Diverse psychotropic substances detected in drug and drug administration equipment samples submitted to drug checking services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, October 2019–April 2020

Background The overdose crisis has generated innovative harm reduction and drug market monitoring strategies. In Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a multi-site drug checking service (DCS) pilot project was launched in October 2019. The project provides people who use drugs with information on the chemical composition of their substances, thereby increasing their capacity to make more informed decisions about their drug use and avoid overdose. DCS also provides real-time market monitoring to identify trends in the unregulated drug supply. Methods Sample data were obtained through analyses of drug and used drug administration equipment samples submitted anonymously and free of charge to DCS in downtown Toronto from October 10, 2019, to April 9, 2020, representing the first six months of DCS implementation. Analyses were conducted in clinical laboratories using liquid chromatography- and/or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC–MS, GC–MS) techniques. Results Overall, 555 samples were submitted, with 49% (271) of samples that were found to contain high-potency opioids, of which 87% (235) also contained stimulants. Benzodiazepine-type drugs were found in 21% (116) of all samples, and synthetic cannabinoids in 1% (7) of all samples. Negative effects (including overdose, adverse health events, and extreme sedation) were reported for 11% (59) of samples submitted for analysis. Conclusions Toronto’s DCS identified a range of high-potency opioids with stimulants, benzodiazepine-type drugs, and a synthetic cannabinoid, AMB-FUBINACA. This information can inform a range of evidence-informed overdose prevention efforts.

Article 33: The Right to Protection from Illicit Use of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances

Schools have courses for students and communities to understand well the consequences of harmful drug and know how to deal with the activities of drug trading. (Asia-Pacific)

Legal Understanding Regarding The Hazards of Drugs in The Framework of Community Development

Drug misusse is a danger that is very alarming, because narcotics can damage the individual users, either physically or mentally. Misue and trafficking of narcotics illegally very detrimental to individuals and the wider community, particularly the younger generation, can even pose a greater danger for the life and cultural values of the nation that will ultimately undermine national security. Researchers divide the efforts of drug misuse prevention by the National Narcotics Agency part of the preventive and repressive. Both of these are key functions (operations) in accordance with the duties of the National Narcotics Agency. The misuse of and illicit traffic in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and other hazardous materials (drugs) with various implications and the negative impact is a global problem that threatens the life of the community, state and nation. The National Narcotics agency has mengakomidir theory such as that reflected from the division of tasks fields are categorized into the Areas of Prevention and Community Empowerment, Eradication, and Rehabilitation.

Organizational foundations for operational and search prevention of crimes committed in the sphere of illegal drug trafficking and psychotropic substances

High level of drug criminality has a negative impact on economic and social stability, harms the national security of the state. Only operational and investigative activities, which have a complex structure of interconnected organizational and tactical elements, ensure in the face of the opposition from the criminal environment timely detection, prevention, suppression and disclosure of latent and camouflaged crimes committed in the sphere of illegal drug trafficking and psychotropic substances. The issues of organizing the activities of officers of operational units for the prevention and suppression of these crimes are the least regulated in departmental regulations. With the adoption of Federal Law, No. 182-FZ dated 23.06.2016 «About the basis of the crime prevention system in the Russian Federation» it is required to specify the tasks of operational search prevention and suppression of crimes under consideration. Taking into account the special nature of operational search information about persons involved in the illicit trafficking of narcotic substances, methods for identifying this information, in order to solve specified tasks, it is necessary to form an appropriate management system for the activities of officers of the operational units. Structurally, the management system provides for a set of mandatory elements and functional relationships that ensure a sufficient level of a separate unit efficiency. Priority tasks for the prevention of crimes committed in the field of illegal trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances are highlighted in the article on the basis of the theoretical and legal analysis of the modern organization of the operational units’ activities of territorial bodies.

