Ch 8: Drugs & Substances in Forensic Science

1. Actions of Drugs on the Body: Pharmacodynamics

The way that drugs interact with the body is called pharmacodynamics. This lesson defines this process and explains the concepts of agonism and antagonism.

2. Relationships Between Drugs, Violence & Crime

Many inmates in both state and federal prisons say they committed their crimes while under the influence of drugs. Around one-quarter of those inmates committed violent crimes. This lesson explores the relationship between drugs, violence and crime.

3. Effects of Narcotic Drugs on the Mind & Body

Narcotics are pain relieving drugs that work by affecting the user's brain in a particular way. This lesson explains the effects of narcotic drugs on a user's mind and body.

4. Physical vs Psychological Substance Dependence

Substance abuse can include physical dependence, psychological dependence, or both. This lesson explains the difference between physical substance dependence and psychological substance dependence.

5. What Are Club Drugs? - Definition & Effects

Club drugs are recreational drugs that go by a lot of different names, such as the date-rape drugs, special K, crystal meth and ecstasy. Learn these drugs by their real names and discover how they affect the body.

6. Drug Tolerance & Drug Overdose

This video lesson explains drug tolerance and drug overdose as well as how they are very closely related. After the lesson, check your knowledge with a brief quiz.

7. Chromatography in Forensic Science

In this lesson, we'll discuss what chromatography is and why it's useful to forensic scientists. We'll focus on thin-layer chromatography and how it works, but we'll also mention some other types of chromatography.

8. Spectroscopy: Definition and Types

In this video lesson, we will introduce and discuss different spectroscopic techniques used by scientists in an analytical lab. We will understand the importance of these techniques and show how they can be employed in identification and analysis.

9. Infrared Spectroscopy in Forensics: Definition & Uses

Infrared spectroscopy is an examination technique that involves the absorption of infrared light by sample materials with the goal of discovering what they are. This lesson is about infrared spectroscopy and its forensic applications.

10. Mass Spectrometry in Forensics: Definition & Uses

Dissecting a crime scene is tedious work. Evidence is often of unknown origin or material and may be microscopic in size. Mass spectrometry allows for analysis of such evidence and can identify the substance, its components, and sometimes its source.

11. Forensic Drug Analysis: Purpose & Process

This lesson provides an overview of the way that drugs are collected, preserved, and analyzed in criminal investigations. You'll also learn the why, what, and how of drug analysis.