Dr. Marilyn Huestis, Chief of the Chemistry and Drug Metabolism Section in NIDA’s Intramural Research Program (IRP), has been selected as an ex-officio member of the newly-created National Commission on Forensic Science. This commission, co-chaired by the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and the U.S. Department of Commerce, includes experts and researchers in forensic science as well as judges, attorneys, and law enforcement officials. The commission will help improve the practice of forensic science and develop policy recommendations for the U.S. Attorney General.
Dr. Huestis is a past-president of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists, past Chair of the Toxicology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the first woman president of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists. At NIDA IRP, Dr. Huestis researches ways to minimize the public health impact of drugged driving; effects of marijuana or cannabinoids in the body as well as how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes these substances; the impact of drugs on the developing fetus; and identification of designer drug metabolites that currently elude typical drug testing procedures. To watch an interview of Dr. Huestis describing her work, go to: www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2013/09/q-dr-marilyn-huestis.
The January 10 DoJ press release announcing this commission and its members can be found at: www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2014/January/14-at-029.html.
For more information, contact the NIDA press office at media@nida.nih.gov or 301-443-6245.