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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
Time: 11:31 am
Time: 11:31 am
Results for overdose
1 results foundAuthor: Peace, Michelle Title: Characterization and Abuse of Electronic Cigarettes: The Efficacy of "Personal Vaporizers" as an Illicit Drug Delivery System Summary: Statement of Problem Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or e-cigs), known as "personal vaporizers" (PV) by avid users or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) by industry, have experienced a significant increase in popularity for those seeking an alternative to smoking traditional tobacco products. These products are comprised of a battery-powered atomizer and a cartridge filled with a pharmaceutical (nicotine), flavorings, and water dissolved in glycerol products. E-cigarette are manufactured in a variety of options: from off-the-shelf non-customizable devices to customizable, including self-wrapping of the element, homemade wicks, self-preparation of the e-cigarette liquid formulation (e-liquids), cups to hold plant material, dripping vs wicking, and wattage adjustors to administer the desired drug. The lack of enforced regulation prior to May 2016 has resulted in easy accesses to e-cigarettes and has shepherded their nefarious uses. The use of the e-cigarettes as an illicit drug delivery device is touted on websites, forums, blogs, and videos describing how best to use them for specific illicit drugs such as tetrahydrocannabinol, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. These sites explain at length the benefits of "vaping" illicit drugs as it can conceivably be done in public without attracting notice. While some individuals and communities have begun to legislate where users can vape, vaping is not just acceptable, it is considered “cool” by many and often has the added benefit of no odor. Analyzing paraphernalia for drug usage uses straightforward methodology established in controlled substance laboratories nationwide. E-cigarettes were largely uncharacterized at the beginning of this research. In forensic science laboratories, little is known or understood about their construction, let alone how they are used to deliver illicit drugs. From a general toxicological perspective, little is documented regarding the delivery of nicotine, particularly as a function of power, for e-cigarettes. Even less is known regarding the adulteration of e-cigarettes and how the e-cigarettes are used or modified to optimize the delivery of an adulterant and/or alternative drug. Problems can arise with using electronic cigarettes to deliver illicit drugs. According the vaping community, the dosing can be increased by turning up the wattage/voltage on the device. This method to increase dosage alone, or combined with increasing the volume of the "puff", could easily lead to overdoses. Increasing temperatures could lead to pyrolysis products which can potentially be used as biomarkers that could identify the use of e-cigarettes in biological tissues and which may have unknown biological effects. Drug forums are providing cautionary tales to users, however, these are overshadowed by the clear benefits these devices bring to drug users. Few peer-reviewed published manuscripts in the literature describe, define, and/or illustrate the use of e-cigarettes. The overarching purpose for this study was to characterize the use and efficacy of electronic cigarettes to deliver pharmaceutical products. E-cigarettes were functionally described, methods were developed to analyze the pharmaceutical products (e-liquids and aerosol), truth in advertising was described for commercially available products, adulterations to the products were assessed, and potential biomarkers were evaluated. Details: Richmond, VA: Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 12, 2019 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/251788.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/251788.pdf Shelf Number: 154091 Keywords: Drug AbuseE-CigarettesElectronic CigarettesElectronic Nicotine Delivery SystemsIllicit DrugsOverdoseParaphernaliaVapingVaporizers |