Substance Abuse & Family Law

This month Ben and Heather talk to toxicologist and forensic medicine specialist Professor Edward Ogden about substance abuse and family law.  Professor Ogden has been studying the impact of drugs and alcohol for over 40 years.  He is Deputy Director of the Centre for Human Psychopharmacology at Swinburne University, Addiction Medicine Specialist for Goulburn Valley Health and St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne and a forensic medical consultant with Clinical Forensic Medicine. Professor Ogden shares his experience and knowledge on the impacts of drug and alcohol misuse and methods of testing.  He and Heather McKinnon also discuss why drug and alcohol misuse if a concern in family law cases and how the Court deals with substance abuse claims. The show deals with the following areas: The science of toxicology. The most common drugs affecting our community. Why people abuse drugs and alcohol. The relevance of substance abuse in family law matters. How the Family Court deals with substance abuse allegations. Types of testing used to measure drug abuse, including:Urine and breath tests, Carbohydrate Deficiency Transfer (CDT) test, hair testing Possible means of contaminating drug tests, including: Shaving or using hair dyes before a hair test, claiming the drug got into your system from the environment, claiming your prescription drug was mistaken for an illicit substance, drinking large amounts of water before a urine test