The Effects Of Drugs Essay Research Paper free essay sample

The Effects Of Drugs Essay, Research Paper Introduction Many different drugs have different effects on the organic structure. This paper focuses on the effects caused by three widely used drugs opium, cocaine, and hemp. They have many common effects between them. Some features of the effects of those drugs are those of stimulations and others are those of sedatives. We will depict the chemical effects of each drug on the organic structure. Opium Opium is a drug produced from the capsules of the opium poppy. When fresh from the works it is a icky light brown mass ( # 8221 ; Opium, # 8221 ; Microsoft? Encarta? Online Encyclopedia 2000 ) . After it is allowed to dry out it hardens and darkens. Its chemical expression consists of 17 C atoms, 19 H atoms, 3 O atoms, and 1 N atom ( Barbara Hodgson, 1999, p 15 ) . Opium has an extended history. It was foremost used about 3400 B. C. In the early 1800? s British opium runners illicitly smuggled the drug into China. In making this they made tremendous net incomes and hooked many Chinese citizens on the drug. This illegal trade caused a war, suitably titled the? Opium War. ? Finally when the Chinese began migrating out into the universe they spread opium usage. Opium can be smoked, eaten, rummy or injected. Most commonly it was smoked. This was in portion because opium designed for smoke was the cheapest and easiest to obtain. Smokers took their wont really earnestly. They normally possessed a tobacco user? s kit, which included a lamp to illume the opium, a box to hive away it, one of a assortment of different pipes, excess bowls for the pipe, a sponge and bowl scraper to clean the pipe, and a pillow to rest their caputs on as they smoked ( Barbara Hodgson, pgs.1-46 ) . Most tobacco users did so in groups, usually in topographic points called? opium dens? . These lairs were located in metropoliss and many in Chinatowns. Chinatowns were countries within metropoliss where the Chinese migrated to, lived, and brought their dependences to. The nuts who ingest opium orally are nicknamed? opium feeders? ( Barbara Hodgson, p.3, 62 ) . This comestible opium is in the signifier of pills and it has a dreadfully acrimonious gustatory sensation. The signifier of opium that can be drunk is called tincture of opium, which is an opium-alcohol mixture. ( Barbara Hodgson, p 3 ) . With the innovation of the subcutaneous syringe during the American Civil War, injection presented another manner for nuts to acquire their hole. The opium derived functions that were introduced to the organic structure through a syringe were called morphia and heroine, both of which were highly habit-forming. There were commercial drugs that were introduced into the market which were suppos ed to assist nuts kick their opium wont. These drugs did non assist really good due to the fact that most of them contained either opium or some other habit-forming drug, hence hooking the nut. Other commercial merchandises that contained opium were cough sirups and babe comforting medical specialties. Of class, opium would do babes halt shouting but it had many negative side effects. Many kids grew up with malformations and mental deceleration. Opium was a really popular drug, but it caused much injury ( Barbara Hodgson, p1-7 ) . Opium? s short-run affects include sleepiness, dizziness, failing, euphory, dry oral cavity, urinary keeping, and irregularity. It is said that the most effectual manner to smoke opium is by lying on your side with your caput on the pillow mentioned in the tobacco user? s kit. Most people could non sit up and smoke opium because they became excessively giddy or tired to stay unsloped, or were to weak to keep up the pipe. Whenever people smoked opium they went to kip instantly afterwards. This was rather a sight at the opium dens, where there would be tonss of people passed out on the floor. They smoked merely for a few proceedingss of pleasance and anyplace from 1 to 3 hours of near-paralytic slumber. Opium gave a impermanent feeling of euphory to anyone who used it. This was the chief ground why the drug was in such high demand. It let people acquire off from the emphasis of their mundane lives. Opium besides caused its maltreater to desiccate. After smoking one would imbibe much H2 O and liquid to assist comfort their atrocious thirst. This desiccation leads to irregularity and urinary keeping, both of which tended to be rather painful ( http: //new.health-center.com/db/PageReq ) . Opium? s long-run affects include hallucinations, psychosis, and ictuss. If an opium nut consumed their drug over a long period of clip, they normally developed several harmful side effects. One of them was repeating hallucinations, which have been compared to the? trips? induced by the contemporary psychedelic drug LSD, besides known as? acid. ? During these hallucinations people see objects and people that are non truly at that place. These people and objects sometimes talk to them. For case, if an nut was holding hallucinations while eating, their nutrient might speak to them and state, ? Don? T eat me. ? Another long-run affect that relates closely to hallucination is psychosis. This is the status in which the user loses touch with world, their head is really disorganised, and their thought procedure is altered