Psychoactive Substances

1. Psychoactive Substances Student Interests/Questions

2. Cocaine • Extracted from coca plant • CNN Interactive • Stimulant • Schedule II drug

3. Cocaine: Interesting Stuff • In late 1800’s was prescribed by US physicians • Cough drops • Coca-Cola had cocaine removed in early 1900’s • Cocaine wine was available

4. Cocaine Availability • According to DEA, second most commonly used illegal substance • South America is primary source • Other countries involved with transportation • Generally supervised via Colombia • Most cocaine enters US via Mexico • Price depends on purity (50-70%), form of cocaine

5. Cocaine Forms • Powdered form • Snorted • Dissolved in water, injected • ($10-40K per kg) • Processed in rock form • Smoked ($3-$50 per rock) • The faster a drug can enter the brain, the more it will be abused

6. Cocaine Effects • Increased heart rate, blood pressure, temperature • Improved mood, well-being • Short-lived (few minutes to few hours) • Increased sensation of energy • Chronic users may experience bloody noses (damage to septum), brain adaptations to cocaine-induced dopamine effects

7. Cocaine Overdose • Seizures • Heart attack • Stroke • Kidney failure • Death • In 2002, hospitals reporting cocaine-mentioned ER cases: 199,198

8. Cocaine Withdrawal • Withdrawal: Symptoms experienced by user when substance is not used • Apathy • Fatigue • Depression/mood swings • Cravings for drug • Not as intense as withdrawal from heroin, alcohol

9. Cocaine Tolerance • Tolerance: A need to increase the dosage of a substance to obtain the same effects • Thought to increase with heavy use initially • Tolerance may not continue to develop

10. Cocaine Dependence • Dependence: Compulsion to take a substance despite adverse consequences • Emphasis appears to be on psychological rather than physical dependence • Rats and self-administration

11. Methamphetamine

12. About Methamphetamine • Stimulant • Limited medical use: narcolepsy, weight control • Schedule II drug

13. Methamphetamine Availability • Historically existed as independent laboratories • DEA: In 2001, 12,715 labs reported • Increasingly, methamphetamine is available via Mexican drug trafficking organizations • $3,500-$23,000 per pound • Purity has been reduced, perhaps due to regulation

14. Methamphetamine Forms • Snorted, smoked, orally ingested, injected • Crystal meth typically smoked or ingested

15. Methamphetamine Effects • Intense high/euphoria • May last up to 12 hours • Increased blood pressure • Increased sensation of energy, alertness • Chronic users may experience hallucinations, rage, paranoia, heart lining inflammation, sores from “crank bugs”; damage to dopamine-, serotonin-containing nerve cells

16. Methamphetamine Overdose • Dangerous increase in blood pressure • Sweating • Seeing spots (increased pressure in eye) • Convulsions • Heart attack • Stroke • In 2002, hospitals reporting methamphetamine-mentioned ER cases: 17,696

17. Methamphetamine Tolerance, Dependence • With chronic use, tolerance develops • Higher dose • Increased frequency • Different administration • Physical, Psychological dependence can develop

18. Methamphetamine Withdrawal • Depression • Fatigue • Anxiety • Paranoia • Craving

19. Opium

20. About Opium • Narcotic • Produced from opium poppy • Heroin originates from opium • Other narcotics (“opiates”) • Used in Asia historically to stop diarrhea • Schedule II

21. Opium Availability • Asia has been primary producer • Opium poppy growth occurs in South America • Mexico grows little opium, but crop converted to heroin • Much of US heroin availability

22. Opium Forms • Raw (pictured) for oral ingestion • Prepared from raw form for smoking

23. Opium Effects • Euphoria • Analgesia • Relaxation • Nausea, vomiting, dizziness

24. Transformation: Opium to Heroin • Opium poppies grown • After blooming, seed pods form • Sap from pods is extracted • Farmer collects extract; entrance into black market • Product refined into a morphine base (smokable) • Heroin produced from morphine bricks

25. Heroin

26. About Heroin • Narcotic • Synthesized from morphine in late 1800’s • Morphine synthesized from opium poppy • Was thought to be less addictive • Schedule I

