Toxicology and the Law

Question 1

What are the top five cases in which forensic toxicology is used?

Answer 1

Impaired driving
SA
Homicides
Drug trafficking
Administer noxious substances

Question 2

What is the lowest BAC at which impairment of divided attention tasks has been reported?

Answer 2

15 mg/mL

Question 3

What is Dr. Woodall’s opinion about when impairment of driving becomes significant?

Answer 3

At BAC of 50

Question 4

What is the time lag between consumption of an alcoholic drink and when you reach your max BAC?

Answer 4

Up to 15 minutes

Question 4

What is the bolus drinking defence?

Answer 4

Uses lag to say that, yes, at time of testing, BAC was over 80, but, due to lag, were not over 80 at time of driving

Question 5

What is the Drugs and Driving Committee (DDC)?

Answer 5

Committee within the professional org of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science

Question 6

What is the role of the DDC?

Answer 6

Act as an advisory body to the Dept. of Justice with respect to issues of drug impaired driving.

Question 7

What are the three principles used by the court to decide if the law is fair?

Answer 7

Arbitrariness
Overbreadth
Gross disproportionality

Question 8

What are the approved oral fluid drug screening equipment and what do they screen?

Answer 8

Drager - THC, cocaine
SoToxa - THC

Question 9

What is the role of toxicologists in drug trafficking cases?

Answer 9

Provide information on the toxicity of drugs