D10: Mind-Altering Drugs

Example

10.1

• Describe the effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline, psilocybin and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Brief Info: Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

• Taken Orally• Can be mixed with gelatin and put in the eyes• AKA: Acid• Derived from ergot, a grain fungus that

typically grows on rye

Effects of LSD

• Short-term:1- Restlessness2- Dizziness3- Desire to Laugh4- Distortions in sound and visual perception5- Unpleasant hallucinations: lead to despair

and suicide6- Takers might believe that they can “fly”

Effects of LSD contd.

• Long-term:1- Severe Depression2- Psychosis: radical changes in personality,

impaired functioning, and a distorted or non-existent sense of objective reality.

3- Dramatic mood swings4- Loss of communication skills5- Loss of appetite

Brief info: Psilocybin

• Substance obtained from certain types of mushrooms :

1- Such as the “Psilocybe Semilanceata”, AKA: (Magic Mushroom).

2- Mushrooms typically contain 0. 2 to 0.4 percent psilocybin.

• Can be produced synthetically. • Ingested orally

Effects of Psilocybin

• Short-term:1- Hallucinations2- Inability to distinguish between reality and

fantasy3- Panic reactions 4- Alteration of perception5- Dilated pupils6- Muscle weakness7- Feeling of insight

Feeling of insight, example

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YYHOdQG9Fw

Effects of Psilocybin contd

7- Facial numbness8- Agitation 9- Increased blood pressure• Long-term:1- Psychosis 2- Schizophrenia

Brief info: Mescaline

• Dark-brown powder ground from "buttons" of the Mexican cactus ,“peyote”.

• Taken orally• Bitter taste

Effects of Mescaline

• Short-term:1- Headaches2- Anxiety 3- Feeling of dying or annihilation4- Euphoria5- Hallucinations6- Alters visual and auditory perception

Effects of Mescaline cont.

• Long-term:1- Fear of not being able to return to normal

consciousness2- Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder

(HPPD)3- Alteration of Perception4- Distortion of Senses5- Liver damage

Brief info: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

• Active ingredient in Marijuana:1-AKA weed or cannabis2- Intake:A- Smoked in a JointB- Mixed with water and inhaled using a BongC- Baked into brownies3- Made from the flowering tops, stems, leaves,

and seeds of the Hemp plant

Effects of THC

• Short-term:1- Feeling of relaxation2- Enhanced auditory and visual perception3- Loss of sense of time4- Confusion5- Emotional distress 6- Anxiety

Effects of THC cont.

• Long-term:1- Apathy: feeling of indifference and

suppression of emotions 2- Lethargy: Fatigue3- Lowering of fertility4- Risk of cancer

10.2

• Discuss the structural similarities and differences between LSD, mescaline and psilocybin.

LSD

Formula C20H25N3O

-Indole ring-Amide group-2 Ether groups- Amine

Indole ring

• six-membered benzene ring fused to a five-membered nitrogen-containing pyrrole ring

Molecular formula :C8H7N

1- Pyrrole ring:five-membered ring with the formula C4H4NH

Psilocybin

Formula C12H17N2O4P

- 2 Ether groups- Phosphoric acid group- Hydroxyl group - Indole ring

Mescaline

Formula C11H17NO3

-Three Ether groups-Partial indole ring-Amine group

Compare and ContrastLSD Psilocybin Mescaline

Indole ring Yes Yes No

Benzene ring Yes Yes Yes

Ether group Yes Yes Yes

Phosphoric acid group

No Yes No

Amide group Yes No No

Amine Yes No Yes

Secondary and tertiary amine

------ Primary

10.3

• Discuss the arguments for and against the legalization of cannabis.

Legalization of Marijuana

• Arguments with:1. Marijuana is available medically to many

terminally ill patients as well as for some other conditions: cancer, epilepsy

2. Legalization would allow police to focus there efforts on more important matters

3. also taxes on marijuana would possibly generate large amounts of revenue

Legalization of Marijuana

• Arguments Against:1-Increased costs to society: especially from cancer

and heart disease from smoking1. Increased danger from people driving under the

influence,2. Marijuana abuse would increase3. Marijuana’s status as a gateway drug would lead

to increased addiction to more dangerous drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamines, and heroin