Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Chapter 21. Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 2 NARCOTICS Narcotic – Any drug that produces

Narcotics and Dangerous

Drugs

Chapter 21

Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2

NARCOTICS• Narcotic– Any drug that produces a stupor, insensibility, or sleep.

• As a consequence of this definition, narcotics could include substances ranging from alcohol to heroin to crack cocaine.

• The range of drugs accurately labeled narcotics can be limited to two specific categories: Natural narcotics (compounds derived directly from

Papavar somniferum): opium, morphine, and heroin. Synthetic narcotics (compounds possessing similar

pharmacological structures and properties): Dilaudid, Percodan, codeine, methadone, Demerol, Darvon, Talwin.


3

NARCOTICS

• Opiate– Any of the narcotic drugs produced from the opium

poppy.


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Narcotic Drug Abuse

• The abuse of narcotic drugs dates back to ancient times.

• A person under the influence of morphinelike narcotics is usually lethargic and indifferent to his or her environment and personal circumstances.

• Chronic use leads to both physical and psychological dependence.


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Narcotic Drug Abuse• Withdrawal symptoms

– Symptoms that appear shortly after a drug addict misses a scheduled dose, or fix. May include:• nausea• Sweating• Chills• physical shaking• Diarrhea• constant yawning• Insomnia• Fatigue• Restlessness• Anxiety• irritability• muscle aches and pains• stomach cramping

– The longer the addicted person is without drugs, the greater and more violent his or her withdrawal becomes.


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Withdrawal Symptoms

• Withdrawal symptoms typically reach their peak 48 to 72 hours after the last fix.

• The withdrawal runs its course, and most residual symptoms disappear in about 7 to 10 days


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Categories of Drugs• Drugs can be divided into four major categories based

on their manifest effects: narcotics, depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens.

• Two additional categories account for cannabis and inhalants

• Narcotics– Narcotics are drugs with a depressant effect on the central

nervous system.– Euphoria and a general feeling of warmth and well-being are

frequently associated with their use.– Used to relieve pain and induce sleep.


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Categories of Drugs• Depressants– Any drug used to allay irritation or nervousness;

creates lethargy in the user but may also produce a general feeling of clam and well-being.

– Commonly referred to as barbiturates and tranquilizers.

– When sedatives are used over long periods, the user may develop a tolerance and require larger doses to produce the same sense of relaxation.


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Categories of Drugs

• Stimulants– A drug with a stimulating effect on the central

nervous system, causing wakefulness and alertness while masking symptoms of fatigue.

– Commonly referred to in the vernacular as uppers, stimulants may remove inhibitions and produce a feeling of zest and excitement.

– Physical dependence does not develop, although psychological dependence is not uncommon among abusers.


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Categories of Drugs

• Hallucinogens– A drug causing changes in sensory perception to create

mind-altering hallucinations and loss of an accurate sense of time and space.

– Hallucinogens may produce the perception of heightened senses and visualization of vivid colors.

– Exaggerated feelings of fear or terror, or visions of monsters or terrifying imagined situations.

– Repeated or extensive use of hallucinogens may produce psychological dependence, and hallucinogens have been known to produce flashbacks.


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Categories of Drugs• Cannabis (Cannabis sativa)– Although sometimes considered a mild hallucinogen.– At one time, cannabis was a leading U.S. cash crop, second

only to cotton.• The northwest United States is the regional capital of

indoor marijuana cultivation. • Drug-related cannabis products include marijuana,

hashish, and hash oil. • Tetrahydrocannabinol, more commonly referred to as

THIC, is the primary psychoactive element in cannabis and cannabis-related products.


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Categories of Drugs• Inhalants– Substances that cause perceptible changes in brain function

through inhalation. • These inhalants can be further classified into four

categories:– Aerosols– Gases– Solvents– Nitrites

• Model airplane glue, colored markers, industrial and household cleaning chemicals, gasoline, paint, nitrites (poppers, snappers, and rush), and nitrous oxide.


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TYPES OF NARCOTICS• Opium– No legal restrictions on the importation or use of opium until

the early 1900s.

• Although opium is used in the form of paregoric to treat diarrhea, most opium imported into the United States is broken down into its alkaloid constituents.

• These alkaloids are divided into two distinct chemical classes:– Phenanthrenes– Isoquinolines


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TYPES OF NARCOTICS

• Heroin– Originally synthesized from morphine in 1874.– Heroin is a central nervous system depressant that

also relieves pain. – Tolerance for this drug builds up faster than for any

other opiate. – The danger of drug dependency is considerably high– Heroin was first controlled by the Harrison Act of

1914


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Heroin• Heroin is not well

absorbed if taken orally. Users, therefore, usually administer the drug by intravenous injection.

• Needle marks or tracks may be observed on an addict’s body.