Development of forensic and pharmaceutical researches within the organization of pharmaceutical business, drug technology and pharmaceutical law in Ukraine concerning the turnover of controlled drugs and substances

Background. In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread and is developing in all countries of the world without exception, affecting not only medical and pharmaceutical, but also social, economic, toxicological and criminal aspects. In such conditions, it is of great importance in the field of healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry of Ukraine to improve the system of legal relations "doctor-patient-pharmacist", based solely on the principles of pharmaceutical and medical law. Among the components of medical and pharmaceutical law there is forensic pharmacy, which studies the causes of offenses in the field of healthcare. The purpose of the study was to analyze history of formation and development of forensic and pharmaceutical researches in Ukraine within the organization of pharmaceutical business, drug technology and pharmaceutical law. Materials and methods. Legislative and regulatory documents were used in the study; scientific publications in the field of "forensic pharmacy"; Internet resources. Normative and legal, documentary, historical, bibliographic, forensic and pharmaceutical, comparative and graphic methods of analysis were used. Results. Forensic pharmacy in the world as a scientific field is known and developed since 1946. The article covers the period of 1990-2004. Prominent scientists of Ukraine were of great importance in the formation of forensic pharmacy. The formation of forensic pharmacy began with the generalization of forensic and pharmaceutical practice in historical retrospect "from police chemistry to forensic chemical and pharmaceutical examination – from forensic pharmacy to pharmaceutical law and medical law" with the support of prof. Chernykh V.P. In the period of 1997-2003, the development of forensic pharmacy took place by improving the regulatory and legal support of the control and licensing system of circulation of medicines. Trends in the prevalence of diseases involving uncontrolled and irrational use and abuse of surfactants have been identified. The causal links between drug addiction, substance abuse and crime have been investigated. The interpretation of "potent", "poisonous" substances in the regulations of Ukraine have been improved. It is substantiated that the main indicator of classifying drugs as "potent" and "poisonous" substance is a forensic criterion that qualifies the consequences of irrational use of drugs by severity of injuries: from mild, moderate to severe injuries, or those that caused fatalities. At the next stage (2003-2004) the scientific and theoretical generalization and the new approach to the decision of a problem which is connected with development of scientifically-based principles of optimization of system of the state control over circulation of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors were studied. The possibility of participation of a pharmacy specialist (pharmacist-forensic scientist) at the stages of: investigation, pre-trial investigation in forensic chemical and pharmaceutical studies of physical evidence and participation as a forensic expert in a criminal case in court has been researched. Conclusions. It is substantiated that the formation of forensic and pharmaceutical researches within the organization of pharmaceutical business, drug technology and pharmaceutical law in Ukraine has taken place. Further forensic pharmaceutical research needed to harmonize domestic legislation, international human rights standards in the field of health care, legal regulation of the pharmaceutical market and the medical services market.

Switzerland’s Narcotics Regulation Jungle: Off-Label Use, Counterfoil Prescriptions, and Opioid Agonist Therapy in the French-Speaking Cantons

The word “narcotic” is often first associated with “illicit drugs”. Yet, many “narcotic” and psychotropic substances are, in fact, medicines. Controlled medicines (CM) are products that meet the legal definition of both a “narcotic” under the Swiss Narcotics Act and of a medicine under the Therapeutic Products Act. We aim to examine how similar and how different, respectively, the implementation of CM regulations is throughout French-speaking Switzerland. Based on a legal analysis of the cantonal regulations, we conducted semi-structured interviews with cantonal pharmacists and cantonal physicians. We asked them how they perceive and implement the federal legal requirements. We find that some of these requirements have fallen into disuse, notably the federal duty to notify off-label use of CM. We observe that counterfoil prescriptions in their current paper format are a veritable data graveyard in the sense that they are not actively used to monitor or supervise the market. Moreover, we detect different conditions for opioid agonist treatment authorization. Some cantons require additional physicians’ training or written commitments by the person treated. Our mapping of the CM regulation implementation can serve as a basis for cantons to review their practices.

