Drugs.

Say _Know_

to

FoodVitaminsMineralsAspirinChocolateCoffeeAlcoholNicotine

A drug is an exogenous chemical that changes consciousness or behavior.

• Drug Use - use without abuse

• Drug Abuse - use that negatively interferes with your or others life

• Drug Dependence - occurrence of tolerance and withdrawal

What harm (social as well as individual)does the use of drugs cause?

Estimated cost in 1988 due to reduced productivity:

Alcohol: 33 billion dollars

Other drugs: 7.2 billion dollars

The US has the highest prison rate in the world (1 in 180). Half are nonviolent drug offenders.

Crime, Organ Damage, HIV transmission

How might drug’sharmful effects bereduced or eliminated?

Present Government Policy(medical model and war on drugs)(abstinence only)

versus

Harm Reduction(behavioral model and decriminalization)(abstinence and/or controlled use)

alcoholseconal (barbiturate)diazepam (benzodiazapam)GHB (gamma hydroxy buterate)

opiummorphineheroin

Depressants:Some

Opiates:

Stimulants:Some

caffeine (coffee, coca cola)ephedrine (ma huang, ephedra)methamphetaminecocainenicotine

• Cocaine blocks reuptake

• It affects:» dopamine

» norepinephrine

» serotonin

• Acute tolerance - subsequent ‘hits’ do not feel as euphoric as the first ‘hit’.

• Complications - seizure, heart attack, stroke

–

Cocaine Dependence

• 1) Crash 1-5 days of intense craving, exhaustion, and depression

• 2) Withdrawal 1 - 10 weeks, consists mainly of craving and anhedonia

• 3) Intermittent cue dependent craving

Nicotine

• Nicotine is a stimulant

• Causes vomiting but tolerance develops quickly

• Decreases muscle tone

• Enhances alertness

• Increases heart rate and blood pressure

• 1 cigarette contains 6-8 mg. of nicotine as well as tar, and carbon monoxide

• nicotine is extremely addictive

Health Hazards of Smoking Tobacco

Percent Dead

Age Non Smoker Smoker

55 4% 10%

65 10% 28%

75 25% 50%

Hallucinogens:Some

marijuana (sedative)psiloscybinLSDDMTmescaline

Marijuana

• Marijuana contains 400 chemicals

• 60 are cannabinoids

• Active component is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-9-THC)

• Delta-9-THC is fat (lipid) soluble (not water soluble)

• Most of the 59 other cannabinoids are not active by themselves.

Marijuana

• Sinsemilla contains 13% to 30% THC

• Hash oil (solvent extracted) can contain 60% THC

• Fast onset but peak plasma level occurs in 30 to 60 min.

• Oral ingestion is less efficient because it is processed by the liver - 3 times the smoked dose for the same effect

• One dose can be detected 30 days later

Effects of Marijuana

• 1) Decreases turnover of acetylcholine in the hippocampus

• 2) Facilitates release of serotonin

• 3) Binds to endogenous anandamide (Sanskrit for bliss) receptor in the brain.

• Affects memory, movement, hunger, and pain

• Increases heart rate decreases blood pressure

Marijuana

• Tolerance can be demonstrated in animals but is harder to demonstrate in humans

• Physical dependence is unusual

• Likely hard on the lungs because of tar content

• Long history of human use (found in mummies) - used for child birth by the Egyptians

• Presently used in this state for MS, Pain, AIDS (reduces nausea and vomiting) and glaucoma

• Not advised during pregnancy (possible risk of lower birth weight and premature birth)

Some Substances are moredifficult to classify (for example):

MDMA

3,4,MethyleneDioxyMethAmphetamine

Other classifications that includemany of the hallucinogens are:

1) Psychedelic (mindmanifesting):

2) Entheogenic (revealingthe God within):

For example:ayahuascaibogaine

For more information about ‘drugs’

take psych 322.