Classifying Drugs, Psychopharmacological Properties and Legal Classifications Flashcards
psychopharmacology
study of the effects of psychoactive drugs on the human mind and body
Psychological aspect
*distinguishes psychoactive drugs from other substances
* primary effects are on the CNS, altering thoughts and behaviours
Pharmacological
* chemical structure of substances and their effects
Takes a morally neutral view of substances
* different understanding of substances and their effects
* who is using and how they act when using
* psycoactive substances have positive and negative effects
Opioids (8 examples)
- slows down CNS
- provides analgesic and calming effects
- produces euphoria
examples
* Codeine
* fentanyl
* heroin
* methadone
* morphine
* opium
* oxycodone
* oxyContin
depressants (6 examples)
- slows down CNS
- Produces euphoria
examples
* alcohol
* barbiturates
* benzodiazepines
* GHB
* inhalants
* solvents
stimulants (7 examples)
- speeds up CNS
- produces euphoria
examples
* amphetamines
* bath salts
* caffeine
* cocaine
* khat
* methamphetamines
* nicotine
hallucinogens (6 examples)
- produces sensory distortions and cross-sensory stimulation
- produces disconnection between physical world and perceptions of it
examples
* ecstasy (MDMA)
* ketamine
* LSD
* mescaline
* PCP
* peyote
Cannabis (4 examples)
- can have slight depressive effects on CNS
- mild euphoria
- distorted sensory perceptions
examples
* Cannabis flower
* hasish
* edibles
* concentrates and extracts
psychotherapeutic agents
- levels mood or reduces extreme emotional states
- moves user towards homeostasis
examples
* antidepressants
* antipsychotics
* mood stabilizers
performance enhanced drugs
- enhances physical performance
- No psychoactive effect on CNS
examples
* proteins
* steroids
* other hormonal agents
About the pharmacological classifications
- Book combines psychotherapeutic agents and performance enhancing drugs
- does not correspond to the schedules of substances outlined in Canada’s controlled Drugs and substances act
paradox:
* substances with similar effects carry different legal penalties for possession, trafficking, importing, exporting, or production
Canada’s controlled drugs and substances act
- federal law
- regulates production, distribution and sale of controlled substances to protect public health and safety
Canada’s controlled drugs and substances act’s classification of psychoactive drugs
Schedules 1,3,4,5,6,9
- schedules 2,7,8 were repealed with cannabis legalization
schedule 1
150 different substances
- opium, amphetamines, methamphetamines
- PCP, ketamine, MDMA…
Harshest penalties for
* possession
* trafficking
* importing and exporting
* production
schedule 3
31 different substances including some amphetamines, sedatives, hypnotics, hallucinogens,
psychedelics, stimulants, antidepressants
- stimulants for weight loss, euphoria, pain, cough suppression, LSD
penalties are all less than schedule one
schedule 4
130 different substances
* barbiturates and benzos
* anabolic steroids
* synthetic opioids not in Schedule 1
penalties
* less than schedule 3
* possession is not regulated
schedule 5
currently precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl-related substances
penalties
* not specified
schedule 6
precursor substances used to manifacture illicit and other psychoactive substances
penalties
* not regulated except for importing and exporting
* penalties = schedule 3 for this
schedule 9
designated devices used to compact or mould tablets or fill capsules
penalties
* possession = schedule 3
* trafficking and production not regulated
* device must be registered for import or export
opioids AKA narcotics
- derived from opium poppy or synthesized with similar chemical structure
- depressant effect on CNS
- mask human response to pain
distinguised from other psychoactive substances by
* ability to produce physical and psychological dependency
* analgesic effect
* intense euphora (most opiods)
- very useful medically
three categories
* natural
* semi-synthetic
* synthetic
natural opioids
in use since 4000 BCE
- derived directly from poppy plant
three most common
* opium
* morphine
* codeine
natural opioids: Opium
- raw, milky substance extracted from unripe seeds of poppy plants
- usually smoked using a pipe
- no longer used medically
morphine
discovered and named in 1805
* primary active ingredient in opium
* 10 times stronger than opium
codeine
- derivative of opium for analgesic effects, cough suppressant, antidiarrheal agent
