S4, 2012

1. Drugs
By Buido Ciccone, Alejo
Zubizarreta, Ramiro Bergoglio, Ivan
Stankiewich

2. What is a Drug?
• A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance
that, when absorbed into the body of a living
organism, alters normal bodily function. There
is no single, precise definition, as there are
different meanings in drug control
law, government regulations, medicine, and
colloquial usage.

3. Effects
• Marijuana: The main active chemical in marijuana is THC
(delta9tetrahydrocannabinol). When smoked, THC passes from the lungs into
the bloodstream, which transports it to the brain and other organs. When it
reaches the brain, THC connects with a certain type of receptor on nerve cells
in areas that affect coordination, thought, memory, concentration, sensory
and time perception, and pleasure. This causes the marijuana "high.“
• Heroin: The risk of contracting blood-borne pathogens such as HIV
and hepatitis
– The risk of contracting bacterial or fungal endocarditis and possibly venous
sclerosis
– Abscesses
– Poisoning from contaminants added to "cut" or dilute heroin
– Chronic constipation
– Addiction and Tolerance
– Physical dependence can result from prolonged use of all opioids.
– Decreased kidney function.
• Depressant:Depressants exert their effects through a number of different
pharmacological mechanisms, the most prominent of which include
facilitation of GABA or opioid activity, and inhibition
of glutamatergic orcatecholaminergic activity.

4. Overuse
• Tolerance: means that the body needs more
and more of a particular drug to produce the
same effect.
• Dependence: means that a person can not do
without a particular drug (physical and
psychological dependence)

5. Depressant
• A depressant, or central depressant, is a drug
or endogenous compound that lowers or
depresses arousal levels and reduces
excitability.Depressants are also occasionally
referred to as "downers" as they lower the
level of arousal when taken. Stimulants or
"uppers" increase mental and/or physical
function are the functional opposites of
depressants.

6. Heroin
• Heroin (diacetylmorphine or morphine diacetate
(INN)), also known as diamorphine (BAN), is an opioid
analgesic synthesized When used in medicine it is
typically used to treat severe pain, such as that
resulting from a heart attack. It is the 3,6-diacetyl ester
of morphine, and functions as a morphine prodrug
(meaning that it is metabolically converted to
morphine inside the body). The white crystalline form
considered "pure heroin" is usually the hydrochloride
salt, diacetylmorphine hydrochloride. When heroin is
supplied illegally, though, it is often adulterated to a
freebase form, dulling the sheen and consistency to a
matte-white powder

7. Marijuana
• What Is Marijuana?
Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United
States. It is a dry, shredded green/brown mix of
flowers, stems, and leaves of the plant Cannabis sativa. A
stronger form of marijuana called hashish (hash) looks like
brown or black cakes or balls. The many street names for
marijuana include pot, herb, weed, grass, Jane, reefer, dope, and
ganja. Marijuana is typically smoked in cigarettes (joints or
spliffs), hollowed-out cigars (blunts), pipes (bowls), or water
pipes (bongs). Some people mix it into food or brew it as a tea.