Kurmanova A.K

Gymnasium № 3, Astrakhan

About different types of drugs.

Introduction.

Life of young people is rather difficult. Teens always face a lot of problems with their friends, parents, love partners and so on. It is not easy for them to cope with their problems because they do not have enough experience and they do not feel like discussing their life with other people. So teenagers want to escape from life difficulties and just relax. In addition they want to have fun, and according to their opinion drugs can help them. However, they do not mind about harmful effect of psychotropic substances.

About the drugs.

Psychotropic substance (psychoactive drug) is a chemical substance that affects the processes of the mind, body or behavior [5]. Such substances are divided into two groups: legal and illegal. For example, such items as alcohol and tobacco are dangerous drugs, but they are not considered to be ones and they are available for people over a certain age. There are also some drugs which have both legal and illegal status. The term “drug” also means any chemical compound used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease or other abnormal condition. [5]

In this article we define “drugs”as artificial or natural substances that are used without medical control to change the way of thinking, mind, and behavior to get pleasure.

Classification.

So many people, so many views.Having examined a big amount of classifications, I can say that there are a lot of differences between them. However they have some similar ideas and points of views, which are presented below:

I. The first point by which drugs are divided into several groups is the way of influence.

· Stimulants are drugs, which elevates mood, increase energy and alertness, speed up signals to the brain.

· Depressants

¨ Analgesics which block signals ( drugs, for example, opiates, opioids, heroin, morphine, codeine, oxycontin and medicines containing such drugs)

¨ Sedative Hypnotics which help people relax ( ETOH, Alcohol, etc.)

· Hallucinogens change the way of perception and feelings (LSD, PCP, MDMA (Ecstasy), marijuana, mescaline, psilocybin)

· Anti-Psychotics

There are some drugs which do not belong to any basic group, but they contain characteristics typical for the above mentioned groups. Some scientists distinguish 4 secondary groups, 4 tertiary groups and 1 quaternary group.

II. The official classification[3]

· Group 1: High Abuse, No Recognized Medical Use, Lack of Safety (heroin, LSD, MDMA, marijuana, methaqualone)

· Group 2: High Abuse, Medical Utility, High Dependency Risk (opium, morphine, coca, cocaine, methadone, methamphetamine)

· Group 3: Lower Abuse, Medical Utility, Moderate Dependency Risk(amphetamine, barbiturate, valium, Xanax, anabolic, steroids, codeine)

· Group4: Limited Abuse, High Medical Utility, Limited Dependency Risk (chloral hydrate, meprobamate, paraldehyde, phenobarbital)

· Group 5: Minor Problems (above drugs in limited amounts)

III. Classification according the origin:

· Natural (opium, marijuana, cocaine)

· Synthetic (LSD, ecstasy, etc.)

Types and uses of drugs.

Alcohol is anintoxicating drink. It effects people in different ways. Some people become calm and relaxed while others do stupid or dangerous things, so it aggravates person`s mood too. Some people become alcoholics: they are addicted to alcohol. The fact is alcohol addiction destroys humans` lives.

Club Drugs are designer drugs including MDMA (Ecstasy), GHB, Rohypnol (Ruffies), Clarity, and Ketamine (Special K). Most of these drugs are colorless, flavorless, and odorless. All effect the central nervous system and act as stimulant and hallucinogen. [7]

Depressants/Sedative/Hypnotics are drugs interacting with the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) to depress cognitive activities. They include sedatives (used to make a person calm or drowsy) and tranquilizers (intended to reduce tension and anxiety). Sometimes called “downers” or “benzos” (short for benzodiazepine) these drugs come in tablet, capsule or liquid form. Some drugs in this category are: Xanax, Valium, Halcion, Librium, Ativan, Klonopin, Seroquel, Zyprexa, Seconal, Phenobarbital, Amytal, and Haldol. [7]

Hashish is produced from the THC-rich (Tetrahydrocannabinol) secretions of the Cannabis plant (marijuana plant). Hashish is the resinous substance, which contains the highest concentration of THC [7]. It is often used by smoking or ingesting.