- useful medically because of effectiveness and ability to be combines with non-opioid analgesics
- less popular recreationally because of relative non-potency
semi-synthetic opioids
combination of naturally-occurring opioids with other chemical substances
two most common
* heroin
* oxycodone
heroin
* most prohibited opioid globally
* developed in 1874
* derived from morphine with two additional chemicals
* 3 times more potent than morphine
* limited clinical use in Canada for people who don’t respond to methadone
oxycodone
first manufactured in 1938
- synthesixed from part of opium plant
- chemically similar to codeine but more potent
- used medcially for moderate to severe pain management
- leads to physical and psychological dependency
oxycontin: time-released version of oxycodone
* introduced in 1995
* initially believed slow-release component would decrease dependency
* heavily marketed to doctors
* driver of today’s opioid crisis
oxycodone + aspirin = Percodan
oxycodone + acetaminophen = percocet
synthetic opioids
no origin in poppy plant but simmilar effects to semi-synthetic and natural opioids
- many different types
- two main types: fentanyl and methadone
fentanyl:
* used in medical settings for pain
* popular bc on street it is 100 times stronger than heroin
* increases chances of death from street drugs
methadone
* doesn’t produce euphoric effect of other opioids
* used as a maintenance or substitution therapy (treatment and maintenance) for opioid use disorder
opioids legal classification and penalties
most are on schedule 1 of CDSA
* penalties for possession, trafficking, importing or exporting, producing
* penalties range from 6 months to life in prison
two synthetic opioids are on schedule 4
* butorphanol and nalbuphine
* no logical rationale for this
depressants
wide ranging category
* culturally acceptable: alcohol
* medically useful but potentially dangerous: Barbiturates and Benzodiazepines
* important uses
* but dangerous when used recreationally: inhalants and solvents
effects similar to opioids: slowing down of CNS and PNS
* respiratory systems slows
* heart rate decreases
* thought processes slow down
* reaction time decreases
can produce euphoria, relaxation, and dull pain
alcohol
long history
* mead from honey: 8000 BCE
* beer and berry wine: 6400 BCE
* grape wine: 300-400 BCE
all involve fermentation and sometimes distillation of ethyl alcohol (ethanol)
people believe alcohol increases happiness, makes them more social, and makes them willing to do things they might not otherwise do, though this is affected by social setting and expectations
- high level of toxicity
- alcohol in combination with other psychoactive drugs can be very risky
Barbiturates
- developed at beginning of 20th century to aid with sleep and reduce anxiety
- became popular in 1960s and 1970s for help with modern-day stress and anxiety
- as little as 2-4 weeks of regular use can lead to physical and psychological dependence
- most severe withdrawal of all psychoactive drugs
- risk of fatality with immediate withdraw or overdose
examples
* pentobarbital
* phenobarbital
* primidone
Benzodiazepines
developed by pharmaceutical companies as safer, non-addictive barbiturates to reduce anxiety and help with sleep
- can cause physcial or psychological dependence within 4 weeks
- when mixed with methadone, can produce euphoria
Rohypnol (flunitrazepam)
* when mixed with alcohol, quickly induces significant intoxication, temporarily blackout and memory impairment
examples
* alprazolam (xanax)
* diazepam (Valium)
* lorazepam (Activan)
inhalants and solvents
dispensed and inhaled in vapour form
two major groupings: organic anaesthetic
organic
* susbtances legally available but not meant for human consumption (gasoline, paint, cleaning products, glues)
* young people are most likely to use because they are readily available unlike other substances
anaesthetic
* legally approved for medical use, but also used recreationally to produce euphoria (ether, chloroform, nitrous oxide)
- some of the few drugs that do actually produce permanent brain damage when misused
legal classification and penalties
complex topic
alcohol: most widely used depressant, yet not controlled or regulated under CDSA
several benzos, barbiturates, some sedatives and hypnotics are controlled and regulated under schedule 3 and 4 of CDSA
possession of some depressants might lead to significant punishment, while possession of substances that are pharmacologically similar might not
