This online course serves as an introduction and basic overview of forensic drug chemistry. It covers a wide variety of topics associated with controlled substances; including history of drug control, the structure of current drug laws in the United States, history of individual drugs, and specific analytical approaches for specific sample types.
Cost: $0-225. This course takes 32 hours to complete, on average.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
This is a non-credit course offering 6.12 ILUs. (What is ILU?) Average completion time for the course is 32 hours. The course cost is $225 per registration (with the exception of public lab employees, law enforcement, public attorneys, and federal employees – please see "Registration Information" below). A certificate of completion will be issued to students successfully meeting course requirements.
Table of Contents:
Unit 1: Drug Chemistry: Overview
Unit 2: History of Controlled Substance Legislation in the US
Unit 3: Drug Classifications
Unit 4: Structure of Current Drug Laws
Unit 5: Structural Activity Relationships
Unit 6: Marijuana
Unit 7: Marijuana Analysis
Unit 8: Other Controlled Substance Analysis
Unit 9: Stimulants: Cocaine
Unit 10: Stimulants: Amphetamines
Unit 11: Other Stimulants
Unit 12: Depressants, Heroin and Other Opiates
Unit 13: Other Depressants
Unit 14: Hallucinogens: LSD
Unit 15: Hallucinogens: Psilocybe Mushrooms
Unit 16: Hallucinogens: MDMA
Unit 17: Additional Hallucinogens
Unit 18: Dissociatives
Unit 19: Anabolic Steroids
Unit 20: Clandestine Laboratories
Unit 21: Miscellaneous Topics
Unit 22: Designer Drugs - Synthetic Cannabinoids
Unit 23: Designer Drugs - Substituted Cathinones
All registrations must be approved by the instructor. Please fill out and submit the Instructor Approval Form, you will be notified when you are approved for registration. Registration without pre-approval may not be accepted. Please contact Samantha Neal at Samantha.Neal@mail.wvu.edu or (304) 293-5836 for questions.
A printable version of the course content is available in PDF format in the course library for future reference. Course readings are also available in PDF format.
Do I need to work in a forensic laboratory to take this course?
Answer: No. However, you do need to work in the forensic science field to take the course. It is not opened for the general public.
(Free software plug-ins are available in the Getting Started area of the course.)
Basic computer skills required (i.e. turning on your computer, navigating to websites, etc.). The course is user-friendly but support is available if needed.
Samantha Neal is the Instructional Coordinator for the Forensic Science Initiative, a program that develops research, scientific resources, and professional training for forensic scientists and related professionals. Her primary responsibilities are the development and coordination of online continuing education courses in forensic science and continuing education programs. She has undergraduate degrees in both Forensic and Investigative Sciences and Chemistry.
Contact: samantha.neal@mail.wvu.edu, 304-293-5836
Robin Bowen is the Assistant Director for the Forensic Science Initiative, a program that develops scientific resources, outreach opportunities, and professional training for forensic scientists and related professionals. Her primary responsibilities include coordination of continuing education programs, management of grant funded projects, and correspondence of progress to the National Institute of Justice. Bowen is the author of Ethics and the Practice of Forensic Science. She is a former advisory member of the Outreach and Communication Interagency Working Group (IWG) under the National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee (NSTC) on Forensic Science. She is also on the Editorial Advisory Board for the revised edition of Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences. Bowen is the primary developer of the Forensic Educational Alliance, an initiative to offer a variety of forensic science continuing education courses online. She has an undergraduate degree in Forensic and Investigative Sciences and a graduate degree in Secondary Science Education. Robin is the online course instructor for Ethics in Forensic Science, Fibers and Textiles for Forensic Science, and Transition to Leadership. Contact: Robin.Bowen@mail.wvu.edu, 304-293-6214
Please read below to determine your eligibility. If you have any eligibility questions please contact Forensic Science Initiative at FSI@mail.wvu.edu BEFORE you register. Registration is accepted year-round for this course.
As manager of the Grayson County, Virginia Day Reporting Center, I found this course to be exactly what I needed. Most of the felons sentenced to our program have committed crimes linked to illegal drugs. They either have direct drug offenses (e.g., distribution, manufacturing), or have committed other crimes indirectly related to drug use and distribution (e.g., grand larceny, forgery, fraud). In our daily supervision of offenders, it is important that we understand the differences, sources, effects, identification, etc. of the full spectrum of drugs. This course has provided a valuable knowledge base that will be of daily benefit to my mission. I enjoyed the course, and I look forward to taking more courses in the near future. Thank you for an excellent learning program.2 OPTIONS FOR REGISTRATION