Inhalants are drugs that can beinhaled or breathed in. Inhaling or sniffing is very popular with teenagers because such drugs are rather cheap and easy to find. Moreover these products have both legal and illegal uses so a person can easily buy it in the nearest shop. The most common are some types of model cement, cooking sprays, hair spray, deodorant, liquid paper, aerosol sprays, spray paints, paint thinner, gasoline, and solvents, nail polish remover. A lot of people give up sniffing and start using other drugs when they have enough money. Inhalants can cause brain damage and even death.

Heroin is a semi-synthetic opium which is derived from morphine. Heroin is smoked, inhaled or injected. [7]

LSD is a synthetic psychotropic drug. It has extremely high potency, so its effect from one dose lasts for 4-14 hours. LSD is usually sold in liquid form, thin squares of gelatin or small square pieces of paper which are called as“blotter” acid.

Marijuana is one of the most popular drugs. Marijuana comes from the Hemp plant and its content of THC is found in the leaves and flowering shoots of the plant [4].It is commonly used by ingestion or smoking. Marijuana effects the central nervous system and gives the user a false sense of euphoria, relaxation, and increased visual, auditory, and taste perceptions. In actuality, the marijuana diminishes coordination, visual tracking, and loss of energy. Some users experience paranoia, delirium, and hallucinations [7].

Methamphetamines (Crystal Meth) are highly addictive man-made chemical stimulants. The street versions of these compounds are cooked up in clandestine "kitchens" using a variety of hazardous and volatile chemicals. These stimulants can be inhaled, smoked, and injected by the abuser. [7]

Psilocybin or “magic”mushrooms produces similar effects as LSD but not quite to the same degree. The mushrooms are usually ingested, dried and smoked.

Narcotics are those drugs which are derived from opium. Commonly encountered narcotics include: Opium, morphine, codeine, heroin, Dilaudid, Demerol, Percodan, methadone, and Darvon[7].

Opioidsare the most powerful prescription painkillers, which are made to react on the nervous system the same way as opium or heroin. These medications include oxycodone, hydrocodone, and mepreridine. The common brand names are Oxycontin, Percocet, Roxicet, Roxiprin, Vicodin, Dilaudid, etc.[7]

Opium is harvest from unripe seed pods of the Poppy plant. Opium can either be injected in its raw form (gum-like) or smoked. PCP (Angel Dust) Phencyclidine, commonly referred to as PCP or Angel Dust, is considered to be the most unpredictable drug on the street because of its effect of the user. PCP can be found in liquid (most toxic), gum, or powdered form. Liquid PCP is often applied to cigarettes as a means of ingestion. In powder form, PCP is commonly mixed with marijuana and smoked. PCP is often masqueraded as LSD or THC. The gum form of PCP may vary in color from a light tan to a dark brown/black. [7]

Cocaine (Powder).

Cocaine is one of the most powerful stimulants found in nature. Cocaine is derived from Coca plant leaves. The leaves are treated with salt and gasoline and allowed to sit. The liquid is later drained and refined into cocaine base. Cocaine base can be smoked but typically is refined into a powder form. Powder cocaine (HCL) is inhaled into the nasal passages or can be dissolved in water and injected into the body via a syringe. Because of cocaine's high melting point, it cannot be smoked. In order to be smoked, it must be altered using the chemical process known as freebasing. Freebasing involves mixes the cocaine with other solvents over a heat source. This process can (and often is) deadly for the abuser. [7]

History of cocaine.

Long years ago, Incas in South America discovered a plant that contains a very powerful chemical. It was called coca and its leaves were used for energy. The Spanish conquistadors took coca plants to Europe, where a German scientist in 1859 [2] learned about the way of taking the drug out of the leaves. He called the drug cocaine. It immediately became very popular. People suppose cocaine to be a wonderful drug. Until 1914, it was possible to buy it at department stores in the United States [4]. There was cocaine in medicines and even chocolate cocaine tablets. One of the most populardrinks was Vin Coca-coca wine which contained 7.2 mg of cocaine per ounce of wine [8]. The psychiatrist Sigmund Freud said that cocaine was useful because it helped people to recover fromdepression and even alcoholism.

One hundred years ago, cocaine was also an ingredient in the world's most famous soft drink-Coca Cola. At that time, it was a medicinal drink. It was named for its two main ingredients-coca leaves and kola nuts. People believed that Coca-Cola made them feel better. That's not surprising because it contained cocaine from coca leaves and caffeine from kola nuts. Coca-Cola hasn't been made with cocaine for over 75 years.

