 2C-B-AN, have been developed and discussed in user forums and sold online. These substances complicate toxicological analysis of biological fluids and chemical analysis due to their instability or metabolism. While current monitoring data suggest prodrugs are not yet widespread or problematic, awareness of their potential impact and forensic implications is important for both chemical and toxicological considerations.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
February 27, 2009
John D. Jermain, Hiram K. Evans
32 citations
Thin layer chromatography (TLC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) can reliably detect salvinorin A, the psychoactive compound in Salvia divinorum, distinguishing it from 13 other Salvia species and Cannabis sativa. For GC/MS, chloroform at ambient temperature works best as a nonpolar solvent, and acetone at ambient temperature as a polar solvent. These methods allow criminalists to confirm the presence of salvinorin A in plant material suspected to be Salvia divinorum, supporting legal enforcement against its sale.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
November 1, 2013
Cédric Mazoyer, Jérémy Carlier, Alexandra Boucher et al.
26 citations
A man died twelve hours after ingesting powdered iboga root, a substance taken for its stimulant and hallucinogenic effects. Ibogaine and ibogamine were measured in the powder and the victim's body fluids using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Ibogaine concentrations in blood samples taken at the scene, peripheral blood, urine, and gastric fluid were 0.65, 1.27, 1.7, and 53.5 μg/mL, respectively; the powder contained 7.2% iboga. Diazepam and methadone were also present at therapeutic concentrations. Death was attributed to ingestion of a substantial quantity of iboga combined with methadone and diazepam.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
August 17, 2012
Cristiana Gambelunghe, Remo Marsili, Kyriaki Aroni et al.
25 citations
A dark green liquid found in an underage boy's bedroom contained mescaline, the hallucinogen from peyote cactus. Urine tested negative for the drug, but segmental hair analysis detected mescaline in the hair segment closest to the root (0–2 cm), indicating recent use. Distal hair segments were negative. A new gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method was developed to measure mescaline at low concentrations in hair. The case shows that segmental hair analysis can provide long-term information about drug use even when urine is negative.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
January 1, 1979
Alphonse Poklis, Mary Ann Mackell, Wk Drake
25 citations
MDA is a potent central nervous system stimulant with effects similar to both amphetamine and mescaline. It causes peripheral vasoconstriction, tachycardia, pupillary dilation, and at high doses can lead to convulsions, hyperthermia, and behavioral changes. The 3,4-methyleneoxy group gives it psychopharmacological properties like mescaline. At a threshold dose of 80 mg, it produces marked perceptual distortions starting about 60 minutes after oral ingestion and lasting up to 8 hours. Subjective effects include intensified feelings, self-insight, and a strong desire to communicate. High doses may cause hallucinations.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
August 6, 2012
Wanderson Romão, Bruno Duarte Sabino, Maria Izabel M. S. Bueno et al.
24 citations
Forensic identification of LSD typically relies on the Ehrlich spot test, which is nonspecific and cannot distinguish LSD from the uncontrolled substance 9,10-dihydro-LSD, recently found in Brazilian blotters. This work used easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry (EASI-MS) to characterize LSD and 9,10-dihydro-LSD directly from blotter surfaces. Of 41 blotters analyzed by EASI-MS, 28 tested positive for LSD, seven for 9,10-dihydro-LSD, and six for neither. Results were confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Combining thin-layer chromatography with EASI-MS proved a simple, powerful screening tool for forensic drug analysis.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
March 1, 2005
Tohru Kamata, Masanobu Nishikawa, Munehiro Katagi et al.
24 citations
Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) can accurately and sensitively detect psilocin and psilocybin, the hallucinogens in magic mushrooms, without derivatization. Tandem mass spectrometry provides high specificity and accuracy. Detection limits range from 1 to 25 picograms by LC-MS in selected ion monitoring mode, with intra- and inter-day coefficients of variation of 4.21–5.93% by LC-MS-MS in selected reaction monitoring mode. Analysis of four real samples showed psilocin content from 0.60 to 1.4 mg/g dry weight and psilocybin content from 0.18 to 3.8 mg/g dry weight, varying widely between samples.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
March 1, 1999
Sa White, A. Kidd, Kenneth S. Webb
23 citations
Isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) improves the forensic confirmation of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in urine when using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Using a deuterated analog of LSD as an internal standard offers advantages over methysergide. The method achieves a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.5 ng/mL, meeting the laboratory's forensic requirement, and can be improved to 0.1 ng/mL under some circumstances. It is linear up to 10 ng/mL LSD in urine and has been validated for accuracy and precision. The study also compares electrospray mass spectra of LSD, LSD-d3, and methysergide, and discusses suitable ions for selected ion monitoring.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
September 1, 1993
Tibor Veress
23 citations
The efficiency of extracting LSD from impregnated papers depends on the extraction method, temperature, time, and solvent. Using the Plackett-Burman design, the optimal conditions for maximal LSD recovery were determined. Quantitative analysis was performed with reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography and UV detection. The extraction procedure's constant and proportional bias were also characterized.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
June 30, 2020
Maria Fernanda Muzetti Ribeiro, Fátima Bento, Antônio José Ipólito et al.
22 citations
A paper-based electrochemical device made from watercolor paper, graphite pencil, and silver paint can detect lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in seized samples. The device uses square wave voltammetry and achieves detection and quantification limits of 0.38 and 1.27 μmol/L, respectively. Its performance matches that of a commercial screen-printed carbon electrode, and it successfully distinguished LSD from MDMA and methamphetamine. Recovery from seized samples was less than 10%. The approach offers a low-cost, portable alternative for forensic drug analysis.
Journal of Forensic Sciences
July 16, 2019
Cameron M. Longo, Rabi A. Musah
22 citations
A rapid screening and quantification method using DART-HRMS detects mescaline in cactus tissue. The method is validated with calibration curves showing R² values of at least 0.995, a lower limit of quantification of 1 ppm, and a linear range of 1–100 ppm. Applied to commercially available Echinopsis species, mescaline levels were less than 2% dry weight in all samples, consistent with previous GC- and LC-MS studies. DART-HRMS is suitable for quickly identifying mescaline and measuring its concentration in complex plant materials.