Illegal Drugs Flashcards
What are 6 ways to classify drugs?
1) Natural drugs: used since ancient times, often plant origin
2) Synthetic drugs: misuse of pharmaceutical research (abuse of solvents)
3) Semi-synthetic drugs: modified natural compounds
4) Depressants: inhibits the central nervous system
5) Hallucinogens: causes sensory distortion (cannabis, LCD etc)
6) Stimulants: promote the central nervous system
What kind of drug is cannabis? What are its effects? (2)
It is a natural drug (herbal material from cannabis sativa).
1) Multiple effects on the central nervous system
2) Reported to be effective against side effects of chemotherapy
How is cannabis detected?
Detect active ingredient (delta 8-tetrahydrocannabinol) in samples by HPLC
What is cocaine? (3)
1) Stimulant: used for stamina, especially at high altitudes
2) Is a base that reacts with an acid to form a salt (cocaine hydrochloride) - white powder that is snorted or injected
3) When neutralised, it will form free base cocaine (crack cocaine) - smoked, snorted, injected
What is the difference between opium, morphine, heroin and diamorphine?
Opium: raw product from the poppy plant
Morphine: active chemical in opium (natural)
Heroin: diacetyl derivative of morphine, often impure
Diamorphine: pure diacetyl derivative of morphine
How is heroin produced? How does it work?
Contains diacetylmorphine/diamorphine (reacting morphine with acetic anhydride), which is more potent than morphine.
Acetyl groups in diamorphine speeds up transport of molecules in the body. Hence, it has a much greater effect than morphine (higher concentration of the drug in the brain in a much shorter time)
How do we know if two samples of heroin are from the same source?
Heroin may contain related compounds (like codeine), unrelated compound (papaverine), and cutting (mixed) agents (sugar). Analysis of impurities can show if two samples came from the same source.
What is the Codeine defense?
if one has a lot of morphine in their body, they can say that it was derived from codeine (cough medicine), but is not a great defense because it takes a long time for codeine to be converted into morphine
What is Lysergic Acid Diethyamide (LSD)?
Semi-synthetic derivative of alkaloids from rivea corymbosa (a vine in south America). It is a patent hallucinogen: disrupting communication between neurons
What are amphetamines?
Stimulants, synthetic compounds
How is amphetamine controlled?
Its precursor chemicals are banned
How do we determine the way amphetamine is produced?
Its synthesis leaves characteristic impurities. Detecting by-products of amphetamine production can determine the way it was produced.
What is Ketamine?
A synthetic hallucinogen. Solid/liquid that is ingested, smoked, injected. Originally an anaesthetic, but now is only used in vetenirary.
What are Analogs?
compounds that are structurally similar to the original drug & intended to have a similar or better effect
What are New Psychoactive substances (NPS)?
Drugs that are similar but not identical to the illegal drug that people keep making to avoid legal penalty
