Sessions

Over the last several years many products intended for human consumption that were once restricted to the pharmaceutical sector and/or classified as controlled substances have been entering traditional food markets. These products typically contain chemicals that are considered psychotropic, very different from traditional foods. Regulators are now having to incorporate these psychotropic products into various regulatory frameworks, and they are not necessarily an easy fit thus requiring a different approach and skillset in many cases. These products are being intertwined with traditional food products and made readily available to consumers of all ages at a variety of public establishments. This segment will unravel some of the mysteries that surround many of these products and discuss different strategies being used by some in the industry to evade regulation and illegally expand the spaces they were given in which to operate.
 

Learning Objectives:

Attendees will:

• Understand how psychotropic products are making their way into easily accessible food markets.
• Understand concerns surrounding psychotropics being sold as/in food.
• Understand some of the arguments that are being made in attempts to confuse officials and regulators.
• Become familiar with many of the product classes and products commonly available on the market today.
• Understand the necessity for strong scientific backgrounds to filter through illegitimate arguments.

Introduction to Interdiction for the Protection of Children (IPC) is an overview of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s multidisciplinary approach to train law enforcement officers to take a victim-centered approach to identify and rescue endangered or exploited children and identify those who pose a high-risk threat to a child during routine traffic enforcement, such as traffic stops.

Numerous psychotropic chemicals are making their way into mainstream retail establishments across the nation. State and local jurisdictions grapple with establishing adequate regulations to ensure these products are responsibly and legally sold, where permissible. Common concerns across these jurisdictions involve accessibility to children and comingling of potentially harmful and/or illegal or controlled substances. Specific regulations pertaining to age-gating, packaging, labeling, etc., have shown positive results, but may not provide regulators with a full complement of regulatory tools to adequately regulate these emerging substances. The State of Florida utilizes its food safety laws to effectively fill many of these gaps.
 

Learning Objectives: 

Attendees will:

• Learn how the drug and food sectors are colliding in today’s market.
• Learn key concepts for regulating age-restricted foods.
• Learn important regulatory functions for enforcement.
• Learn critical skill backgrounds necessary for effective regulation.

In early 2026, the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory (NLCL) reported its first detection of cychlorphine, a novel synthetic opioid in the emerging orphine drug class, in a seized-drug case from Caddo Parish. Within five months, cychlorphine had been confirmed in submissions from seven parishes across the laboratory's 29-parish service area, identified in at least nine counterfeit tablet formulations mimicking common prescription oxycodone, hydrocodone, and alprazolam products. No human toxicity data are currently available for cychlorphine; however, laboratory studies indicate it may be up to ten times more potent than fentanyl.

This presentation reviews the NLCL's 2026 surveillance of cychlorphine from first detection through its regional spread, including detection timelines, tablet markings encountered in casework, and the laboratory's approach to monitoring both cychlorphine and future analogs within the orphine class. Attendees will review the classic opioid toxidrome, including central nervous system depression presenting as lethargy or stupor, respiratory depression with slow and shallow breathing, and pinpoint pupils, and will discuss naloxone administration in cases where multiple doses may be required. The presentation also examines the market forces driving the rapid expansion of this drug: the low production cost of high-potency synthetics, escalating user tolerance that pushes demand toward stronger products, and the absence of quality control in clandestine manufacturing that produces lethal dose variation between tablets. The trajectory of cychlorphine closely parallels the early emergence of fentanyl in counterfeit pills, underscoring the value of coordinated laboratory surveillance and timely information sharing with law enforcement, drug recognition experts, and prosecutors as this class continues to evolve.

Social media has fundamentally changed how children communicate, build relationships, and experience the world. It has also transformed how offenders exploit young people, how dangerous trends spread, and how schools, law enforcement, and community organizations respond to incidents.

This presentation provides professionals with an up-to-date look at the rapidly evolving digital landscape impacting today's youth. Drawing on nearly two decades of law enforcement experience, including 15 years as a School Resource Officer, Officer Gomez examines current social media platforms, AI-generated content, sextortion, online grooming, cyberbullying, digital evidence, school-device misuse, youth drug trends fueled through social media, and emerging technologies that are changing investigations and prevention efforts.