D10: Mind-Altering Drugs
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