HYBRID
When: October 5th - October 9th, 2026
Registration is OPEN for the 2026 Robert F. Borkenstein Course on The Effects of Drugs on Human Performance and Behavior, taking place October 5th –9th, 2026. This year’s course will once again be offered as a truly HYBRID experience, with participants joining us either in person at the Fluno Center at UW–Madison or virtually from anywhere in the world. No matter how you attend, you’ll be fully connected to the classroom, the faculty, and the conversations that make this course the most trusted training of its kind.
Dates
- Monday, October 5th, 2026, from 9:00am ET – 6:00pm ET
- Tuesday, October 6th, 2026, from 9:00am ET – 6:00pm ET
- Wednesday, October 7th, 2026, from 9:00am ET – 5:30pm ET
- Thursday, October 8th, 2026, from 9:00am ET – 6:00pm ET
- Friday, October 9th, 2026, from 9:00am ET – 1:00pm ET
Each year, professionals from toxicology, forensic science, traffic safety, law enforcement, government, and the legal community come to this course because they will get direct access to the world’s leading experts in drug-impaired driving. Our faculty aren’t just researchers — they are the ones presenting in courtrooms, shaping policy, leading national and international studies, and setting the standards adopted by agencies and laboratories around the world. The program is updated annually to reflect the realities of modern casework, shifting drug trends, new laws, and advances in science and technology, so attendees walk away with information they can immediately apply in their day-to-day work.
The course offers a deep, practical understanding of the pharmacology and real-world effects of the drugs most commonly involved in impaired driving investigations, including opioids, stimulants, CNS depressants, hallucinogens, new psychoactive substances, and the latest research on cannabis and driving. You’ll explore how these drugs affect human performance, how they are detected and interpreted in the lab, which testing strategies and cutoffs are most effective, and how to clearly communicate scientific findings in court. Along the way, you’ll hear real case examples, learn from active expert witnesses, and gain insight into challenges you’re likely to face in the field or on the stand.
Those who attend In-Person at the Fluno Center will enjoy the full immersive experience the course is known for, including a welcome dinner, an evening wine-and-cheese reception, and opportunities for informal discussions and networking with faculty and fellow attendees. The Fluno Center is ideally located in the heart of downtown Madison, just steps from State Street’s restaurants, bookstores, pubs, coffee shops, theaters, museums, and lakeside paths. In the evenings, you might find yourself sharing ideas over dinner, attending a cultural event, or catching a UW Badgers game at the Kohl Center or Camp Randall Stadium.
Virtual Attendees, you will still be part of the room — not watching passively, but engaging fully in live Q&A, and connecting with other participants and instructors throughout the week. Our webcast platform allows real-time interaction, shared discussions, and direct faculty access, so online participants receive the same educational value and community experience as those onsite. All materials and resources will be available digitally, making it easy to follow along no matter where you are.
Since its creation by Dr. Barry Logan in 2002 as a companion to the well-known Borkenstein Alcohol Course, this program has become the gold standard for understanding drug-related impairment in traffic safety. Thousands of professionals have completed it, carrying its knowledge into laboratories, courtrooms, agencies, and public-safety decisions worldwide. This year’s course continues that legacy, blending the foundation of what every expert needs to know with new topics and emerging challenges shaping tomorrow’s work in the field.
Whether you join us in Madison or online, we invite you to spend the week learning, discussing, collaborating, and connecting with the people who are defining this specialty around the world. We look forward to welcoming you to the 2026 Borkenstein Drug Course.
REGISTER FOR THE IN-PERSON COURSE
REGISTER FOR THE VIRTUAL COURSE
*At the CFSRE, we always record all of our LIVE events and convert them into an archival, on-demand recording. This allows our attendees to view the event at a time that is more convenient for their schedules, as well as revisit the material at any time for a refresher of the course. We typically have the archival recordings back into the system for viewing within 24 hours of completion of that day’s event. For the Borkenstein Drug Course, we will have the recordings labeled in the specific day's folder before the next day’s presentations begin! This quick turnaround for our recordings will help keep the attendees viewing the archivals as close to real-time as possible during the course of the week’s presentations.
