EVIDENCE OF POLYDRUG USE USING HAIR ANALYSIS - A FATAL CASE INVOLVINGHEROIN, COCAINE, CANNABIS, CHLOROFORM, THIOPENTAL AND KETAMINE

A case is presented involving a young woman on several illicit drugs ( heroin, cocaine and cannabis) as well as two medications and a solvent used for their anesthetic and narcotic properties: thiopental, ketami ne and chloroform. This complex drug use was supported by hair analysi s over a 10.5 cm segment of the hair taken at autopsy. The average mea sured concentrations in hair were: thiopental = 5.3 ng/mg, pentobarbit al = 10.0 ng/mg, ketamine = 11.3 ng/mg norketamine = 1.0 ng/mg, diazep am = 1.2 ng/mg, nordiazepam = 0.1 ng/mg, 6-acetylmorphine = 4.4 ng/mg, morphine = 3.4 ng/mg, codeine = 1.2 ng/mg, cocaine = 5.5 ng/mg, benzo ylecgonine = 1.5 ng/mg and methylecgonine ester = 1.0 ng/mg. While the ketamine/norketamine ratio is consistent with that already reported o n drug detection in hair, the thiopental/pentobarbital ratio seems to be inverted.