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Alcohol Intoxication or Medical Issue?

Alcohol, trauma, or underlying medical condition? The legal limit of blood alcohol content is set by the US Department of Motor Vehicles at 0.08%. However, not everyone presents the same way clinically, as different individuals have different tolerance levels depending on their level of regular alcohol use. Even the liver eliminates alcohol from the body Read More...

Methamphetamine in Combination with Other Drugs and Violent Behavior

Methamphetamine Usage Methamphetamine (meth) is a widely used, powerful stimulant which acts upon the central nervous system. Other names for meth include speed, crank, ice, crystal, and glass. It gives the user a sense of well-being, increased alertness, and energy but it is highly addictive and can cause serious harm to both mental and physical Read More...

Fentanyl: An involuntary intoxication defense?

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 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 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 Read More...