cannabis and caffeine

Question 1

what is the age that cannabis/marijuana starts to be used?

Answer 1

18 years old

Question 2

outline Brooks et al (1999) study into

Answer 2

• conducted longitudinal study
• assessed 776 ppts from New York
• found a correlation between cannabis use and usage of other drugs
• could argue cannabis is a gateway drug

Question 3

what risk factors were identified that predispose individuals to use cannabis regularly?

(Gruber & Pope, 2002)

(motivations that moves users from initial to regular)

Answer 3

• family disturbances
• drug use by family/peers
• school performance
• age of onset

Question 4

define tolerance

Answer 4

with multiple uses of that drug, you may need an increased dosage to reach the same effects

repeated exposure to drugs builds tolerance

Question 5

what did Compton et al. (1990) find in human studies and tolerance?

Answer 5

found tolerance observed following repeated administration of marijuana or pure THC

Question 6

what did Kirk & de Wit (1999), Lindgren et al (1981) find in human studies and tolerance?

Answer 6

found same level of ‘high’ in light/infrequent users compared to heavy/frequent users

Question 7

what does research in human studies show about tolerance?

Answer 7

results are mixed as to whether tolerance develops with drugs in humans

Question 8

outline Breivogel et al (1999) rat study into drug tolerance

Answer 8

• administered daily injection of THC
• over a 3 week period
• found progressive reduction in CB1 receptor density
• found cannabis agonist receptor activity
• found some brain areas = totally desensitised in 3 weeks
• shows tolerance building over regular drug use

Question 9

define ‘dependence’ in relation to drugs

Answer 9

using a substance to the point of needing it to maintain optimal function

there are physiological effects on behaviour of withdrawing/not taking substance

Question 10

identify signs of dependence

Answer 10

1/ difficulty taking substance

2/ craving for substance

3/ withdrawal symptoms when not taking substance

Question 11

identify what abstinence of drugs triggers

Answer 11

• irritability
• anxiety
• depression
• sleep
• disturbances
• aggressiveness
• decreased appetite

Question 12

outline Aceto et al. (1996) study into precipitated withdrawal

Answer 12

• precipitate withdrawal = gradually withdraw drug
• administered THC injections twice daily in rats
• rats then given SR 141716 (CB1 receptor antagonist)
• when cannabis withdrawn, rats showed symptoms of hyperactivity (shaking, face rubbing, scratching)
• shows signs of withdrawal in dependent rats

Question 13

identify some treatments for drug tolerance & dependence

Answer 13

CBT

cognitive behavioural therapy

• ppts rewarded with vouchers for providing cannabis-free urine sample

Question 14

what did Moore & Budney (2003) find about relapsing and withdrawal?

Answer 14

• found significant relapse in initial stages of withdrawal
• in first 30 days of abstinence, likely to relapse into first use

Question 15

what did Haney et al. (2004) find in regards to withdrawal symptoms being eased?

Answer 15

• withdrawal symptoms can be eased by oral consumption of THC
• useful in short-term
• hard to achieve long-term abstinence with this treatment

Question 16

identify psychological effects of cannabis use as found by Lynsky & Hall (2000)

Answer 16

chronic cannabis use has effect on education performance:

• more negative attitudes about school
• poorer grades
• increased absence from school

Amotivational syndrome:
- apathy
- aimlessness
- lack of productivity

Question 17

identify psychological effects of cannabis use as found by Fergusson et al. (2003)

Answer 17

• regular cannabis use early in life predicts poor school performance and drop-out rates

Question 18

identify psychological effects of cannabis use as found by Solowij et al. (2002)

Answer 18

• found cognitive deficits in long-term users of cannabis
• standardised tests of learning, memory and attention administered
• found long-term users deficient 1 and 7 days after exposure

Question 19

identify psychological effects of cannabis use as found by Pope et al. (2001)

Answer 19

• found no difference between heavy users of cannabis and control group after 28 days

Question 20

identify health effects of cannabis use

Answer 20

• more tar and carbon monoxide in a joint compared to cigarette
• THC suppresses immune function
• THC increases risk of bacterial infection
• smoking in women suppresses luteinising hormone (LH) release
• smoking in men reduces sperm count in men (heavy users)

Question 21

what are some clinical applications of cannabis?

Answer 21

chemical compounds: dronabinol and nabilone used in medicinal purposes

dronabinol = antiemetic for chemo patients
nabilone = appetite stimulant in AIDS patients

cannabis used for chronic pain in MS, spinal cord injury, glaucoma

Question 22

what are the 2 main sources of caffeine?

Answer 22

coffee
tea

Question 23

what is the average adult daily intake of caffeine?

Answer 23

200 - 400 mg

Question 24

how do kids consume caffeine?

Answer 24

• chocolate
• soft drinks

Question 25

how is caffeine absorbed into the body?

Answer 25

• absorbed through gastrointestinal tract
• takes 30 - 60 minutes

Question 26

what is caffeine converted to by the liver?

Answer 26

converted into metabolites

Question 27

how is caffeine excreted?

Answer 27

• 95% excreted in urine
• 2-5% excreted in faeces
• rest excreted through saliva

Question 28

what behavioural effect does caffeine have?

Answer 28

caffeine has biphasic effect

Question 29

define biphasic effect

Answer 29

when a substance acts in two different ways as concentration increases

Question 30

how does caffeine have a biphasic effect?

Answer 30

• a low dose of caffeine = stimulant, increasing locomotor activity
• a high dose of caffeine = decrease in activity

Question 31

outline Smith et al. (1999) study into caffeine being more than just an arouser

Answer 31

• had ppts abstain from coffee, tea etc.
• gave ppts either a caffeinated or decaffeinated drink
• tested on variety of cognitive tasks

in caffeine group:
- more alert
- less tense
- decreased reaction time with and without distractors

in decaffeinated group: (compared to caffeinated group)
- less alert
- more tense
- quicker reaction times

Question 32

outline Griffiths & Mumford (1995) study into tolerance and dependence in caffeine

Answer 32

• studied 3 groups of ppts
• caffeine maintenance group = consume caffeine capsules, this increased from 100mg to 200mg in second week of study
  FOUND -> increased caffeine consumption during study showing development of tolerance
• placebo group = sugar tablet
  FOUND -> caffeine intake did not increase, no development of tolerance
• caffeine withdrawal group = received caffeine pills for first two weeks and then placebo
  FOUND -> reported more withdrawal symptoms, indicating development of dependence

Question 33

identify health effects of chronic caffeine consumption

Answer 33

• increased blood pressure
• increased coronary heart disease
• decreased infant birth weight