Problems of Forensic Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Trends of the cannabis market in Poland over the last decade = Tendencje na rynku konopi indyjskich w ostatniej dekadzie w Polsce","authors":"Karolina Masier, K. Sekuła, Bogumiła Byrska, Roman Stanaszek, Wioleta Wrzesień-Tokarczyk","doi":"10.4467/12307483pfs.23.018.19625","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4467/12307483pfs.23.018.19625","url":null,"abstract":"Cannabis is the most widely used drug. in recent years, interest in cannabis has grown significantly. over the last decade, the number of cannabis users worldwide has increased by almost 21%, reaching approximately 219 million people in 2021. Can- nabis cultivation covers practically all regions of the world. In recent years, 151 countries have reported cannabis cultivation, both outdoors and indoors. The increased growth of the latter is particularly observed in North America and Europe. Global data shows that in 2021, 5,226 tons of marihuana and 2,014 tons of hashish were confiscated. an increase in seizures of can- nabis products is observed in Europe and Poland. Another trend concerns the increasing content of the psychoactive substance Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) in cannabis plants. According to UNODC data, over the last 25 years there has been a 4-fold increase in the content of Δ9-THc in cannabis. over the last decade, the average content of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in marihua- na seized in europe has increased approximately twice, and in hashish three times.\u0000\u0000The aim of this work is to assess potential changes in the content of the main psychoactive ingredients in cannabis in Poland in the last decade (2012–2022), based on expert opinions developed by the Institute of Forensic research in Kraków. The conduct- ed analyses confirmed the trends observed around the world. in the last ten years, the number of cases in which the drug-type cannabis was detected increased from 5.3% to 68.4% of total number of illicit drug cases examined for the presence of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and new psychoactive substances. an increasing trend in the content of Δ9-THC in the drug-type cannabis was also noted. over the last decade, the average total content of Δ9-THC increased almost three times and in 2022 reached 12%. This is due to the growth of cannabis cultivation in Europe, carried out using the technique known as sinsemilla, genetic modifications, as well as the appearance on the market of the feminized cannabis seeds.","PeriodicalId":20493,"journal":{"name":"Problems of Forensic Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141001640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Forensic analysis of medical marijuana: a case study = Badania kryminalistyczne marihuany medycznej – studium przypadku","authors":"Anna Trynda, Anna Duszyńska, Adam Frankowski, Grzegorz Pawluczuk","doi":"10.4467/12307483pfs.23.016.19623","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4467/12307483pfs.23.016.19623","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this article is to present the issues of forensic examination of medical marijuana, taking into account possible limitations in forensic expertise and issues related to the material remaining after vaporization. An example, which illustrates the research and procedure to confirm the compliance of the chemical composition of the questioned substance, confiscated during a home search by the police, with the provision on prescriptions for an individual patient, is presented.\u0000The issue of medical marijuana vaporization as well as controversy which may arise from the remaining material with high concentration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), both in relations to its utilizing as well as possible storage of the remaining marijuana by the patient is considered. The obtained results shows the possibility to determine the concentration of key cannabinoids: CBD and THC in questioned dried hemp and comparison with prescription values. Therefore, it is possible to support law enforcement authorities in proceedings related to dried hemp, in particular to distinct whether cannabis are medicinal products declared on prescriptions or packages, or it is a drug prohibited by law. An additional issue that has arisen during the research is the need of regulations to the material remaining after vaporization of medical marihuana to protect patients from the allegation of possession of illegal substance.","PeriodicalId":20493,"journal":{"name":"Problems of Forensic Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140998370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysis of the most popular online BAC calculators = Analiza najpopularniejszych dostępnych w sieci „kalkulatorów trzeźwości”","authors":"Dominika Jama, K. Sekuła, D. Zuba","doi":"10.4467/12307483pfs.23.019.19626","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4467/12307483pfs.23.019.19626","url":null,"abstract":"In order to check their sobriety after drinking alcohol, drivers can use applications available online that perform prospective estimation of alcohol content, called ‘alcomat online’ or ‘BA C calculators’.\u0000The aim of the study was to analyse the method of performing calculations using ‘BA C calculators’ available on the Internet and to assess their reliability.\u0000The five most popular ‘calculators’ found in the Google search engine and a commercial one were analysed. The applications were tested by entering data on 10 cases of alcohol consumption by people were tested for alcohol content in exhaled air using the Alcotest 7510 analyser and alcohol curves were plotted for them. Then, real ethanol concentrations and complete ethanol elimination times for these people were compared with values calculated by the applications.\u0000The analysed ‘calculators’ base their calculations on various principles. Both the maximum alcohol concentrations and the time of their occurrence varied among the applications, but all seem to use the alcohol distribution coefficient established by Widmark. The use of individual elimination rates ranging from 0.12 to even 0.3‰/h was also observed. The time for complete alcohol elimination indicated by the applications was in most cases longer than the actual time.