Module 1 - Forensic Toxicology

Conventional wisdom suggests that drug addiction leads to higher rates of property crime as an indirect result of the overwhelming desire for drugs. The motivation driving the drug trade often results in competition among those who choose to sell illegal drugs, often producing violent incidents ranging from simple assaults to drive-by shootings.

Specific examples of the relationship between illegal drug use and other crimes include high rates of property crime and petty theft, social disorder related to open-air drug markets, and an increase in murder rates when competing criminal gangs engage in “turf wars” to protect drug distribution networks.

The use of marijuana and heroin increased in North America during the latter half of the 1960s during which time crime rates increased dramatically.  The early 1980s were characterized by the increasing popularity of cocaine, the importation of which led to gang warfare and localized crime and disorder in large cities. These social effects were further magnified by an increase in the use of ‘crack’ cocaine, which is several times more addictive than other forms of cocaine. Annual drug-related arrests have more than tripled since the 1970s.