More Drugs
Notes,
Marijuana
Legality
Forensic Science
2/2/15
Drill
• What drug is this?
– Coke, Snow, Blow
– Smack, Horse, Brownstone
– Grass, Weed, Skunk
– Roids, Juice
– Ice, Crank, Crystal
• HW: Use Chapter 5 in the book to start
working on pg. 4, Drugs—Review Qs
Objectives
• IWBAT
– Describe the classes of drugs in greater
detail.
Opiates
• Morphine is readily extracted from
opium and is used to synthesize heroin.
• Addicts frequently dissolve heroin in
water by heating it in a spoon, and then
inject in the skin.
Opiates
• Heroin produces a “high” that is
accompanied by drowsiness and a sense
of well-being that generally last for three
to four hours.
• Codeine is also present in opium, but it
is usually prepared synthetically from
morphine.
Other Narcotics
• OxyContin, with the active ingredient
oxycodone, is not derived from opium
or morphine, but does have the same
physiological effects on the body as
opium narcotics.
• Formulations of OxyContin have been
made to reduce the ease of abuse.
• OxyContin is prescribed to a million
patients for treatment of chronic pain.
Other Narcotics
• Methadone is another well-known
synthetic opiate.
• Methadone, which is pharmacologically
related to heroin, appears to eliminate
the addict’s desire for heroin while
producing minimal side effects.
Depressants
• These include alcohol (ethanol),
barbiturates, tranquilizers, and various
substances that can be sniffed, such as
airplane glue, model cement, or aerosol
gas propellants such as freon.
• Mixing depressants with alcohol and
other drugs increases potency and
health risks
Depressants
• Alcohol (ethyl alcohol)
enters the bloodstream
and quickly travels to the
brain, where it acts to
suppress the brain’s
control of thought
processes and muscle
coordination.
• More on alcohol, later
Depressants
• Barbiturates, or
“downers,” are
normally taken orally
and create a feeling
of well-being, relax
the body, and
produce sleep.
Depressants
• Tranquilizers, unlike barbiturates,
produce a relaxing tranquility without
impairment of high-thinking faculties or
inducing sleep.
• Sniffing has immediate effects such as
exhilaration, but impairs judgment and
may cause liver, heart, and brain
damage, or even death.
Stimulants
• The drug classification of stimulants
includes amphetamines, sometimes known
as “uppers” or “speed,” and cocaine, which
in its free-base form is known as crack.
• Amphetamine and methamphetamine, often
injected intravenously, cause an initial
“rush,” followed by an intense feeling of
pleasure.
• This is followed by a period of exhaustion
and a prolonged period of depression.
Stimulants
• Cocaine, extracted from
the leaves of
Erythroxylin coca,
causes increased
alertness and vigor,
accompanied by the
suppression of hunger,
fatigue, and boredom.
Stimulants
• Crack is cocaine mixed
with baking soda and
water, then heated.
• Crack is often smoked
in glass pipes, and the
cocaine molecule
stimulates the brain’s
pleasure center.
Club Drugs
• The term club drugs refers to synthetic drugs
that are used at nightclubs, bars, and raves
(all-night dance parties).
• Substances that are often used as club drugs
include, but are not limited to, MDMA
(Ecstasy), GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate),
Rohypnol (“Roofies”), and ketamine.
• GHB and Rohypnol are central nervous
system depressants that are often connected
with drug-facilitated sexual assault, rape, and
robbery.
Club Drugs
• MethyleneDioxyMethAmphetamine, also
known as MDMA or Ecstasy, is a synthetic
mind-altering drug that exhibits many
hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like effects.
• Ecstasy enhances self-awareness and
decreases inhibitions, however, seizures,
muscle breakdown, stroke, kidney failure,
and cardiovascular system failure often
accompany chronic abuse.
Club Drugs
• Ketamine is primarily used as a
veterinary animal anesthetic that in
humans causes euphoria and
hallucinations.
