D.10+(HL)+Mind+Altering+Drugs

[toc]] **D.10 Mind Altering Drugs **

**Hallucinogens -** a psychoactive drug that induces hallucinations or altered sensory experiences ([|source])

D.10.1
**Describe the effects of Lysergic acid dimethylamide (LSD/"acid"), mescaline, psilocybin and tetrahydrocannabinol**


 * LSD**

__Short Term Effects__  The type of hallucinations experienced depends on the user's state of mind. If the user is happy or in a generally positive mood, LSD triggers happy hallucinations. If the user is depressed or in an otherwise negative mood, then LSD may trigger unpleasant hallucinations that may lead to feelings of suicidal despair.
 * restlessness
 * dizziness
 * the desire to laugh
 * changes in visual and sound perception. Visual distortions often manifest themselves as vivid, brightly colored hallucinations.

Psychosis, a severe mental disorder in which thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality (New Oxford American Dictionary),  is triggered in 2 out of every 1000 users of LSD.

__Long Term Effects__   __Short-term Effects__  No particularly addictive properties.
 * susceptible to severe depression
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">recurrences of effects (flashbacks) months or years afterward LSD has been taken
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Psychological dependence on the drug.
 * Psilocybin**
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Mild hallucinogen that distorts sensory perception and induces feelings of clarity and exhilaration.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Most commonly found in Psilocybe Semilanceata, or "magic mushrooms", and "mimics the action of serotonin in the brain" (Derry 320). They are not addictive, and there is no current scientific knowledge to link psilocybin with negative effects physically.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Physical and mental relaxation
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Tiredness
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">A sense of separateness from surroundings
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Mood swings
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Perceptual distortions
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Mild euphoria
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Increased sensitivity to music and visual sensations


 * Mescaline**

Hallucinogenic properties less than that of LSD and psilocybin. For example, Mescaline does not trigger the same visual distortions that LSD does.

__Short-term Effects__ <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> __Long-Term Effects__ <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"an intensification of actual experience"
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">nausea
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">triggering of the "fight or flight" response -heart rate is increased, glucose is released from energy stores, and blood flow to the skeletal muscle is increased (Derry 320)
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">reduced appetite
 * Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)**
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Activity ingredient found in marijuana
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Causes the "high".
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">THC affects the release of aceylcholine, noradrenaline and dopamine in the brain, and also has analgesic (pain-killing) effects.
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Lethargy
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">apathy
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">sluggishness
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">suppression of the body's immune response
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">psychological dependence
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">anxiety
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">fatigue
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">appetite stimulation
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">irritability
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">insomnia.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**D.10.2**
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 110%;">**Discuss the structural similarities between LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin** <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> LSD and psilocybin contain the indole ring structure, while mescaline doesn't. The [|indole ring] composed of a benzene ring and a pentagon with a nitrogen atom ([|secondary amine]).
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Psilocybin** - phosphate group attached to the indole ring
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**LSD** - two [|tertiary amines], one secondary amine group, carbonyl (-C=O) group, alkene (C=C), indole ring
 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Mescaline** - one benzene ring containing an [|primary amine](CH2-NH2) group and three ether (C-O-C) groups. (Figure 4.10 p. 318)





<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">D.10.3
<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); font-size: 110%;">**Discuss the arguments for and against the legalization of cannabis**

<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Arguments for legalization include the ability of cannabis to offer relief from certain diseases. Arguments against legalization include the possible harmful effects and the possibility of cannabis users moving on to harder drugs.

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">

A blog that looks at two [|opposing viewpoints] on whether cannabis should be legalized**.

Works Cited:** Derry, Lanna, et al. __Chemistry for use with the IB Diploma Options Course Book__. Melbourne: Pearson Heinemann, 2009.