Citation

Koren G, Bellaish E, Maman K. J. Forensic Sci. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Israeli Ministry of Law, Nazeret Ilit, Israel 21735-070.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.14013

PMID

30695095

Abstract

The following article from the Journal of Forensic Sciences, “Hair Analysis for Drug‐Facilitated Crime: The Critical Role of Hair Growth Rate” by Koren G, Bellaish E, Maman K, published online on 3rd September 2019 (1) on Wiley Online Library has been withdrawn at the authors’ request, and in agreement between the authors, the Journal’s Editorial Office, and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The withdrawal has been agreed to by all parties due to material included in the article being involved in current litigation.



Hair analysis is increasingly used in detecting drug-facilitated crime (DFC) claiming success in identifying even single dose exposures. The calculation of accurate deposition time of the drug in hair is typically based on the assumption of mean hair growth of 1 cm/month. We describe a case of potential exposure to flunitrazepam. Assuming the literature average hair growth rate of 1 cm/month, the alleged victim had measurable amounts of the 7 amino flunitrazepam a month after the alleged drug exposure. However, in this case, due to hair dying, the true growth rate could be quantified at 1.5 cm/month. This difference has led to different interpretation from the one based on the average assumed hair growth of 1 cm/month. In conclusion, hair growth rate can be a critical variable in verifying the alleged time of drug exposure.

© 2019 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

7 amino flunitrazepam; benzodiazepines; drug-facilitated crime; flunitrazepam; forensic science; hair growth rate