Toxicology Transformed: From Opioids to Saliva — A Chemistry-Centric Journey
As drug trends and diagnostic technologies evolve, toxicology must adapt to meet the demands of healthcare, workplace safety, and public health — focusing on opioid detection, CBD use, patient-centered testing, and new methods like saliva analysis, each bringing distinct challenges and opportunities. The following podcast episodes feature chemistry-related interviews that discuss these topics.
Learning objectives
- Differentiate between opiates and opioids, and accurately classify controlled substances within these categories to support appropriate clinical and public health responses.
- Identify delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as the main psychoactive component of marijuana, and describe its physiological effects.
- Recognize the legal minimum threshold of delta-9 THC in cannabis products and describe the advanced analytical methods.
Intended audience
- A Mayo Clinic-curated podcast for physicians, laboratory professionals, and students.
Podcast episodes
Laboratory detection of opioids
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The ABCs of CBD
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Toxicology testing for patient care
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Challenges of saliva testing
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Credit
The following types of credit are offered upon completion of all bundled podcast episodes:
ASCLS P.A.C.E.®
Mayo Clinic Laboratories is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the Clinical Laboratory Sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® program. This program has been approved for a maximum of 1.0 P.A.C.E.® contact hour.
State of Florida
Mayo Clinic Laboratories is approved as a Continuing Education Accrediting Agency for the Clinical Laboratory Sciences for the State of Florida. Florida Board of Clinical Laboratory Personnel has designated this program for General (Clinical Chemistry/UA/Toxicology) credit. This program has been approved for 1.0 contact hour.
To obtain credit
- Listen to/view all bundled podcast episodes.
- Complete the post test and evaluation.
- Generate and print your certificate(s).
Level of instruction for this program is basic.
Credit for these podcast episodes expires on August 1, 2027.
Faculty disclosure
Course director(s), planning committee, faculty, and all others who are in a position to control the content of this educational activity are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest related to the subject matter of the educational activity. Safeguards against commercial bias have been put in place. Faculty members also will disclose any off-label and/or investigational use of pharmaceuticals or instruments discussed in their presentations. Disclosure of this information will be published in course materials so those participants in the activity may formulate their own judgments regarding the presentations.
More from Lab Medicine Rounds
A Mayo Clinic-curated podcast for physicians, laboratory professionals, and students, hosted by Dr. Justin Kreuter, assistant professor of laboratory medicine and pathology at Mayo Clinic, and featuring trending educational topics from subject matter experts.
