DEA DEA Drug Chemistry and Identification 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which chemical is the primary active ingredient in heroin that makes it a Schedule I controlled substance?
- Diacetylmorphine (diamorphine) (Correct answer)
- Codeine
- Methadone
- Buprenorphine
Correct answer: Diacetylmorphine (diamorphine)
Heroin is diacetylmorphine, a semi-synthetic opioid derived from morphine through acetylation, and is classified Schedule I due to high abuse potential and no accepted medical use in the U.S.
Question 2: What is the Marquis reagent test used to presumptively identify?
- Opiates and amphetamines based on color reactions (Correct answer)
- The exact purity of a cocaine sample
- The presence of fentanyl in a substance
- The moisture content of a drug sample
Correct answer: Opiates and amphetamines based on color reactions
The Marquis reagent produces distinct color changes (e.g., purple-black for opiates, orange-to-brown for amphetamines) used for field presumptive identification.
Question 3: Fentanyl is approximately how many times more potent than morphine?
- 100 times (Correct answer)
- 10 times
- 50 times
- 500 times
Correct answer: 100 times
Fentanyl is approximately 100 times more potent than morphine by weight, which makes even microgram-level exposures potentially lethal.
Question 4: What class of drug is methamphetamine?
- Central nervous system stimulant (Correct answer)
- Central nervous system depressant
- Hallucinogen
- Dissociative anesthetic
Correct answer: Central nervous system stimulant
Methamphetamine is a powerful CNS stimulant that increases the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, causing euphoria, increased alertness, and cardiovascular effects.
Question 5: Which plant is the source of cocaine?
- Erythroxylum coca (coca plant) (Correct answer)
- Cannabis sativa
- Papaver somniferum (opium poppy)
- Psilocybe mushroom
Correct answer: Erythroxylum coca (coca plant)
Cocaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid extracted from the leaves of the Erythroxylum coca plant, primarily grown in South America.
Question 6: What is 'crack cocaine' chemically?
- Cocaine base (freebase cocaine) produced by removing the hydrochloride salt (Correct answer)
- A mixture of cocaine and heroin
- A synthetic analog of cocaine
- Cocaine combined with baking soda and sold in liquid form
Correct answer: Cocaine base (freebase cocaine) produced by removing the hydrochloride salt
Crack is cocaine hydrochloride processed with baking soda and water then dried into a smokable freebase form with a lower melting point.
DEA DEA Drug Chemistry and Identification 1
Which chemical is the primary active ingredient in heroin that makes it a Schedule I controlled substance?