greatly. They are witting but do non hold much common sense ( hypertext transfer protocol: //new.health-center.com/db/PageReq ) . Psychosis is a type of altered consciousness. Seizures are another side consequence, happening after prolonged usage of opium. This is because the organic structure is rejecting the drug. As with any drug, opium overdosing is possible. The symptoms that indicate an overdose are marked by excess sleepiness and giddiness, utmost confusion, a possible coma, bradycardia ( abnormally decelerate pulse ) and down external respiration ( http: //new.health-center.com/db/PageReq ) . Some other drugs derived from opium include morphia, heroine, and codeine. Both morphia and heroine can be injected into the organic structure through the usage of acerate leafs. Morphine is normally given for hurting alleviation to people who have undergone surgery or who have serious hurts. Morphine acts in the encephalon to diminish the feeling of hurting and to cut down emotional response to trouble, as do most opiates. Since morphia is made from the same poppy flowers as opium it is extremely habit-forming. Morphine was used more in the yesteryear than it was now. It is on its manner out of the drug mistreating society ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.healthcentral.com/mhc/top/002502.cfm ) . Heroine usage, on the other manus, is lifting in the drug community. Heroine? s effects are about indistinguishable to morphine? s because it is made from the same opium poppy and it is introduced to the organic structure in the same manner, through a acerate leaf. Codeine is another opiate that is turning rather popular today. It is introduced into the organic structure in the signifier of a pill. It is habit-forming but non about every bit habit-forming as the other opiates mentioned so far. It is used as a analgesic and cough suppressant ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.healthcentral.com/mhc/top/002502.cfm ) . All of these opiates are rather harmful to the organic structure as are most illegal drugs. To kick their dependence, nuts must travel through many old ages of rehabilitation and normally through many returns. After traveling for some clip without their drug the nuts in rehabilitation undergo backdown. Opium backdown symptoms include anxiousness, depression, sickness, diarrhoea, or hurting ; symptoms vary with the type of drug. The overall uneasiness associated with backdown is due to the deficiency of drug content in the user? s system. After an nut is so used to being high and they come down, they can non manage a normal life with emphasis. Opiates are atrocious drugs and they have many hideous effects on the organic structure ( http: //new.health-center.com/db/PageReq ) . Cocaine Cocaine is a powerful stimulation with awful side effects on the organic structure. # 8220 ; It is a stimulating drug derived from the South American coca works, Erythroxylon coca # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, 1994, p.169 ) . The intranasal, inspiration and endovenous usage causes complications to critical variety meats in the organic structure and besides creates many complications such as the geting diseases and psychiatric jobs. One of the ways cocaine may be used is in the signifier of coca paste and cleft used thru smoking. ? Coca paste consists of a mixture of cocaine, kerosine, sulphuric acid, and Na carbonate? . The white or brown paste is allowed to be dry after being manufactured ; it is so placed at the terminal of a baccy or marihuana coffin nail, and inhaled profoundly? ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.20 ) . Cocaine can besides be smoked in the cleft signifier and is made utilizing a process of responding chemicals. ? Crack is produced by uniting cocaine hydrochloride with Na hydrogen carbonate ( baking sodium carbonate ) . This mixture is heated until all the H2O has evaporated. The attendant merchandise is little white french friess, dwelling of the alkalic precipitate of cocaine? ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.21 ) . Another signifier of cocaine is crystalline cocaine hydrochloride. This compound is chopped up finely by a razor blade to be used for snorting and/or for endovenous usage. # 8220 ; Cocaine is prepared for endovenous disposal by puting between one-tenth and one-fourth of a gm in a spoon and so adding H2O. This aqueous solution is so strained, after which it is drawn up into a syringe and injected into a vena. Euphoria occurs about instantly # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.23 ) . Cocaine is popularly used because it works as a vasoconstrictive. A vasoconstrictive is a substance that can compress blood vass to a specific country to where it was applied. ? ? . therefore blood vass in the country exposed to cocaine are reduced in size, and blood flow to that country is diminished? ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.34 ) . Since cocaine restricts blood flow, foods and O are unable to flux decently to many variety meats, which restricts the cells in that country to go malnourished. When the blood flow is diminished, it causes the individual # 8217 ; s sympat hetic nervous system ( which controls the â€Å"fight or flight† response ) to be activated. Once the sympathetic nervous system is activated, a user enters in a province of euphory where the individual may experience more activated and qui vive. One of the variety meats that the vasoconstrictive effects is the bosom. When cocaine is taken through intranasal disposal, a high bosom rate and blood force per unit area may ensue. These jobs can take to cardiomyopathy, the status in which the bosom contracts abnormally. # 8220 ; Cardiomyopathy may be caused by a direct toxic consequence of cocaine on the bosom. Peoples who have cardiomyopathy are more susceptible to bosom onslaughts and to sudden cardiac decease # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.34 ) . The ground myocardiopathy may ensue is due to the sudden addition in bosom rate and blood force per unit area. Cocaine besides has effects on the respiratory system. An overdose of cocaine may ensue in respiratory apprehension. A individual can besides obtain other respiratory jobs if he or she smokes it, because of the reduced sum of transit of O to the blood. A syndrome called cleft lung may ensue. # 8220 ; Patients with this syndrome may see chest hurting, shortness of breath, or coughing up blood. Symptoms may get down about instantly after smoking cleft, or up to 48 hours after cleft was last used # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.35 ) . Out of all the variety meats in the human organic structure, cocaine produces the greatest effects on the encephalon. # 8220 ; Cocaine is a really powerful drug that deeply influences encephalon map # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.70 ) . The encephalon plants by directing electrical urges to every nervus cell in the organic structure. The encephalon uses neurotransmitters to transport electrical urges across the spreads that separate nerve cells. To look into the effects of cocaine on the organic structure, research workers check the production, release and dislocation of assorted neurotransmitters. # 8220 ; Neurotransmitters are broken down into a assortment of metabolic terminal merchandises that can be measured in piss, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.35 ) . # 8220 ; ? . cocaine blocks the return ( re-uptake ) of neurotransmitters from the synaptic infinite back into the presynaptic nerve cell ( therefore interfering with their metabolic dislocation ) ? . # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.57 ) . # 8220 ; High doses of cocaine and other cardinal nervous systems stimulations besides appear to increase the firing rate of dopamine-containing nerve cells in the encephalon # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.67 ) . Dr. Micheal Sherer demonstrated a correlativity between Dopastat degrees and paranoia. # 8220 ; Dr. Sherer showed that suspicion and paranoia were related to an addition of homovanillic acid, proposing paranoia in these topics was related to increased degrees of Dopastat in the encephalon # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.67 ) . Cocaine can besides do psychological effects to a individual. As the euphoric province lessenings after frequent usage, the individual may experience dependant on the drug and autumn into depression with and/or without it. # 8220 ; ? .cocaine can do roller-coaster like swings between euphory and depression. As the frequence and strength of cocaine usage addition, the badness of the depression can increase proportionally # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.47 ) . At this province, cocaine users may fall back to suicide. He/she may experience worthless because of failed efforts of halting the usage of cocaine. Not merely does cocaine impact the user, but besides greatly affects the household. Cocaine, Second Edition, shows how a users dependence can ache the remainder of the household. # 8220 ; When 21-year-old # 8216 ; Tom # 8217 ; ran out of money after a cocaine orgy, he asked his parents to drive him New York City to refill his supply. When they demurred, he threatened to rob a gas station to finance his wont. Tom # 8217 ; s parents neer found out whether he would hold carried out his menace, because they gave in to his petition. This scenario was repeated legion occasions, ever with the same consequence. Tom # 8217 ; s parent # 8217 ; s finally sold their place to go on back uping their boy # 8217 ; s wont. His female parent said, # 8216 ; Whenever I thought of non giving in to him, I imagined him in a shoot-out with the constabulary and I pictured Tom dead. No affair what, I couldn # 8217 ; t allow that go on to my male child # 8221 ; ( Weiss, Mirin, and Bartel, p.111 ) . Cannabis Cannabis sativa is a tall works that grows in many parts of the universe. Cannabis sativa is considered a hemp works. It is known as the most lasting of the hemp workss, and produces the toughest fabric, called canvass. This hemp works is used for many intents but is largely normally developed as a signifier of drug readying to about 300 million people throughout the universe ( Wagmanm, 1986, p.1376 ) . There are many drug derived functions generated from the hemp works. The most common signifier that is used extensively throughout the United States is the signifier known as marihuana. Other signifiers include Charas, found throughout India, and a brown pulverization called hasheesh, found in the Middle East ( Wagmanm, p.1377 ) . This works besides produces three