Law & Ethics of Drug Addiction Genetics Research Grant

Our primary goal in this proposed project is to examine and elucidate the ethical, legal and social implications of the use of drug addiction genetic information in criminal justice settings; our secondary goal is to provide related, needs-specific training, materials and resources to a stakeholder group comprised of criminal justice professionals. The project consists of four specific aims: 1) Assess the current state of law and ethics pertaining to illicit drug addiction screening, testing and treatment, and evaluate the prospects for the use of drug addiction genetic information in criminal justice settings; 2) Measure current knowledge and information needs among criminal justice professionals regarding drug addiction science, including genetics; 3) Convene and host a special advisory panel and stakeholder conference to present, review and discuss points to consider regarding the ethical, legal and social implications of the use of drug addiction genetic information in criminal justice settings; and 4) Develop, disseminate and evaluate educational, resource and reference materials regarding the use of drug addiction genetic information in criminal justice settings. The proposed project is responsive to the area of interest 4 under the program announcement pertaining to studies of the implications of the use of genetic liability to drug abuse and the use of such information in criminal justice settings, including studies about how such information might be used, public attitudes about such use, the interface of such use with concepts of privacy and responsibility, and existing legal protections that might pertain to such use. The project builds upon the project team members' past collaborations and experience with criminal justice systems, genetics and drug abuse research, and cross-disciplinary professional and bioethics education.

External oversight is provided by an advisory panel comprised of distinguished leaders and experts with interests in the field.