Introduction

Question 1

psychoactive drug use in Canada has….

Answer 1

decreased but alcohol use has increased

Question 2

opiate toxicity deaths in Canada has….

Answer 2

increased over the years. might have a covid related impact

Question 3

one of the first mentions of substances is in the

Answer 3

bible (noah)

Question 4

what were used for recreation and pain relief in the 18th and 19th century?

Answer 4

opium and laudanum (opium in alcohol). there were 2 opium wars (biritsh and european won)

Question 5

2 important advances that allowed widespread use of morphine and heroin?

Answer 5

mid 19th century = chemical and technical advancements created more powerful substances produced cheaply and more available

heroin developed from opium as a less addictive form of morphine - inhibits coughing reflex

Question 6

what was used to treat fatigue and other issues?

Answer 6

cocaine. very efficient as a local anaesthetic.

Question 7

psychostimulant drugs were used in armies to…

Answer 7

stimulate soldiers and reduce anxiety. this is the reason why the soldiers acted like nothing can stop them since they were pumped with methamphetamine.

Question 8

Pure Food and Drug Act (1906)

Answer 8

most impact on reducing drug addiction in US. all medicine bottles had to have all ingredients clearly labelled. reduced amount of substances available over the counter and the number of dependent people

Question 9

Harrison Act (1914)

Answer 9

addressed mostly opioids and cocaine, it was a tax. even though it was really cheap to produce there was a tax put on it so it wasn’t cheap to produce due to the tax
Would get charged not for having drugs on you but for tax evasion

Question 10

18th Constitutional Amendment ( Alcohol prohibition)

Answer 10

amendment banned the dispensing of anything with more than 0.55 alcohol. there was an immediate drop but when the amendment was removed, the numbers rose again. organized crime became more organized to smuggle alcohol better. even before the amendment, there was a reduction in the consumption of alcohol.

Question 11

Marijuana Tax Act (1937)

Answer 11

In canada, possession of cannabis became illegal in 1961. cannabis that wasnt for medicinal use was prohibited. the new federal bureau of narcotics found no evidence of marijuana being a dangerous drug so this act was declared non-constitutional in 1969

Question 12

Opium Act of 1908

Answer 12

first act against drugs that prohibited selling but not using.

Question 13

tolerance

Answer 13

• 2 definitions: reduced effect of the same dose(lower impact over repeated exposure) or increase the dose to get the same effect
• higher dose and higher frequency causes tolerance to develop faster
• LSD has rapid tolerance and barbiturates have very little tolerance
• tolerance develops to particular effects of the substance (pain reducing effects of morphine, nausea and vomiting effects of opiates)
• inhibition of breathing centre develops tolerance = reason for opiate overdose
• constipation does not develop tolerance
• tolerance is almost reversible for almost every drug

Question 14

mechanisms of tolerance

Answer 14

3 mechanisms
Metabolic (dispositional), physiological (pharmacodynamic), behavioural (conditioned)

Question 15

Metabolic (dispositional) tolerance

Answer 15

related to half life. drugs are removed from circulation by enzymes (ex: p450). The more enzymes there are, the quicker it will be removed. With repeated exposures, more of the enzyme is being produced meaning the drug will be cleared quicker. That’s why it seems when you take more of the drug there is less of an effect since there is less drug reaching the target area

Question 16

physiological (pharmacodynamic) tolerance

Answer 16

changes in the target area. interacts with special proteins called receptors - involves cellular and molecular changes. the body learns how to deal with this repeated exposure by changing the targets. there is a change receptors - a reduction of density at the surface.

Question 17

behavioural (conditioned) tolerance

Answer 17

learning mechanism, conditioning effect. classical conditioning, operant conditioning leading to tolerance. sensitive to context - increases the risk for overdose if taking drug in a new environment

Question 18

sensitization

Answer 18

increases the impact of the drug. repeated exposure to the substance shows an increase of the effect of the substance. easiest to show locomotor sensitization. if the dose is too large, get the opposite effect which is tolerance. once sensitization develops, not easy to reverse (stays for a long time). there is cross sensitization between drugs like cocaine and amphetamine and stress.

Question 19

sensitization mechanisms

Answer 19

2 mechanisms = physiological adaptation and conditioned effects

Question 20

physiological adaptation (cellular and molecular)

Answer 20

the brain adapts - it changes. in extreme cases, 1 exposure is enough to cause long term changes at the molecular and cellular level

Question 21

conditioned effects

Answer 21

impact of the environment. exposing subject to psychostimulant in home environment is difficult to show sensitization. sensitization procedure works bests in a novel environment.

Question 22

experiment showing sensitization

Answer 22

the effects of repeated administration of amphetamine on locomotor activity in rats was tested to show sensitization. exposing amphetamine through IV (remove any other cues - animals dont know theyre getting drug). had a saline control group. there was 7 days of repeated exposure followed by 7 untreated days. amphetamine challenge showed that the group that got amphetamine in novel environment had a higher impact when re-exposed to amphetamine showing sensitization in the novel group.

Question 23

withdrawal symptoms

Answer 23

physiological and psychological changes that occur when drug use is stopped or dose decreased. intensity is different depending on the drug. heroin and alcohol has severe withdrawal symptoms. withdrawal from alcohol can kill you. withdrawal from marijuana has mild to no symptoms.

Question 24

DSM opioid use disorder criteria

Answer 24

need only 2 of the presented symptoms within 12 months. many combinations possible. both tolerance and withdrawal are not sufficient for substance use disorder. impaired control, social impairment, risky use of drug, pharmacological criteria.

Question 25

what is addiction

Answer 25

its a range. there are borders between conditions - risky substance use, substance use disorder, addiction. the most severe case is addiction.

Question 26

schedule of drugs

Answer 26

1. no accepted medical use and high abuse potential (heroin, MDMA, LSD, PCP)
2. high abuse potential with severe psychic or physical dependence (cocaine, meth, ritalin, oxycodone) - some of these are prescribed
3. less abuse potential (ketamine, low dose codeine)
4. abuse potential less than previous schedules (valium, xanax)
5. less abuse potential (cough suppressants - most have opioids to inhibit breathing centres and coughing reflex)