Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) are drugs that are newly developed or discovered which have a psychoactive effect in humans. They are usually developed to mimic effects of already existing drugs and are typically structurally similar to the drugs they are intended to mimic. NPS pose significant challenges to forensic toxicologists and stakeholders in the medicolegal and criminal justice communities.
Instructions:
The final project is a double spaced, 8-10 page paper evaluating the impact of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) on forensic toxicology and its stakeholders. Your paper should define NPS; evaluate where, how, and why they are developed; examine one NPS in depth; and evaluate how NPS affect each major topic of the course that we have covered, other than specific drug topics (i.e. no need to evaluate how NPS affect alcohol, cannabis, etc.). While some sources list plants and botanical products as NPS’s, you may not use them for your in-depth NPS review. You should choose a newly synthesized drug or group of drugs. If there is any question on whether a drug qualifies as an NPS, you must ask prior to beginning your paper.