Fentanyl: An involuntary intoxication defense?

  • March 29, 2019 at 11:00 am
A strange occurrence at a Massachusetts hospital Articles by Forensic Magazine and New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Between 2012 to 2016, fourteen patients showed up at a Massachusetts hospital with a strange problem.  All 14 patients had developed amnesia and cognitive problems with orientation and attention.  In addition, they all had a strange lack [&hellip Read More...

Involuntary Intoxication when mixing Cocaine and Alcohol…? {MH/Tox}

What if someone knows how cocaine affects them, and they know how alcohol affects them, but not how they can affect them when taken together? The use of both cocaine and alcohol together results in a unique metabolite called cocaethylene. This metabolite stays in the system longer and prevents the reuptake of dopamine resulting in [&hellip Read More...

5 Things Criminal Attorneys Should Know About…Loss of Consciousness

This is the 4th out of 6 in this series of “5 things criminal attorneys should know about…” which I first posted a few years ago. Each month I highlight some areas of medicine that often cross into the criminal fields. This is not meant to be an in-depth review, but rather just bullet pointed [&hellip Read More...

5 Things Criminal Attorneys Should Know About…Seizures

For the next few months I’ll post “5 things criminal attorneys should know about …” and highlight some areas of medicine that often cross into the criminal fields. I did this series a few years ago and I think it’s time to do a little refresher. This is not meant to be an in-depth review, [&hellip Read More...

Benzodiazepines “Downers” {Mental Health/Toxicology}

Benzodiazepines, or “Benzos” are a class of drug that commonly pop up in the criminal cases that we review. These sedative “Downers” are commonly prescribed for a variety of maladies; knowledge about the side effects and normal levels is beneficial when they are a major, or even minor, component of a criminal case. Benzodiazepines affect [&hellip Read More...