Mary McCartney - Florida Gulf Coast University



Mary McCartney

April 18, 2005

“Drug Science vs. Drug Policy”

Today in America drug use and abuse have become as common in the average suburban household as they once were only on the streets. Everyone from bums to teens to businessmen seem to have their drug of choice. It is crucial for people to have information about drugs available to them before they decide to experiment. Only after someone educates themselves on all the effects and possible legal matters caused by certain drugs should they really decide whether or not to try something. It is up to each individual to take care of themselves and their own bodies. Drug use and drug abuse are two different things, just as a drug user and a drug addict are two different things as well. Everyone needs to set their own boundaries and decide on what their limits are.

According to there are three different categories that specific drugs fall into. The first is “the psycholeptica: a substances that predominately inhibits brain activity”, such as heroin. The second type is “the stimulantia or psychoanaleptica: a substances that predominately stimulates brain activity”, such as cocaine. And the third is the “the hallucinogenen or psychodysleptica: a substances that neither inhibits nor stimulates the nervous system, but changes the balance of brain activity”, which includes MDMA (ecstasy) and marijuana. Every drug falls into one of these three very different categories.

Heroin is known as one of the most habit-forming drugs. Heroin is known to induce euphoria, and indifference towards all things that are going on in ones life. It is seen as an escape drug; it takes a persons mind off pretty much everything. Heroin is either insufflated or injected. The intravenous use of heroin gives it the reputation of the most dangerous drug because there are a lot of common problems that come about from this method of usage. Another serious aspect of this drug is the withdrawals that people go through when trying to come off heroin. When someone is trying to recover from heroin addiction the withdrawals can “last at least 31 weeks after withdrawal, and perhaps longer. Blood pressure, pulse rate, body temperature and pupil diameter seem to be the main physiological variables affected. Behaviorally, the subject shows an increased propensity to sleep and there are negative changes in mood and feeling state" (Krivanek, 88-89). Usually the addiction is supplemented with controlled doses of methadone, which are slowly reduced over time until there is no more reliance on either drug.

Heroin, classified as an opium derivative, is one of the most dangerous drugs available, and the user faces very serious legal consequences. It falls into Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act. Schedule I means 1) “The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse,” 2) “The drug or other substance has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States,” and 3) “There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision” (). If caught with heroin, a person will be sentenced to jail time, and some sort of federal treatment plan. One method being used to try to help control the spread of disease among intravenous drug users is the Needle Exchange Program. This is a controversial program because it supplies users with clean needles in exchange for their used ones. It seems like a better idea to do this then to let the spread of disease continue in such an out of control way.

Cocaine, unlike heroin, is a stimulant. It “increases heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and sweating” also it,” increases speed of respiration, dilates the pupils, decreases sleep and appetite” (). Cocaine, like heroin can either be injected or insufflated, though it is much more common in the powder form. Cocaine users tend to be more alert and energized then spaced out. There is also a much more dangerous form of cocaine known as crack, this is cocaine that is manufactured differently and most commonly smoked. Cocaine is commonly used by people who want to increase their level of performance in certain areas of their life. Cocaine is not considered as dangerous of a drug as heroin because it lacks the serious withdrawal symptoms that some other drugs exhibit. However, this is not to say that the drug is not habit forming. Coming off cocaine may result in craving, depression, irritability, and excessive sleep. The most common side effect from long-term cocaine use is the craving for the drug, which leads most users to become addicts. Long-term use of cocaine can lead to insomnia, weight loss, paranoia, and hyperexcitability. Another serious side effect of cocaine use is that it can cause a breakdown of the septum leaving a hole between the nostrils. Of all the drugs, cocaine is viewed as a drug that is more prevalent among the white upper class. The popularity of cocaine has risen over the past decades to become one of the most widely produced drugs in other countries, and one of the most commonly used drugs in the United States.

Cocaine was “one of the first substances to be made illegal in the United States” (). Cocaine is an illegal drug that is under the Schedule II in the Controlled Substance Act. A Schedule II drug 1) “The drug or other substance has a high potential for abuse,” 2) “The drug or other substance has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States or a currently accepted medical use with severe restrictions,” and 3) “Abuse of the drug or other substances may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence” (). Without a DEA license the use and sale of cocaine is illegal.

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA is the drug that is commonly known as ecstasy. This is a hallucinogenic drug widely used in the club scene and at raves that puts the user in a state of euphoria. The peak high from ecstasy lasts about three to five hours. Some of the positive effects are, “extreme mood lift, increase in willingness to communicate, increase in energy, ego softening, feelings of comfort, belonging, and closeness to others, and feelings of love and empathy”; some of the negative effects are, “difficulty concentrating, short term memory scramble or loss and confusion, muscle tension, increase in body temperature, headaches, dizziness, loss of balance, and depression and fatigue” (). It is usually produced and sold in the form of a pill. Ecstasy has gained popularity due to its ability to give the user a certain level of comfort and understanding of the things and people that surround them. The main problem with ecstasy though is that the pills usually contain a variety of other substances then just MDMA. This is one of the main causes of ecstasy related deaths. Ecstasy also causes severe depression the day after use, and after numerous uses it loses its effects all together causing the user to have to up their dose every time.

MDMA, like heroin is under the Schedule I of the Controlled Substance Act. The most common prevention method used against MDMA is educating people about the high chances of the drug containing other toxins and chemicals. Since ecstasy is manufactured it can contain “caffeine, ephedrine, amphetamines, MDA, MDE, DXM or DOB” (). The problem is that these substances can have negative interactions with other drugs in a persons system or these drugs can even alter a person’s normal chemical balance unknowingly. People think that they know what they are taking but with ecstasy there is no way to tell, and it usually ends up being a matter of trusting a drug dealer to get a pure form of the drug and not one tainted with other chemicals. Either way, ecstasy is one of the most risky drugs, even if it is only used on occasion.

As we continue to prosper as a country, the wealth that our nation incurs continues to lead to a decline in morals and values among many Americans. This seems to be part of the reason that the use of drugs is becoming more and more prevalent. Drug use is glamorized and glorified on television and in movies, and by actors and musicians. People are becoming desensitized to the actual seriousness that drug use can lead to. Everyone should make their own decision based on facts from scientific research before they get involved with something that could be life changing or even life ending.

Works Cited

Krivanek, Jara. Heroin, Myths and Reality. 1988. Allen and Unwin Pty., Limited.

Moraes, Francis. The Heroin User’s Handbook. 2001. Loompanics Unlimited.

Grinspoon, Lester and Bakalar, James. Cocaine: A Drug and Its Social Evolution. 1985.

Basic Books.

Holland, Julie. Ecstasy: The Complete Guide. 2001. Park Street Press.

Joseph, Miriam. Ecstasy, Its History and Lore. 2000. Carlton Books.

Drug Text Libraries. . April 16, 2005.

Erowid; Documenting the Complex Relationship Between Humans and Psychoactives.

. April 18, 2005.

Issues: Crime and Drugs. . April 18, 2005.

National Institute on Drug Abuse; Important Information and Resources on Club Drugs.

. April 16, 2005.

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. .

April 18, 2005.

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