Nicotine, Tabacco, THC Flashcards
Deadly Facts of Tabacco.
Most dangerous substance, kills more than anything else, kills 480 K people per year in North America.
It lowers life expectancy by 10 years (can luckily get them back by quiting by the age of 30).
It accounts for 6-15% of health care costs.
Smoking tobacco is early days.
First by Indigenous.
It was rare, for special occasions, in clubs. It was expensive and harsh because of its acidic taste.
What factors contributed to the increase of tobacco smoking.
Production costs lowered because it was being rolled by a machine rather than by hand.
Flue-curing reduced the harshness. This caused people to inhale and hold it for longer, making it more dangerous.
Cigarettes became addictive.
Facts about nicotine
It takes 2 mg per cigarette to addict a smoker.
It acts on the acetacholyne receptors.
At low doses, it is an agonist, this makes it becomes a stimulant by amplifying signals.
At high doses, it is an antagonist, it becomes a relaxant by weakening signals.
It stimulates a dopamine release, an addictive feeling.
Its lethal dose is 60 mg.
What are the toxic substances in tobacco smoke?
Carbon monoxide - it blocks oxygen transport by binding to hemoglobin (whose sole job is to transport O2) which damages the heart tissue, causes more deaths in smokers than cancer does.
Strong carcinogens - they cause mutations in genes which then causes cancer.
Tobacco advertising
Targeted men at first. Praying on the desire to fit in and be “cool”
Used movies as marketing.
Then, it was targeted towards women and mothers. They also prayed on the fact that women wanted to be slim.
Engineering of cigarettes.
Chemical additives to control burn rate and ensure it stays lit.
The filter doesn’t work. No filters work.
The vent holes work to create a vacuum.
Light cigarettes.
Are not lighter or safer. Addicts will do anything to get their 2 mg of nicotine.
E-cigarettes.
Estimated to be 95% safer than smoking cigarettes.
Uses a heater to generate vapour from e-juice.
Contains a solvent (is a carcinogen), nicotine (sometimes an illegal amount), artificial flavouring (can be dangerous - one flavour causes popcorn lung).
Make to deliver the hit of nic slower. But vape salts were designed to mimic the hit of cigarettes, making it just as or more addicting and dangerous.
There is a danger of overconsumption.
Companies are too fast with their technology and new flavours for them to be tested properly.
What are the 2 active ingredients in Cannabis?
THC and cannabidiol.
The uses and effects of THC. (driving, in vape pens, various forms)
Relieve pain. Treat anorexia. Sativex is used to mutiple sclerosis.
It impairs memory and slows reaction time (which is why you can’t drive while high off of it). It also stays in system for up to 30 days.
Smoking it still releases carcinogens and can therefore create mutations and cause cancer.
Edible forms deliver a much slower hit. It is slow everywhere except from the liver to the blood.
THC in vape pens can be dangerous because vitamin E is being put in them to make them seem like they have a lot of THC. But the oil gets into the lungs and cannot be extracted. So, the oil prevents gas transportation to lungs and will destroy the lungs.
Heavy use of it can lead to schizophrenia because it releases dopamine.
Cannabidiol
Has anti-psychotic activity.
Can cause Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (C.H.S.) which causes abdominal pain, nausea, and vomitting.
Delta-8 Cannabinoid
Is a different form. Is synthetic. Falls under legality loophole.
