HOW HAVE FEDERAL LAWS BEEN EFFECTIVE? Escalation in drug-related incarceration rates.
Transcript of HOW HAVE FEDERAL LAWS BEEN EFFECTIVE? Escalation in drug-related incarceration rates.
HOW HAVE FEDERAL LAWS BEEN EFFECTIVE?
Escalation in drug-related incarceration rates
Incarcerations have mostly been for Posession
NOTE: The Increase in Incarceration rates for Drug-related Crime is International
However, availability of many “Illicit: substances appear unchanged
Cocaine production seems unaffected
Cocaine prices seem stable
A consideration:Is the War aimed in the right directions?
Despite the Laws People Still Use
How do we measure use of Psychoactive substances?
• A difficult issue-– Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA): measures drug use prevalence by sponsoring the “National Survey on Drug us and Health” (NSDUH)- (formerly known as the “National Household survey on Drug Use”)• drug use info regarding people of 12 yrs and older
– Data from households from every state and across many demographic variables..n= 68,736 survey respondents
Appendix A. NSDUH methodology
Example-Drug Use Stats- NSDUH a SAMHSA study
(substance abuse and mental Health Services Administration)
Link to 2008 SAMHSA Report
NSDUH 2008 vs. Our ClassOur Class College Students (2008)
NSDUHin last year last month in Last Year Last month
Alcohol 91.8% 85.7% 70.6% 50.7%MJ 67.3% 59.1% 30.9% 16.5%Hall 24.2% 6.1 % 8.2% 1.7%Stimulants 22.4 % 14.2% 5.8% 1.5%XTC 4.0% 0.0 % 5.1% 1.3%
Drug Use by Students in our class- Cont’
N=49 Ever in the last year?
Percentages/ (Freq)
In the past month? In the past week?
Today?
Alcohol 91.8 /45 85.7/42 71.4 /35 8.1 /4
Marijuana 67.3 /33 59.1/ (29 44.8 /22 10.2 /5
Hallucinogens 24.4 /12 6.1/3 2.0/1 0- THANK-YOU!
Cocaine or amphetamines
22.4 /11 14.2/7 8.1/4 0
XTC 4.0/2 0 0 0
Opiates 26.5 /13 14.2/7 6.1/3 4.0/2
Benzodiazepines 20.4 /10 16.3/8 8.1/4 6.1/3
ouch!!!
Legal control of drug use has cost a lot
Have U.S. Drug Policies worked to reduce drug use or availability??
Complexities of Drug use, Drug abuse and DRUG TAKING BEHAVIOR
Is there a drug abuse problem in our country?
Does Use Mean Abuse?
The Spectrum of Use
• Use – Periodic non-problematic use• Misuse – Periodic use• Abuse – A pattern of misuse• Dependence – Compulsive problematic use,
often with physiological dependence
Use
• Many drugs can be used relatively safely• Most people who use drugs do not develop
problems; however, this varies with the type of drug
• Drugs are used for many reasons– Social– Religious– Coping– Experimentation
Misuse
• Periodic circumscribed negative consequences– College students and alcohol– “It only happened once.”– Sometimes the consequences are catastrophic
What is drug abuse?
• The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – APA guidelines for diagnostic evaluation of psychological problems– “Substance-related disorders”
DSM-IV:Abuse
• Use-related Failure to fulfill obligations• Use in Physically dangerous situations• Use-related Legal problems• Use-related Social/Psychological problems– *Dependence criteria not met– It is assumed that an individual meeting the
criteria for “drug dependence” have already met the criteria for abuse
What is Drug Dependence?
DSM-IV:Dependence
• Tolerance
Tolerance
• After regular use, a larger dose is required to produce a given effect
• A given dose of the drug has less effect upon repetition
DSM-IV:Dependence
• Tolerance• Withdrawal syndromes
Physical Dependence
• An adaptive state produced by repeated use of a drug which manifests itself by intense physiological disturbances (withdrawal syndrome) when use of the drug is halted (abstinence).
• Withdrawal syndrome- a constellation of symptoms that occur when an individual stops using the drug to which dependence has developed. Symptoms typically in reverse direction of the effects caused by the drug (considered a “rebound effect.”)
Withdrawal Syndromes
Example: Opiate drugs tend to reduce body temp and decrease activity of the
digestive system.
