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Mentally ill drug abusers are over-represented in the incarcerated criminal offender population and account for a significant proportion of violent crimes, including homicide. The present pilot study sought to correlate patterns of association between personality factors and choice of crime-associated drugs of abuse in a cohort of fifty-five drug-abusing male murderers studied months and years after withdrawal of their drugs. Preliminary indications suggest that hallucinogen and stimulant abusers are discriminable by their personality factor responses, and stimulant abusers (cocaine and amphetamines) are statistically distinguished from the group as a whole in possessing more paranoid and schizotypal patterns of responding. These preliminary findings may be relevant to public health strategy and to considerations of criminal culpability, policing and corrections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study undertaken to closely model the prescription drug intake and situational milieu at the time when an individual, a 20-year old married white male, allegedly hit his infant son for which he was subsequently charged with child abuse. Prior to the incident he was diagnosed as suffering from Gilbert's disease. The study was conducted to test the hypothesis that the individual experienced a psychotoxic reaction to his medication taken at the time of the offense and to correlate the findings with the effects of codeine.

The article discusses drug abuse and forensic pharmacological developments as to the growing problems on the resurgence of speedball pattern. Statistics of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy in 1997 showed the increasing speedball consumption pattern in the Midwest where 43% of those using heroin are also abusing cocaine which is 21% higher than the 1994 data. It describes psychostimulant drug components, the consequences of combining opiates and stimulants and its effects including sensations of power and energy due to higher intrasynaptic monoamine levels in the brain. It also notes the combined tolerance, reverse tolerance and the forensic implications of speedballing.

The author addresses a debate over recognizing the need for continuing education (CE) to maintain diplomate status with the American College of Forensic Examiners (ACFE). The author stresses the need to set up a procedure whereby a fellow can apply their CE to their membership. He points out the role of attendance at annual meetings as a means of earning CE credits and in satisfying members CE requirements and confesses the dilemma in judging the equivalence of members' publications to CE hours earned. He encourages members to submit manuscripts for scoring by their CE department.

The article focuses on forensic drug analysis of the hair as a new pharmacological tool used by toxicologists to detect drug abuse and compliance to drug prescription in criminal forensic cases. It presents the forensic case of a 39-year-old white male known as Subject LP who was arrested after a homicidal shotgun attack on people in his neighborhood where four were seriously wounded and two died. Neuropharmacological evaluation of the hair of LP include hair growth determination using the digitizing videomicroscope, stimulant assays and quantitation.

A letter to the editor is presented that advises the American College of Forensic Examiners (ACFE) to be involved in the process of drawing up experts in the pilot project of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Bar Association and the Federal Judicial Center.