• Ketamine can also cause impaired motor
functions, high blood pressure, amnesia,
and mild respiratory depression.
Marijuana
• Marijuana is the most
controversial drug in this
class because its longterm effects on health are
still largely unknown.
• Marijuana comes from the
plant Cannabis.
• The chemical substance
largely responsible for the
hallucinogenic properties
is known as
TetraHydroCannabinol, or
THC.
Marijuana
• The THC content of Cannabis varies in
different parts of the plant, generally
decreasing in the following sequence:
resin, flowers, leaves, with little THC in
the stem, roots or seeds.
• The THC-rich resin is known as hashish.
• Marijuana does not cause physical
dependency, but the risk of harm is in
heavy, long-term use.
Marijuana and Laws
• Marijuana Legalization– Laws or policies which
make the possession and use of marijuana
legal under state law.
• Marijuana Decriminalization– Laws or policies
adopted in a number of state and local
jurisdictions which reduce the penalties for
possession and use of small amounts of
marijuana from criminal sanctions to fines or
civil penalties.
Marijuana and Laws
• Medical Marijuana– State laws which
allow an individual to defend him or
herself against criminal charges of
marijuana possession if the defendant
can prove a medical need for marijuana
under state law.
Marijuana and Laws
• Marijuana is still a Schedule I drug, under
federal law.
• Trafficking in marijuana (taking it across state
lines) is a federal offense, as is any
possession, distribution, or growing.
Marijuana and Laws
• 23 states have passed either “medical marijuana” laws, that
allow smoked marijuana for medical purposes, or have
decriminalized small amounts (1 oz. or less)
• Two states, Colorado and Washington, have legalized
marijuana for adults 21 and older.
– Two more, Alaska and Oregon, have voted to legalize use by 2016
• Maryland's law allows for medical marijuana use as a legal
defense in court. Possession of more than one ounce of
marijuana and public consumption for medical reasons is still
illegal.
• Possession of less than one ounce has been decriminalized in
MD—it is now a civil offense, punishable by a fine, only.
Other Hallucinogens
• Other hallucinogens
include LSD,
mescaline, PCP,
psilocybin, and
MDMA (Ecstasy).
• LSD is synthesized
from lysergic acid,
and can cause
hallucinations that
can last for 12 hours.
PCP
• Phencyclidine (1-(1PhenylCyclohexyl)Piperidine)), or PCP, is often
synthesized in clandestine laboratories and is
often smoked, ingested, sniffed.
• Phencyclidine is often mixed with other drugs,
such as LSD, or amphetamine, and is sold as a
powder (“angel dust”), capsule, or tablet.
• Oral intake of PCP first leads to feelings of
strength and invulnerability, which may turn to
depression, tendencies toward violence, and
suicide.
Add this – Anabolic Steroids
• Side effects include
unpredictable
effects on mood
and personality,
depression,
diminished sex
drive, halting bone
growth, and liver
cancer.
Think-Pair
• Marijuana Legalization—what do you know
about it and what do you think?
• Take out a sheet of notebook paper.
• On the front:
– THINK—Jot down facts that you know about
marijuana legalization and decriminalization. Write
down what YOU think on the topic and why.
Consider the opposite opinion and write a reason
why someone would have that opinion.
– PAIR—turn to the person next to you at your table
(may be 3) and discuss what you wrote.
Research-Pair-Share
• Flip your paper over.
• On the back
– RESEARCH—Read the US DOJ Memo about
Marijuana Enforcement
• How is the DOJ focusing its efforts in marijuana
enforcement?
• What is the role of the state, according to the DOJ?
• Would this document allow you to make a defense in a
federal court on a marijuana charge?
– PAIR—Discuss with the people at your table
– SHARE—Let’s discuss this as a class
Closure
• True/False
– Rohypnol is a nervous system depressant,
associated with date rape.
– Marijuana is legal to buy and sell under
federal laws.
– Codeine is usually extracted from opium.