What should a physician do facing drug facilitated crimes?
Sec, I.
La Revue du Praticien 62(6): 808-810
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 0035-2640 PMID: 22838281 Document Number: 659265
Chemical submission is the administration, for criminal purposes, of psychoactive substances to an individual without their knowledge. It is clear that general practitioners remain helpless against such a phenomenon. Most of the time, diagnosis is negatively affected by delayed management, due to omitted diagnosis or inappropriate samples. The purpose of our paper is therefore to provide a few simple recommendations. A victim suspecting of being drugged without knowing should be adequately interviewed, examined and informed about the possibility of pressing charges. A quick referral to an emergency unit or a forensic medicine unit is necessary to collect biological samples for toxicological testing as promptly as possible. In the event of a prosecution, these samples will be submitted for toxicological analysis, a critical step in identifying the psychoactive substance used.