Forensic Science
Review Questions
1. What are club drugs? What are some of the factors that support the use of club drugs?
2. What are screening tests? Why are they used?
3. What are color tests? Why are these tests used?
4. What are microcrystalline tests? What information do they provide?
5. What is spectrophotometry? How can this be useful in identifying drugs?
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Why are forensic scientists an important part of drug cases?
2. If you were a forensic scientist and you were called to a crime scene to see if drugs were present, what would you do to determine this?
3. Why is it important for forensic scientists to have as much information as possible about the place where a possible drug substance was found?
4. What are some of the difficulties in identifying particular drugs? Why is it important for forensic scientists to be able to identify particular drugs?
Discussion Question:
1. Some people believe that certain drugs such as marijuana should be legalized. Do you agree or disagree? What impact might legalization have on forensic science as a field?
Notes
DEPRESSANTS
• Depressants slow down the central nervous system.
• Law enforcement and forensic scientists often have to test for during a crime investigation, is alcohol. There are restrictions on alcohol use, such as the age of the user or the amount that can be consumed for certain activities, such as driving a vehicle. In some cases, investigators and forensic scientists will want to know whether a victim consumed alcohol before death to help them better understand what may have happened.
• Barbiturates are another form of depressants. They are often referred to as “downers,” as they tend to relax the individual and produce sleep.
• Some barbiturates are used for medical reasons, but they can also be abused by individuals for whom the drugs have not been prescribed. Some of these drugs may be referred to by their slang terms, which often relate to the color of the pills (such as
1. What are club drugs? What are some of the factors that support the use of club drugs?
2. What are screening tests? Why are they used?
3. What are color tests? Why are these tests used?
4. What are microcrystalline tests? What information do they provide?
5. What is spectrophotometry? How can this be useful in identifying drugs?
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Why are forensic scientists an important part of drug cases?
2. If you were a forensic scientist and you were called to a crime scene to see if drugs were present, what would you do to determine this?
3. Why is it important for forensic scientists to have as much information as possible about the place where a possible drug substance was found?
4. What are some of the difficulties in identifying particular drugs? Why is it important for forensic scientists to be able to identify particular drugs?
Discussion Question:
1. Some people believe that certain drugs such as marijuana should be legalized. Do you agree or disagree? What impact might legalization have on forensic science as a field?
Notes
DEPRESSANTS
• Depressants slow down the central nervous system.
• Law enforcement and forensic scientists often have to test for during a crime investigation, is alcohol. There are restrictions on alcohol use, such as the age of the user or the amount that can be consumed for certain activities, such as driving a vehicle. In some cases, investigators and forensic scientists will want to know whether a victim consumed alcohol before death to help them better understand what may have happened.
• Barbiturates are another form of depressants. They are often referred to as “downers,” as they tend to relax the individual and produce sleep.
• Some barbiturates are used for medical reasons, but they can also be abused by individuals for whom the drugs have not been prescribed. Some of these drugs may be referred to by their slang terms, which often relate to the color of the pills (such as