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TYPES OF NARCOTICS

• Cocaine– Cocaine, the most potent stimulant of natural origin, is

extracted from the leaves of the coca plant.– Its medical applications are now mainly restricted to

operations of the ear, eye, nose, and throat.– The major source of cocaine in the United States is South

America.– Stimulation of the central nervous system and increases in

heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Because of its central nervous system effects, the drug is habit-forming.


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TYPES OF NARCOTICS

• Speedball is combining heroin and cocaine in one injection.

• Freebasing Cocaine– Separating the base of cocaine from its

hydrochloride powder.– Smoked and produce a more potent high, because

the concentration of base cocaine is much greater now that it has been freebased.


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TYPES OF NARCOTICS

• Crack Cocaine– The process of making crack cocaine involves mixing

cocaine, water, and baking powder.– The solution is heated until all the moisture has

evaporated. – The remaining cookie of combined cocaine and

baking powder is then broken into small pieces, which can be easily sold


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TYPES OF NARCOTICS

• Morphine– Morphine is the principal alkaloid of opium.– Morphine is white and comes in three main forms:

powder, cubes, and 1/8 - and ½ - grain tablets.• Thebaine– Chemically similar to both morphine and codeine,

thebaine produces stimulatory rather than depressant effects.

– oxycodone, oxymorphone, nalbuphine, naloxone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine


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TYPES OF NARCOTICS

• Codeine– Codeine is commonly found in a variety of legally

controlled medical preparations sold in the United States.

– The least addictive of the opium derivatives.– Its primary effects include dulled perception,

straying attention, and a general lack of awareness of surroundings.


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TYPES OF NARCOTICS

• Percodan– Is extremely important in medicine as an analgesic

(painkiller).• Methadone– Although chemically unlike morphine or heroin, it

produces many of the same effects and can be administered orally or by injection.

– Methadone has been widely used in the detoxification of heroin addicts and in methadone maintenance programs.


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OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS

• Stimulants– Drugs classified as stimulants directly stimulate the

central nervous system, producing excitation, a feeling of alertness, and sometimes a temporary rise in blood pressure and respiration.

– Tolerance to stimulants occurs quickly, and abusers may require larger doses to obtain comparable results.

– One-third of the drug abuse problem in the United States can be linked to prescription drugs.


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Depressants (Sedatives and Hypnotics)• The barbiturates, made from barbituric acid, constitute

the largest group of sedatives.• They are the most frequently prescribed drugs to

induce sleep and to reduce daytime tension and anxiety.

• Repeated use of barbiturates can be addicting.• Often diverted from legitimate channels. Popular

brand-name depressants bear trademarks or other identifying symbols.


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• Glutethimide (Doriden)– Believed to be a nonaddictive barbiturate substitute.– Recently, glutethimide has been illicitly used with codeine

tablets to give a heroinlike effect. Street names for this potentially lethal combination include dors and 4s and Ds and Cs.

• Methaqualone– Produce a “drunken” intoxication, and its effects can be

dangerously increased by combination with alcohol.


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OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS• Tranquilizers– Originally developed as medical aids to

psychotherapy for mental patients.– Ruhibnol - The drug is slipped into the drinks of

unsuspecting young women at parties and in bars.• Hallucinogens – Consciousness-expanding drugs– Alterations of time and space perception, illusions,

hallucinations, and delusions may be either mild or overwhelming, depending on the dose.


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OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS• LSD 25 (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide)– Dr. Albert Hofmann synthesized LSD in 1938 from a

dark purple fungus named ergot.– An average dose of LSD is a tiny speck, perhaps 30

or 40 micrograms, or about the amount one could place on the tip of a pin.

– Effects of LSD may last eight to twelve hours.

• LSD does not produce physical dependence


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OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS• PCP (Phencyclidine)

– Was originally produced as an animal tranquilizer and anesthetic.– Referred to as angel dust or dust.

• In low doses, the experience usually proceeds in three stages: – Changes in body image, sometimes accompanied by feelings of

depersonalization– Perceptual distortions, infrequently evidenced as visual or auditory

hallucinations– Feelings of apathy or estrangement

• Other Hallucinogens– Mescaline - peyote cactus– Psilocybin and Psilocyn - Psilocybe mushrooms– Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) - seeds of certain plants native to the West

Indies and parts of South America (called cohoba)


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• Marijuana (Cannabis)– Marijuana is a dried plant material obtained from

the Indian hemp plant Cannabis sativa.– Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is the actual

narcotic element of marijuana.– Marijuana is not physically addicting, and there is

no withdrawal if one suddenly stops using the drug.


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OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS• Hashish– Consists of the THC-rich resin scraped from the

leaves and buds of the marijuana plant. The resin is dried and compressed into small blocks.

– The color of hash typically ranges from brownish tan to dark brown.

– Hashish is often five or six times as potent as marijuana leaves.

• Hash Oil– Syrupy concentrate of resin produced by a process

of repeated extractions.


