Effects of Drugs on Human Performance and Behavior Course Description
The Borkenstein Drug Course covers topics related to the pharmacology of drugs and their effects on psychomotor performance and driving. This program has been growing in popularity since it was first offered in 2002, and has drawn attendees from all over the U.S. and other countries. This is the most advanced course available anywhere for toxicologists and law enforcement professionals in this topic of growing concern.
- The course is taught by internationally acknowledged experts who will discuss the pharmacology, toxicology and human performance effects of major drug classes associated with driving impairment.
- The range of topics has been expanded to include implementation of laws and strategies for investigating, identifying, and documenting drug impaired driving.
- The curriculum is updated each year to include emerging issues and recent developments in the science of forensic alcohol toxicology.
Drug impaired driving is now being recognized as a major public safety issue worldwide. Drug use among fatally injured drivers in the US is estimated to be around 40-50%, and combined drug and alcohol use is the often overlooked part of the iceberg, as alcohol positive cases are infrequently assessed for drug use.
There are major developments taking place around the world to document and combat drug impaired driving. The program is designed to supplement the training offered by other groups such as SOFT and AAFS, with ideas and strategies for enforcement, and for documenting and trying drug impaired driving cases. The Course is structured to meet the needs of:
- Analytical toxicologists performing testing for DUID investigations.
- Toxicologists testifying in court on drug and alcohol impaired driving.
- Public safety specialists involved in developing policies and statutes to respond to drug impaired driving.
The course is taught using the successful Borkenstein Alcohol Course classroom format that provides excellent opportunities for networking, student/student and student/faculty interaction during the breaks and after-hour’s social functions, and more individual attention to student questions.