Toxicology Transformed: From Opioids to Saliva - A Chemistry-Centric Journey

Course overview

As drug trends and diagnostic technologies evolve, toxicology must adapt to meet the demands of healthcare, workplace safety, and public health - focusing on opioid detection, CBD use, patient-centered testing, and new methods like saliva analysis, each bringing distinct challenges and opportunities. The following podcast episodes feature chemistry-related interviews that discuss these topics. Objectives: 1. Differentiate between opiates and opioids, and accurately classify controlled substances within these categories to support appropriate clinical and public health responses. 2. Identify Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as the main psychoactive component of marijuana, and describe its physiological effects. 3. Recognize the legal minimum threshold of Delta-9 THC in cannabis products and describe the advanced analytical methods.