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OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS• Nutmeg and Mace– If used in sufficient quantity, nutmeg can induce

visual and auditory hallucinations.– Unpleasant side effects, which include nausea, sever

headaches, vomiting, tachycardia, and sensory distortion, followed by an extremely bad hangover

• Kava– Also known as ava, awa, sakaw, tonga, and yaona, – Derives from the root of a South Seas black pepper

plant, Piper methysticum.


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OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS• Designer Drugs– Substance produced in clandestine laboratories by

adding or taking away something in an existing drug’s chemical composition.

• Ice– Smokable methamphetamine– Freebase form of methamphetamine– If ice was produced with a water base (looks like

ice) it will burn quickly.– Ice with a yellowish tint is oil-based and tends to

burn slower and longer


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• Ice is much cheaper to make than crack cocaine and is both deadlier and more addictive than crack.


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• Ecstasy (MDMA)– A synthetic, psychoactive drug chemically similar to the

stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline.

• Common street names for MDMA include ecstasy, Adam, XTC, hug, beans, and love drug.

• Acts as both a stimulant and a psychedelic, producing an energizing effect as well as distortions in time and perception and enhanced enjoyment from tactile experiences.


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• Inhalants– A number of common household solvents,

cleaners, and aerosols have been used primarily by teenagers to obtain a high.

– Other materials used frequently by juveniles include gasoline, paint, and freon.


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LEGAL ASPECTS

Categories of Drug Offenses Possession

A drug offense that consists of having a controlled drug on one’s person or under one’s control such as in the house or vehicle.

Distribution Selling, trading, giving, or delivering illicit drugs, regardless

of whether one stands to profit from the transaction. Manufacturing

Any activity to cultivate, harvest, produce, process, or manufacture illegal drugs.


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The Controlled Substance Act

• Controlled substance– A drug or substance whose use and possession are

regulated under the Controlled Substance Act.

• The Controlled Substance Act (CSA), Title II of the federal Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970.

• The CSA classifies drugs into five categories, called schedules.


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INVESTIGATING ILLEGAL DRUG CASES

• Illicit drug cases generally involve the same basic investigative practices applied to other criminal violations.

• Illicit drug cases require special knowledge and familiarity with narcotics and other dangerous drugs and their applicable laws.

• Drug investigations may include open investigations, undercover field investigations, and even stings.


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Undercover Drug Operations

• The term undercover has been used as a generic label for decoy work, sting operations, and police intelligence-gathering efforts.

• There are two types of undercover work: – light cover - An undercover police operation that

extends only as long as the officer’s tour of duty.– deep cover - An undercover operation that may extend

for a long period of time, during which the officer totally assumes another identity.


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Informants and Other Aids

• The use of informants to obtain information, leads, or evidence in police work is common practice.

• Usefulness of informants


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Probable Cause and Searches

• Probable cause– Reasonable grounds to believe that a person should

be arrested or searched or that a person’s property should be searched or seized.

• Probable cause can also be understood as occurring when a person of average intelligence and foresight (ordinary prudence) is led to believe that a crime has been committed


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Searches of Persons

• In the interest of self-protection– Terry v. Ohio (1968) – “Terry Stop”– Police have the authority to detain a person briefly

for questioning even without probable cause if they have reason to believe the person may have been involved in a crime.

– This detention does not constitute an arrest; however, the officer is entitled to frisk or pat down the individual to ensure the officer’s personal safety.


42

Searches of Vehicles

• Carrol v. United States– Supreme Court established clear distinctions among

searches of people, vehicles, and premises.– A warrantless search of a vehicle was legitimate,

provided the officer had probable cause to believe the vehicle contained evidence or contraband.

– Chimel v. California (1969).• Area within the arrestee’s immediate control, or that area

within which he or she might reach a weapon.


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Stop, Question, and Frisk

• Terry Stop• Such frisks are intended to determine whether a

subject is armed for the safety of the officer.• Officers can typically search limited to the

passenger compartment, within approximately an arm’s length from where the occupant or driver had been seated.


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Search of a Vehicle Incident to an Arrest

• If an operator or a subject riding in the vehicle is arrested, a search incident to this lawful arrest may be undertaken.

• Impound and inventory of the contents of the vehicle.


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Exigent Circumstances

• Emergency situations in which a reasonable person is led to believe that entry (or other relevant prompt action) is necessary to prevent physical harm to an officer or other person(s), the destruction of relevant evidence, the escape of a suspect, or some other consequence that will impede lawful police actions.


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Searches of Premises

• Search carefully• Collect evidence legally• Beware of bobby traps


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Arrest Situations

• Gathering intelligence– One does not have to be arrested immediately

when seen making a drug buy.– Whenever drug arrests are planned or made,

certain procedures should be followed.

Documents

Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Chapter 21. Copyright ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 2 NARCOTICS Narcotic – Any drug that produces