27. Heroin Availability • Produced largely in Burma, Afghanistan • Routes, methods of transportation depend on origin • US heroin increasingly obtained from South America, Mexico • Costs vary across US (Asian vs Mexican heroin) • $15K-$250K per kilogram

28. Heroin Forms • Pure heroin is white • Most is darker • Additives • Impurities • Injection, smoking, snorting

29. Heroin Effects • Euphoria • Slow, shallow respiration • Analgesia • Stupor • Long-term effects: collapsed veins, respiratory problems

30. Heroin Overdose • Frequently occurs when mixing with other substances • In 2001, hospitals reporting heroin-mentioned ER cases: 93,064

31. Heroin Tolerance, Dependence, Withdrawal • With regular use, tolerance develops • Dependence is both physical and psychological • Withdrawal symptoms can be severe • Craving • Restlessness, insomnia • Pain • Diarrhea • Vomiting • Can be fatal among heavy users • Methadone can be used to treat withdrawal

32. Rohypnol

33. About Rohypnol • Depressant • ‘Low-cost’ • $5/tablet • “Date Rape” drug • More commonly seen in southern US • Schedule III (some states Schedule I)

34. Rohypnol Effects • Oral ingestion, snorting, injection • Frequently combined with alcohol • Muscle relaxation • Drowsiness/loss of consciousness • Memory impairment/amnesia • Nightmares • Confusion

35. Other “date rape” drugs…

36. GHB • Depressant • Schedule I • Manufactured in clandestine labs in US • Contents can vary dramatically • Ingestion: powder dissolved in liquid • Effects similar to Rohypnol; hallucinations also occur

37. Ketamine • Hallucinogen • Schedule III • Can be mixed in drinks, smoked, injected • $25 per dose • Changes in perception; dissociative effects; loss of coordination; numbness; analgesic

38. Ketamine, GHB Ketamine & GHB

39. LSD

40. About LSD • Hallucinogen • Synthesized in 1930’s; derived from a fungus • Very small amounts are very potent • Dose = 20-80 micrograms • Schedule I

41. About LSD • Discovered by Albert Hoffman • “Last Friday, April 16,1943, I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant intoxicated-like condition, characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight to be unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away.”

42. LSD Availability • Available in all states • Raves/concerts • Produced in the US • Chemists vs independent producers • Recipes available • Infrequent production cycles (USDOJ) • Few labs are discovered and seized • Kansas, 2000 (silo) • Distribution highly confidential

43. LSD Forms • Initially produced in crystal form • Crystal can be crushed, mixed with other materials into tablets: microdots • Gelatin squares aka “window panes” • Converted to liquid • Dosed onto blotter paper • Dosed onto sugar cubes • Usually taken orally • Can be inhaled, injected, applied transdermally

44. LSD Effects • Increased heart rate, blood pressure, sweating • Possible anxiety/panic • Visual hallucinations (images, color, light) • Altered perception of senses • “Seeing sounds, hearing colors” • Sound • Touch • Color, size of objects • Altered perception of time, depth

45. LSD Effects • Extreme mood changes • Nausea • Impaired judgment • Experiences can vary widely • Expectations, surroundings, pre-existing mental conditions, presence of other substances • LSD pathways unclear • serotonin

46. LSD Effects • Long-term effects: • Flashbacks (days/months after dose) • Cause unknown; may be due to use of other substances • Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder • Recurring • Psychotic states among those with psychological disorders • Apathy

47. LSD Overdose • Possible • No reported deaths • LSD implicated in accidental deaths, suicides, murders, self-inflicted wounds

48. LSD Tolerance, Dependence, Withdrawal • Tolerance • Tolerance does develop • Can abate after a few days of disuse • Dependence: Physical dependence is unlikely; psychological dependence can occur • Withdrawal: No evidence

49. Hallucinogenic Mushrooms

50. About Mushrooms • Psilocybin/psilocin are two active psychoactive substances found in “magic mushrooms” • Couple dozen species • Recognized for centuries • Probably used in religious rites • Hallucinogen • Schedule I