\u0000Online applications such as the ‘BA C calculator’ available to Polish users may be helpful tools for determining the time of complete elimination of alcohol from the body. However, due to the different calculation methods used in applications, which sometimes lead to different conclusions, they should be approached with great caution. These applications will not replace reliable sobriety tests, e.g. analysis of exhaled air.","PeriodicalId":20493,"journal":{"name":"Problems of Forensic Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140998053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Differentiation of blue gel pens using visible spectroscopy coupled with chemometric techniques","authors":"G. S. Bumbrah, Naveen Dhull, Devidas S. Bhagat, Pooja A. Chawla","doi":"10.4467/12307483pfs.23.015.19431","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4467/12307483pfs.23.015.19431","url":null,"abstract":"Ink analysis is one of the most important and keydimension of forensic document examination (FDE). It is performed to compare, identify, characterize and discriminate different kinds of inks present on questioned document. It becomes key evidence in forensic document examination. In the present work, thirty-eight blue gel pens are discriminated using visible spectroscopy coupled with chemometric techniques. The recorded spectra were visually compared followed by chemometric techniques of principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Discriminating power for visual comparison, PCA and LDA are 58.18%, 100% and 100% respectively. Developed PCA model is validated and 100% accuracy, precision, sensitivity and specificity are achieved. Blue gel pen inks were 100% correctly differentiated on the basis of their brands using PCA followed by LDA. The utilized approach is fast and provides reproducible results. The results of present work demonstrate that potential utility of conventional and cost-effective visible spectroscopy can be improved by coupling it with these chemometric techniques. Major advantage of present research is the minimum damage caused to document. This study establishes a method which provides proof of concept discrimination of the gel pen samples. The methodology adopted in present work can be applied in the alteration cases in examination of suspected documents.","PeriodicalId":20493,"journal":{"name":"Problems of Forensic Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140378443","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"False opinion or false alarm? About the criminal liability of an expert for giving a false opinion","authors":"Małgorzata Hrehorowicz","doi":"10.4467/12307483pfs.23.011.19427","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4467/12307483pfs.23.011.19427","url":null,"abstract":"This article aims to address the significance of the problem regarding the issuance of false expert opinions in practice. This issue is of great importance and considerably consequential for the public opinion. An expert opinion that is unfavorable to a party often raises suspicions of bribery and manipulation. However, not every litigant’s dissatisfaction necessarily implies a criminal offense. This article highlights the magnitude of the problem of false expert opinions in the Polish justice system and the consequential effects associated with it.\u0000\u0000In the preparation of the article, a review of domestic and international literature and an analysis of criminal case files on the offence of Article 233 § 4 of the Penal Code were used. The results of the research show that the issue of the crime of issuing a false opinion by an expert has not yet received a comprehensive analysis in the domestic and international literature. The number of criminal cases concerning the issuance of a false opinion by an expert is not significant. Courts usually acquit defendants of this offence which may mean that it is difficult to prove in practice. However, the problem is not as high profile as it presents itself to the public. The results of the research can be used to supplement theoretical considerations of the issue. The results can also be used by practitioners to introduce changes to increase the effectiveness of prosecuting the perpetrators of these crimes or to analyse legislative changes.","PeriodicalId":20493,"journal":{"name":"Problems of Forensic Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140378152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"E-cigarettes, e-liquids and drug vaping – forensic perspectives on electronic nicotine delivery systems","authors":"Maciej Kycler, Szymon Rzepczyk, Jacob van der Veer, P. Świderski, C. Żaba","doi":"10.4467/12307483pfs.23.014.19430","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4467/12307483pfs.23.014.19430","url":null,"abstract":"Electronic cigarettes are devices that produce an aerosol by heating e-liquid. Their history can be traced back to the 20th century but their popularity exponentially increased in the 21st century. Multiple generations and types of e-cigarettes are available on the market with an astounding choice of e-liquids. They gained popularity in almost all countries and among all age groups. The regulation concerning them varies drastically across the world. The health impact is still not fully understood. Although e-cigarettes contain less toxic substances compared to regular cigarettes their use is still not harmless. Some studies suggest a correlation between e-cigarettes and cardiovascular diseases and a potential cancer risk. However, the most noticeable is the effect on the respiratory system. There have been reported cases of fatal respiratory failure caused by e-cigarette use. There has been an increased interest in using e-cigarettes for recreational drug use, notably cannabinoids. E-liquids have been used in suicide attempts. They are usually ingested causing potentially lethal poisoning. Furthermore, lung biopsy and extensive medical history analysis should be the cornerstone of forensic examination of deaths involving e-cigarettes.","PeriodicalId":20493,"journal":{"name":"Problems of Forensic Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140379959","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Use of microorganisms, insects, plants and soil in criminological research","authors":"Irena Padzińska-Pruszyńska, J. Pruszyński, Małgorzata Górczak, A. Smolarska, Małgorzata Kubiak, Paulina Kucharzewska, J. Szeliga, B. Taciak, Lidia Florczak, Paulina Siedlecka, Maria Lewkowicz, Karolina Dylewska, Natalia Pawłasek, Andrzej Kieliszak, M. Król","doi":"10.4467/12307483pfs.23.013.19429","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4467/12307483pfs.23.013.19429","url":null,"abstract":"The expectation of effective detection of perpetrators of crimes is fundamental for every person, given their deep-seated need to feel safe. In the context of modern realities, it is difficult to imagine effective activities of the police, prosecutor’s office or judiciary without the use of advanced, reliable forensic techniques. The aim of this publication was to collect and present highlights of the evolution in forensic research based on a variety of scientific specializations, including forensic microbiology, forensic entomology, forensic botany, and soil science.","PeriodicalId":20493,"journal":{"name":"Problems of Forensic Sciences","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140381256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}