TOX 336 Principles of Forensic Toxicology

3 hours 

This course is an overview of the main principles and fields of forensic toxicology. The course covers the measurement of alcohol, licit and illicit drugs and other toxic substances in biological specimens and the interpretation of such results in a medico-legal context. Students will learn the pharmacological aspects of medicines and prevalent drugs of abuse, how they are analyzed in the laboratory and how to interpret the results in episodes of impairment, intoxication and/or death. Key ethical elements involved in chain of custody, documentation of all laboratory procedures and patient confidentially are emphasized.