Unit 6: Drug Recognition and Evidence

Drug Addiction and Abuse: Implications to the Crime Investigation

From what has just been said concerning the scope of this section, it is apparent that the following is
not presented as a definitive or comprehensive discussion of drug addiction and abuse. However, there are
some basic points concerning these matters that are critical to the crime scene investigator’s knowledge
concerning drugs.

The first such point concerns the question of what is meant by the terms addiction and abuse. Addiction is primarily a matter of physical dependency of the user on the drug. When the addiction stage is reached, the user becomes sick if he is deprived of all he needs of the drug. Not all drugs have a physical dependence
potential; however, most do. Some experts believe that in order for a person to become addicted to a drug (including alcohol) there must usually be some psychological maladjustment, and that individuals with such maladjustment need only to be introduced to and supplied with the drug for addiction to occur. As noted, some drugs, such as marijuana, are not physically addictive in the sense that the user will become ill if deprived of it. However, there are indications that any drug can induce a psychological dependency on the part of the user. Generally, a drug addict feels an overpowering desire or compulsion to continue taking the drug and to obtain it by any means. He has a tendency to increase the dose, because his body develops a tolerance for the drug that dampens the feeling of well-being he originally got from smaller doses of it.

Although there has been much research, and considerable speculation, on the various reasons people take drugs, a reliable general conclusion seems to be that drugs provide a means of quieting anxiety and shutting out problems. The important conclusion is that drug use in the modern society is not restricted to the “hippy”, the young, the poor, or the classic stereotypes, but has a pervasive use pattern at all levels of the society.

The drug user today, perhaps more than at any other time, is in danger of poisoning by taking “street” drugs. A 2-year program of analysis and study by Midwest Research Institute of abused drugs acquired in the Kansas City Metropolitan Region turned up repeated instances of capsules or pills that had a completely
different content than that represented by the pusher. Some contained poisonous substances which, if taken in sufficient quantity, could have lethal consequences. Ironically, some others contained no drug substances at all.

Added to this danger of misrepresentation is the one of overdose to which the addict, by virtue of his tendency to increase his dosages, is particularly vulnerable. Thus, an apparent deliberate poisoning, a homicide, an accidental death, or a suicide can all involve drug consumption.

Drug abuse, as a general term used here, applies to any use of a drug, whether or not legally possessed, to the extent that the user has been or is likely to be adversely affected. (The terms “controlled” and “over the counter” or “non-controlled” are frequently used synonymously with illegal and legal drugs, respectively.) Obviously, by that definition, even very low levels of the use of certain drugs by some people could qualify as abuse. In fact, as subsequent discussions will show, many drugs that have widely recognized medicinal value and are legally prescribed are also widely abused.