other of import merchandises. It produces seed, mush, and medical specialty ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.cannabis.com/faqs/hemp1.shtml ) . The mush is used as fuel, and to do paper. The seed of the works is used for both human and carnal nutrients. The oil can be utilized as a signifier of base for pigments and varnishes. A pigment in the works produces medicine that can be used for a assortment of intents. Although it is legal to posses hemp in the United States, intending the roots, chaff, and stems of the hemp works, it is illegal to posses marihuanas, which is defined as the flowers, buds, or foliages of the hemp works. Therefore, the changeless use of marihuana in the United States has been a outstanding drug issue throughout the old ages ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.cannabis.com/faqs/hemp1.shtml ) . The usage of hemp sativa when used in the organic structure can be both good and hurtful. The affects of hemp sativa on the organic structure are really interesting and sometimes different depending on the person. The organic structure seems to take on a feeling of being caught between a phase? half manner between elation and drowsiness, with some heightened or altered perceptual experiences ( of sounds and colour, for illustration ) ? ( Wagmanm, p.1378 ) . An experient tobacco user will experience as if there is a slowed-down sense of clip, and at times experiences mild concern or sickness. However, it has besides been observed that people utilizing big doses of marihuana, hasheesh, and THC have induced what they termed hallucinations and psychotic reactions ( Wagmanm, p.1378 ) . Some people experience nil at all if they are non anticipating to experience affects on the organic structure while smoking. Although, if a individual is experiencing anxiousness, they may besides experienc e terror ( Wagmanm, p.1378 ) . Whatever the effects may be for the person, in most instances, any signifier of hemp sativa proves to do an altered province of consciousness throughout the organic structure every bit good as strains towards a individual? s mental procedures. It is non evident what exact substances within the hemp works really bring on drug affects within the organic structure. However, scientists have discovered three of the rosin? s ingredients. These are chemical compounds known as cannabinol, cannabidiol, and THC ( THC ) . Tetrahydrocannabinol is a classified as a narcotic. Its molecular expression is C21H30O2 with a molecular weight of 314.45. THC is an active ingredient in marihuana and causes the organic structure to undergo relaxation provinces every bit good as taking to hallucinations and eccentric behaviour ( hypertext transfer protocol: //nepenthes.Lycaeum.org/Drugs/THC/msds.html ) . Cannabis is difficult to sort because its belongingss and reactions resemble both a stimulation and depressant drug. Cannabis has besides been known to hold positive effects on the organic structure when used as a medical specialty. There are many diseases which cannabis can be used for as a signifier of intervention. These diseases include multiple induration, malignant neoplastic disease intervention, AIDS, glaucoma, depression, epilepsy, megrim concerns, asthma, pruritis, sclerodoma, terrible hurting, and dystonia. Assorted chemicals in hemp have chemical utilizations for intervention in the organic structure. Cannabinol is used for the intervention of kiping upsets. It can assist in loosen uping the senses and giving the organic structure a better ability to kip. Cannabidiolic acid is besides used as a germicide. AIDS patients use marihuanas to handle purging and sickness. Surveies have shown that marihuana can be effectual in cut downing the force per unit area of fluids with the eyes of patients enduring from glaucoma ( Wagmanm, p.1378 ) . Cannabis sativa, when used in the signifier of medica l specialty, can be highly good to the organic structure. No affair what signifier of hemp is extracted for usage on the human organic structure, its effects are highly changing. A individual can utilize its effects in a positive or negative manner. They can utilize it to altar their province of consciousness when seeking to get away some kind of interior struggles or to functionally mend their complaints. Its use is still considered immoral throughout the United States, unless its usage is for medical demands. The chemical effects of THC, cannabolinol, and cannabidiol prove to be the most of import active rules within the hemp works, and their reactions within the organic structure are the cause of assorted changes in consciousness. Decision These three drugs have been chemically proven to do many alterations within the human organic structure. Some alterations may be positive, while others may be harmful. Opium and cocaine are both really habit-forming and cause backdown symptoms. Even though these drugs cause chemical changes on the organic structure, one million millions of people continue to utilize so them throughout the universe. All of these drugs are chiefly used for their euphoric effects to get away the struggles within 1s personal life. Mentions # 8220 ; Opium, # 8221 ; Microsoft? Encarta? Online Encyclopedia 2000 hypertext transfer protocol: //encarta.msn.com? 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation.