Transcript MIND-ALTERING DRUGS

MIND-ALTERING DRUGS
“But the man who comes back through
the Door in the Wall will never be quite
the same as the man who went out.”
Ajamian – Cole – Marshall
MIND-ALTERING DRUGS
• produce a qualitative change in thought, perception or
mood
• cause remarkable distortions in touch, smell, hearing,
and vision
aka
• psychedelic drugs
• psychotomimetic (simulating ‘madness’’)
• hallucinogens (a hallucination – perception or feeling
that has no external cause )
MIND-ALTERING DRUGS
• lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD )
•
from ergot – fungus that grows on rye and other grains
• mescaline
•
•
from peyote cactus
(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine)
• psilocybin
•
from ‘magic mushrooms’
 These 3 resemble neurotransmitter serotonin… bind
with receptors in the brain… ‘overstimulate’ the
receptors
• tetrahydrocannabinol
•
found in marijuanna… cannabis… extracted from Cannabis
sativa
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide (or, if you prefer, Lysergsäure-diethylamid)
(not to be confused with LDS)
Urban Legends
• “Acid stays in your body forever”
• “That one guy jumped off that building”
• “Acid fries holes in your brain”
• “That one guy got stuck”
Effects
• Highly varied depending on dose, user’s
physiology and psychology
• Magnified perception
• Destroy user’s sense of judgment
– “that one guy who jumped from that building”
• Strong, often opposite emotions
• Physically – dilationof pupils, inc heart rate,
bp, body temp… sweating, sleeplessness,
tremors
• Potential for bad trips and acid flashbacks
• No physically addictive properties
• Fast tolerance cycle
Effects
• Highly varied depending on dose, user’s
physiology and psychology
• Magnified perception
• Destroy user’s sense of judgment
– “that one guy who jumped from that building”
• Strong, often opposite emotions
• Physically – dilationof pupils, inc heart rate,
bp, body temp… sweating, sleeplessness,
tremors
• Potential for bad trips and acid flashbacks
• No physically addictive properties
• Fast tolerance cycle
LSD’s Structure
•
Note the indole* ring!
* benzene fused to a five
membered ring
containing a nitrogen
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•
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Fat soluble
Diffuses into brain easily
Can cross placental barrier
to reach fetus
Mescaline - effects
•
•
•
•
•
vivid color hallucinations
less potent than LSD
high lasts about 12 hours
decrease in appetite
long term use may cause
liver damage
Mescaline - structure
Psilocybin - effects
• mild hallucinogen
Low dose: similar to cannabis
High dose: similar to LSD
Psilocybin - effects
• High dose (similar to LSD)
– intensification of color
– hallucinations
– sense of well-being
• Low dose (similar to cannabis)
• Not addictive?... But tolerance is an issue
“Lasts up to
four hours!”
Similarities in Structure of these 3
Psychedelics
Indole – heterocyclic amine
Contains a benzene sharing a C=C with a
heterocylic ring containing a secondary amine.
Serotonin
• neurotransmitter
LSD
• Locate indole ring
• Diethyl amine side chain
Psylocybin
• locate indole role
• note - dimethylamine [-N(CH3)2]
• note - dihydrogen phosphate on benzene
Mescaline
• benzene ring
• no fused-ring heterocyclic…has primary
amine instead
Properties related to Structure
• LSD, psyilocybin, (and mescaline) have
similar structures… which give them
similar properties
• differences in structure relate to
differences in properties
• presence of more nonpolar groups (methyl) increases fat solubility which
increases their potency
• presence of more polar groups
(dihydrogen phosphate) decreases fat
solubility which decreases potency
Comparison
• single dose of LSD 100 - 500 micrograms
— an amount roughly equal to one-tenth
the mass of a grain of sand.
• threshold effects can be felt with as little
as 25 micrograms of LSD.[
• an active dose of mescaline is roughly 0.2
- 0.5g, has effects comparable to 100 µg
or less of LSD.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
“Never touch the
freeze, just the
sticky green
leaves…”
“…so apt to turn
everything–the
air, the sky—to
Persian rugs.”
AKA…
“But what is the other terms for it?”
“Bionic, the bomb, the
puff, the blow, the black,
the herb, the sensei, the
chronic, the sweet Mary
Jane, the s---, ganja, split,
reefa, the bad, the
Buddha, the home grown,
the ill, the Maui Wowie,
the method, pot, lethal
turbo, tie, shake, skunk,
stress, whacky, weed,
glaze, the boot, dimebag,
Scooby Doo, bob, bogey,
backyard boogie.” –Ali G
Cannabis (Marijuana) - Effects
• Mild hallucinogen – effects similar to
alcohol
• Low doses
– excitement, silliness
Cannabis (Marijuana) – Effects cont.
• Higher doses:
– changes in perception (bright colors, keen hearing)
– closed- and open-eye visual hallucinations
– feelings of anxiety, depression, uneasiness,
panic, fear
– difficulty with decision making – more likely to
follow suggestions of others
– difficulty with memory
– Reflexes dulled, thinking blurred – so task like
driving becomes difficult
Cannabis (Marijuana) – Effects cont.
• Long term:
– Tolerance is NOT an issue
– Psychologic dependence can develop
– Risks associated with smoking - cancer
– Potential for a bad trip
Legalization of Cannabis: For
• Offer relief from some diseases and ailments
– AIDS – ‘wasting syndrome’ – C inc appetite
– Cancer – nausea – C dec nausea so patients can
keep food down
– Cancer – anxiety/tensions– C dec this in terminal
patients
– Glaucoma – inc eye pressure – C dec interior eye
pressure
Legalization of Cannabis: For
• Improve quality / safety of drug
– Reduce harmful impurities
• Reduce association with ‘hard’ drugs.
• Would reduce strain on courts, prisons, and law
enforcement
• Dismantling of violent black market
• Opportunity for balanced drug education
• Would save billions of dollars
• Personal freedom
Legalization of Cannabis: Against
• Regular use can lead to respiratory
ailments
• Potential depression of immune system?
• Decreased fertility in some males?
• Chromosomal damage?
• Potential exacerbation of psychiatric
ailments
Legalization of Cannabis: Against
• “Gateway drug”
• Criminal sources
– Users overpay for drug
• Risk of drugged driving