“The Addiction Paradox” Conference from the Forensic Sciences and Criminal Justice Club

The conference titled “The Addiction Paradox in Forensic Sciences: Crime or Disease?,” organized by Üsküdar University Forensic Sciences and Criminal Justice Club, was held online via the Zoom platform on January 9, 2026. At the event, which attracted great interest from students, the concept of addiction was addressed from multiple angles from the perspective of forensic sciences.

Dr. Hasan Enes Kurnaz, who attended the conference as a speaker, began the presentation by explaining the basic definitions of addiction. Throughout the program, the scientific framework of the concept was presented with reference to definitions of addiction by various institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Yeşilay, the US National Institute on Drug Abuse and the DSM-5. The event focused in particular on psychoactive substance addiction, while other types of addiction were also covered in general terms.

During the event, it was emphasized that addiction is not merely an individual problem but a multilayered process with social, psychological and legal dimensions. Participants had the opportunity to obtain detailed information on basic concepts such as tolerance, withdrawal, the addiction cycle and the biopsychosocial model.

One of the highlights of the conference was the part of the presentation addressing the neurobiological basis of addiction. While how addiction develops in the brain was explained, particularly through the dopamine mechanism, students had the chance to evaluate the effects of psychoactive substances on human behavior with scientific data.

In the later part of the program, the world of psychoactive substances was examined in detail. It was noted that psychoactive substances are divided into seven different groups, and comprehensive information was shared on substances commonly encountered today, such as amphetamine, methamphetamine and new psychoactive substances. In addition, the addiction potential, level of harm and detection times of the substances were explained using graphs, enabling students to evaluate the subject more analytically.

The conference also addressed substance use rates in the world and in Türkiye. In the assessments based on data from Türkiye in particular, the current situation was analyzed using statistics obtained from the Narkolog system. Students gained important insights into how addiction can arise not only in the health field but also in forensic cases and criminal processes.

In the final part of the event, the legal dimension of addiction was addressed, and basic legal definitions relating to the concept of crime, drug use and drug trafficking were presented. Information was also shared about institutions that can be approached and support mechanisms available in the fight against addiction, and the importance of public awareness was highlighted.

Attended by approximately 60 students, the conference continued interactively with a Q&A session. Participants had the opportunity to gain more comprehensive knowledge of the field by asking questions about both the psychology of addiction and forensic processes.

The conference held by the Forensic Sciences and Criminal Justice Club was one of the notable events, standing out for its comprehensive content that approached addiction not merely as a health problem or a criminal matter but as a multidimensional social issue.