However people soon discovered that it wasn't really wonderful. Doctors saw that people quickly became dependent on cocaine. It also made some people a little crazy, while others died from too big amount of it. By the beginning of the twentieth century companies were taking cocaine out of their products and it became illegal. Nowadays cocaine is one of the most dangerous drugs.

The most popular drug. Caffeine.

Caffeine is one of the most popular drugs in the world. For example, ninety percent of Americans consume it every single day. Over half consume more than 300 milligrams (mg) of caffeine every day. It is found in coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, and a variety of other things. [1]

Most people do not realize the real force of caffeine. The advantage of this substance is mind stimulating. So we drink coffee to awake or to get forces, but the caffeine effect on the brain is similar to the effects of illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Although caffeine is not as strong as these drugs, it is addictive.

“Usually, a safe amount is no more than three eight-ounce cups, or 250 mg, a day,” says one nutrition expert. She explains that when people have more caffeine than this, they start to have problems with their health. [1]

I cannot but mention the medical use of caffeine as a heart stimulant. However caffeine can cause nausea, anxiety, headaches and insomnia. So people have to know about products which contain caffeine and to know the limit. It is also important to realize that when the human organism is tired it needs rest, not “energy” substances.

New classification.

Scientists from UK offered absolutely new point of view on drug classification. The research of scientific expertson the health hazard of a set of 20 legal and illegal drugs, which was published in The Lancet in March 2007, showed that alcohol and tobacco, which are legal in several countries, for example UK, U.S., Russia, are more dangerous than ecstasy and marijuana, which are illegal in these countries [6].

This study was designed to determine the risk rating of the 20 productsand also to show the potential harm of using a systematic, scientific approach. Researchers have split into two separate groups of experts. There are doctors, psychiatrists, academics and legal experts in each team. Each group has returned similar ranking results for 20 drugs on the basis of three main criteria:

• physical harm to a person applying for a drug

• ability of the drug to cause addiction and dependence

• adverse effects of the drug on society

In the UK drugs (including prescription drugs) are classified as A, B or C. Class A most harmful to health and class C is the minimum harmful drug class. The results of the research were awful. Alcohol (legal drug) is on the fifth line of rating, what is 13 lines higher thenillegal drug ecstasy (class A) and LSD (class A) and tobacco (legal drug) is on the ninth line in comparison with amphetamine (class А), which is on the eleventh line. These results mean that people do not understand the real danger of drugs.

According to the scientists, alcohol and tobacco cause about 90% of all drug deaths in the UK [6].

In the United States, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2000 shows that 95 percent of drug-related deaths in the U.S. were caused by alcohol and tobacco [6].I suppose that the legal status of these drugs makes them widespread, and consequently adverse reactions on these substances are more likely.

Conclusion.

Drugs have been always the main problem of society, and we won`t get rid of them until we change our mind and our attitude towards such substances. Undoubtedly governments all over the world do their best to protect people from dangerous substances but the effect is not perfect. To my mind such situation is caused by the fact that all the transformations are from “above”, while to get the real result humanity should discontinue taking drugs itself which makes the transformation from “below”. Governments can only help this process promoting the idea of healthy lifestyle in different ways.

References:

1. Caffeine content for coffee, tea, soda and more [On line] Mayo Clinic, <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/AN01211>

2. Cocaine: a short history [On line], <http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/a-short-history.html>

3. Drug Classification [On line], <http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/180/classify.html>

4. History of Cocaine and Crack Use [On line], <http://www.intheknowzone.com/substance-abuse-topics/cocaine/history.html>

5. Medical dictionary [On line], <http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Psychotropic+substance>

6. Reytingnarkotikovpostepenivreda. Alkogolitabak - samyyeopasnyyenarkotiki? [On line] Artigen, <http://mrrt.ru/narkologiya/reyting-narkotikov.html>

7. Types of Drugs [ On line], <http://old.tpoftampa.com/programs/residential/chem_dep/types_of_drugs/>

8. Vintage Wine [On line], <http://cocaine.org/cocawine.htm>