THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY ROBERT F. BORKENSTEIN COURSE ON THE EFFECTS OF DRUGS ON HUMAN PERFORMANCE AND BEHAVIOR

Drug Course Faculty

April 2010 Course Schedule

Tuition/Lodging

April 10th - 15th, 2011

Registration will begin in December.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Indiana University 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 started in 2002, and has drawn attendees from more than forty states. We have responded to student requests for additions to the course content, with lectures this year on use of literature databases and search techniques, and expansion of discussion of benzodiazepines and driving.  We have also expanded the time allotted for discussion of best practices for analytical laboratories, and scope of testing.  The class was originally established to provide professional development training for toxicologists and has been grown to recognize and reflect the relationship between the DRE program and the laboratories that support them.

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. Just as it did with alcohol impaired driving, Indiana University's Center for Studies of Law in Action has become a major center for collecting and sharing research and innovative strategies for dealing with this problem. In April 2011, the Center will present its tenth symposium on the effects of drugs on human performance and behavior.

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.

COURSE CONTENTS

In an effort to keep toxicologists, and traffic safety specialists up to date, this course has evolved over the ten years it has been offered. Information addressed in the 2011 course includes:

• Roadside drug testing surveys using checkpoints, and oral fluid testing.
• Basic principles of pharmacology and relationship to drug effects on behavior and physiology.
  
• Approaches to implementing per se DUID laws in European Union countries.
  
• On-road driving studies for marijuana, MDMA, and antidepressants.
  
• Training tools for investigating and documenting drug impairment.
  
• Approaches to presenting DUID evidence in court.
  
• Updated summaries of effects of major drug classes present in drivers.
  
• Effects of lorazepam and alprazolam on driving.
  
• Effective use of Pubmed, Toxline, and on-line forensic databases for literature surveys and case preparation.

The Borkenstein Drug Course begins with a brief orientation to the Course, Indiana University, and Bloomington by IU Criminal Justice Professor and Center Director, Kip Schlegel; Center Executive Director, Dr. Barry Logan; and Borkenstein Course Director, Mr. Jere Joiner.

Principal topics and current presenters

Faculty • April 2010 Course Schedule • Tuition/Lodging