Expertise in the Context of “Pharmacy” drug Addiction

The problem of expertise in the context of "pharmacy" drug addiction is a complex interdisciplinary issue affecting legal, medical and criminological aspects. In the context of growing abuse of drugs containing narcotic and psychotropic substances, expertise plays a key role in identifying crimes related to the illegal trafficking of such drugs, determining their impact on the condition of the accused and victims, as well as establishing cause-and-effect relationships. The main problems of expertise in this area are: insufficient regulation of research methods in forensic chemical and pharmaceutical expertise; difficulties in determining the legal status of a number of drugs containing controlled substances; the lack of a unified methodology for diagnosing addiction caused by pharmaceutical drugs; as well as a shortage of qualified specialists. The article considers ways to improve forensic practice, including through legislative reforms, standardization of analysis methods and advanced training of experts.