some depressant solvents are controlled under schedule 6 (precursor substances)
* but schedule 6 is only concerned with important and exporting so possession and use are not punished
GHB and Rohypnol are on Schedule 1, despite most similar depressants being on schedule 6
* no justification, but likley because of their use in sexual assault
* alcohol is used more often in sexual assaults but it is not controlled under CDSA
stimulants
- cocaine
- amphetamines (including methampetamines)
- nicotine
- caffeine
cocaine
originates in coca plant, primarily grown in South American Andes mountains
* used for centuries by Indigenous people
- isolated in 1860: seen as therapeutic
- most used recreationally
two types:
* powder: usually snorted, can be injected or smoked if modified
* crack: usually heated and inhaled
large differences in societal views and legality based on demographics of people who use
CDSA schedule 1
amphetamines (including methamphetamines)
- synthetic substances derived in labs
- developed to mimic adrenaline
- medically used for narcolepsy, weight loss, and ADHD (ritalin, adderall)
paradoxical effect: using a stimulant to control ADHD
increased popularity among students
* but not effective in improving long-term or overall performance
meth
* popular recreationally because powerful rush of euphoria
- other deisgner of club drugs: bath salts
- many are on CDSA schedule 1 and some on schedule 3
minor stimulants
nicotine:
* psychoactive agent found in tobacco
* stimulates, then depresses brain and nervous system activity
* E-cigarettes allow for ingestion without tobacco
* highly addictive physically and psychologically
* not in CDSA: limited controls regulating sales
caffeine
* found in coffee, tea, soda, chocolate, energy drinks
* increases wakefulness
* potential for dependence and withdrawal
* often not seen as a drug
* 80% of Canadians consume regularly
* not in CDSA, no controls regulating sales
hallucinogens
- health and social effects widely debated
- produce disconnect between physical world and how people perceive the physical world
- some see them as mind-expanding and even spiritual
- do not produce physical dependency
- new research on MDMA on PTSD and Ketamine on depression
- regular use leads to tachyphylaxis, rapid development of tolerance
Hallucinogens examples
natural hallucinogens
* peyote, psilocybin aka shrooms
* schedule 3 of CDSA
semi-synthetic hallucinogen: LSD
* derived from fungus on rye plants
* most potent hallucinogen
* schedule 3
synthetic hallucinogens
* amphetamine-based drugs developed by pharmaceutical companies
* PCP, MDMA, ketamine
* schedule 1 of CDSA
cannabis
- among most consumed drug globally
- rapid change from prohibition to legalization and regulation in North America and elsewhere
- legalization vs decrimilization
- medical use is claimed, but little empirical support
- can affect brain development
claimed to be the “gateway drug”
* inevitable fallacy
* causal fallacy
inevitability fallacy
people who use cannabis either leads to:
* people who use hard drug
* or people who do not use hard drugs
causal fallacy
causal argument
* cannabis users progress to more potent drugs because they are unsatisfied with the high from cannabis
alternative explanations
* breaking the law by using cannabis makes it easier to break law to use other drugs??
* beginning cannabis use puts one is a subculture that makes it more likely to use other drugs??
Psychotherapeutic agents
- alter thought processes, mood, and emotional reactions to environment
- intended use is for diagnosed mental health conditions
- can produce unpleasant side effects
- effects take time to come about, not really used recreationally
three categories
* antipsychotics: Haldol, Largactil, Serpasil
* antidepressants: Wellbutrin, effexor, Cymbalta
* mood stabilizers: Eskalith, tegretol, depakene
most aren’t in the CDSA, some antidepressants on schedule 3
performance-enhancing drugs
- aren’t psychoactive but use a global issue
- used to build muscle and improve physical performance
- mimic substances produced naturally in body
major types
* proteins
* anabolic androgenic steroids: artificial form of testosterone
* human growth hormones
50 anabolic steroids are in schedule 4 of CDSA
the problem with drug effects and legal classifications
- criminalization is not effective so not justified
- lack of justification for some substances on different schedules with divergent penalties
- psychoactive drugs far more complex than law suggests