Alcohol Abuse and Insomnia Disorder: Focus on a Group of Night and Day Workers

The sleep-wake cycle plays a fundamental role in maintaining the physiological balance of our body. Its alteration favours the genesis of several organic alterations and diseases including sleep disorders and the consumption of several substances of abuse. It has been reported that the work activity, especially that carried out during the night, is able to influence the sleep-wake cycle, promoting the development of insomnia, which, in turn, would subject the worker to a stressful condition such as to encourage adverse behaviour such as the use/abuse of psychotropic substances. Based on the above premises, the aim of our research was to evaluate, in night workers: (i) the pattern of consumption of alcoholic beverages; (ii) the presence of insomnia; and (iii) the possible correlation between alcohol consumption and insomnia disorder. We used the AUDIT-C test (the abbreviated version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and the Insomnia Severity Index to assess alcohol consumption and insomnia disorder, respectively. All questionnaires were completed by workers of both sexes belonging to different types of work activities, exclusively day or night. The results of our research show a higher propensity of night workers to consume alcoholic beverages than those who work during daytime hours, often in binge-drinking mode. In addition, an increase in the amount of alcohol consumed was found to be related to insomnia disorder, especially in night workers. This study provides further awareness of the importance of the negative impact of alcohol consumption on sleep quality in night workers.

INVESTIGATION OF THE COMPOSITION OF LIQUID MIXTURES FOR SMOKING. DETERMINATION OF SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS AND α-PVP

The purpose of the article is to highlight the possibility of quantitative identification of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their analogues in the context of studying the composition of liquid mixtures for smoking (vapes), to propose a method. Methodology. A set of general scientific and special methods was used to achieve this goal. In particular, using theoretical methods (analysis, generalization, comparison, modeling), systematized theoretical materials on the problems to be solved; the state of practical elaboration of the problem is empirically determined; organizational and experimental means (diagnostic, ascertaining, formative, corrective experiment) in combination with qualitative analysis and mathematical processing of the obtained results confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method. The reliability of the results is ensured by the use of modern instrumental physicochemical, mathematical, statistical methods of analysis, as well as software processing of experimental data. Scientific novelty. The composition of liquid mixtures for smoking was determined using physicochemical methods of research, for the first time the possibility of quantitative identification of synthetic cannabinoids and α-PVP in the composition of vapes was proved. Conclusions. The composition of liquid mixtures for smoking (vapes) was determined and the possibility of quantitative identification of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their analogues using various instrumental methods based on modern scientific research, in particular the content of synthetic cannabinoids and α-PVP in liquid mixtures for smoking by thin-layer, gas chromatography and using mass spectrometry. The effectiveness of current methods of researching synthetic cannabinoids was tested on specific examples and a contribution was made to the future development of methods for studying the composition of drug-containing liquid mixtures for smoking and those containing psychotropic substances, the demand for which is currently growing on the world market and in Ukraine. A method for isolating synthetic cannabinoids and α-PVP from a solution of smoking mixtures has been developed. The general approaches to the choice of the scheme of research of synthetic narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances depending on the questions, form (liquid), type and quantity of the objects submitted for research are offered.

Elevating neuroscience literacy and an approach for physiologists

The field of neuroscience has made notable strides that have contributed to progress and change in a number of academic pursuits. However, the lack of understanding of basic neuroscience concepts among the general public is likely to hinder, and in some instances possibly even prevent, the appropriate application of scientific advancements to issues facing society today. Greater neuroscience literacy among the general public is necessary for the benefits of neuroscientific discovery to be fully realized. By actively enhancing neuroscience literacy, scientists can dispel falsehoods established by early research that harmed underrepresented communities, ensure that public conversations concerning neuroscience (e.g., legalization of psychotropic substances) revolve around facts, and empower individuals to make better health decisions. The widespread implementation of communication technologies and various forms of media indicate there are numerous means to engage classroom learners across disciplines and age cohorts and the public to increase neuroscience knowledge. Thus, it is not only necessary but timely that neuroscientists seek meaningful ways to bridge the widening knowledge gap with the public.