Opiate withdrawal syndromes include fever, and diarrhea
For some drugs a withdrawal Syndrome may be associated with
Psychological dependence
• A condition characterized by intense drive or cravings for a drug experienced during periods ob abstinence.– Abstinence: periods of time when the individual has
stopped using
• Now considered the most prominent factor in relapse.– Relapse: return to drug use after a period of abstinence
DSM-IV:Dependence
• Tolerance• Withdrawal• Taking more than intended
DSM-IV:Dependence
• Tolerance• Withdrawal• Taking more than intended• Unable to successfully cut down or control
DSM-IV:Dependence
• Tolerance• Withdrawal• Taking more than intended• Unable to cut down or control• Excessive time spent re: drug– Thinking about, talking about, acquiring etc…
DSM-IV:Dependence
• Tolerance• Withdrawal• Taking more than intended• Unable to cut down or control• Excessive time spent re drug• Important activities given up– Loss of interest/motivation/ability
DSM-IV:Dependence
• Tolerance• Withdrawal• Taking more than intended• Unable to cut down or control• Excessive time spent re drug• Important activities given up• Continuing use despite problems
How Large is the Problem? Depends how it is measured… Treatment Statistics
Economic Indications
SO ?
• Whatever your perspective on drug use and abuse, its difficult to argue that drug use is in no way problematic.
• Especially when considering the harmful effects of drug addiction/Abuse to the individual and to society.
• Yet the issues are complex and simple approaches are clearly less than optimally effective
Yet there is ample rationale to study drug taking behavior
• It is a social problem• Many drugs can cause physical harm to the
individual• General Insight into behavior• Insight into the functions of the nervous system• Insights into pharmacology of neural transmission
Psychopharmacology
• The Study of Psychoactive Drugs and Their Effects
Names of DrugsBrand, trade, ‘proprietary’ name: e.g., Adderal®different preparations, companies, etc.
Generic, (common) ‘nonproprietary’ name: d-amphetamine
Chemical name: alpha-methylphenethylamine
Street names: e.g..Bennies, black beauties, bumble bees, co-pilots, Crank, Cross tops, Crystal meth, Dexies, Footballs, Hearts, Hot Ice, Ice, L.A. glass, Meth, MDMA, Pep pills, Speed, Uppers
Mostly I will use the generic name.
Example: Valium7-chloro--1-methyl-5-phenyl-3H-1,4-
benzodiazepin-2[1H]-one
diazepam
valium
tranks, downers, blues, yellows
• chemical
• generic
• trade
• street
Classifying Drugs-another difficult issue
– Therapeutic vs. non-therapeutic– Legal vs. illegal– Recreational vs. medicinal– Mechanism of action– Site of action– By origin– By chemical structure– Behavioral effects
Classifying Drugs
• Ultimately, as practiced, the classification of drugs is political/social as much as it is scientific.
• Two most common classifications– Scheduling– Behavioral effects
• Both have associated problems
Behavioral Effects Classification
• Classified by effects on behavior and/or central nervous system– Depressants– Stimulants– Narcotics/Analgesics– Psychedelics
Although the Behavioral class system is generally useful…
• Consider the problem of classification based on behavioral effects.– What is the behavioral effect of alcohol?– What is the behavioral effect of Nicotine?
Nonetheless, the behavioral effect classification system would generally be as follows:
• Depressants• Actions in the nervous system lead to
decreased physiological activity and sedation– Alcohol – – Barbiturates – – Benzodiazepines –
Stimulants
• Increase physiological processes and motor behavior– Cocaine– Amphetamine – – Caffeine – – Nicotine –
Narcotic Analgesics (Opiates)
• increase activity in the endogenous opiate system leading to pain suppression, feelings of euphoria, well-being, and respiratory depression– Heroin – – Codeine – – Morphine – – Vicodin, Percocet, etc. –
Psychedelics
• Alter mood state and perception via action on the CNS. – LSD (acid)– Psylocibin (mushrooms)– Phencyclidine (PCP)
Marijuana-
• Vs. many other drugs, the problems of classification are at least recognized
• In a class by itself– Complex behavioral effects– Main effect is on cannabinoid neurotransmitter
system
Take-Home Message
• Drug classification systems are only a convenient tool for communicating superficial characteristics of a drug. Almost all classification systems breakdown fairly quickly when deeper consideration is given to the individual drugs within each class.