The Identification of Narcotic and Psychotropic Drugs

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last decades, there has been a constant increase in the fields of interest of forensic toxicology, which has assumed a leading role, becoming one of the reference sciences for the elucidation of events of judicial interest. The need to reconcile the analytical problems (and relating to the qualitative/quantitative analysis of substances of abuse in complex biological matrices) with the judicial requirements (i.e., providing data that can be used as documentary evidence in the proceedings) makes the discipline unique among all the "analytical" sciences. Thus, the availability of validated procedures, the constant monitoring of the analytical performances through Quality Assurance Protocols, the availability of “in matrices” certified standards, and the analytical problems underlying the analysis of new psychoactive substances in blood and other biological fluids represent the challenges of modern Forensic Toxicology. The correct interpretation of the analytical data, especially to elucidate the extent of the impairment induced by a certain substance, as well as the “old” issues related to the correct interpretation of post-mortem data (given the impossibility of translating the therapeutic ranges defined “in vivo”), represent further areas of research and debate among scientists. Finally, the possibility of interacting with other disciplines (as proteomics and social sciences) allows for extending the concept of analytical data acquisition/interpretation beyond the classical limits of Forensic Toxicology, considering, for example, the influence of gender when interpreting the effect of a substance.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue in Forensic Toxicology, which will be focused on problems related to data acquisition/interpretation, with particular interest on post-mortem data, new psychoactive substances, strategies for a propped impairment judgment, and application of proteomics to forensic toxicology. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are perticularly welcomed.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Maria Pieri
Dr. Pascale Basilicata
Guest Editors

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