Drug Classification and Scheduling

Drug Classification and Scheduling

CJ411-01 – Drugs and Alcohol in the Criminal Justice System

Drug Classification and Scheduling

The British actor Russell Brand provided a valuable assessment of what life is like as a drug addict when he stated, “The mentality and behavior of drug addicts and alcoholics is wholly irrational until you understand that they are completely powerless over their addiction and unless they have structured help, they have no hope.” (Brand, 2013) As a recovering addict himself, he has spent the last ten years using his fame and fortune as a platform to raise awareness, provide hope, and get help for substance abuse addicts. For Brand, it wasn’t until his best friend Amy Winehouse overdosed in 2009 that he experienced a wakeup call; he realized how precious life is and how much harm he was doing to his body. Russell Brand was very forthcoming and transparent when interviewed about his prior drug abuse; he stated that he did not necessarily have a drug of choice because he used (and abused) anything he could get his hands on. Like many addicts, it didn’t matter to him if he used legal and illegal stimulants, depressants, or hallucinogens as long as he could escape his present reality. (Ferguson, 2013)

The National Institute on Drug Abuse defines a stimulant as “a substance that increases alertness, attention, and energy, as well as elevates blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration.” (stimulants.com, 2016) Contrary to popular belief, there are still some stimulants that remain on the market today as both prescription drugs and as over the counter products that can be purchased at most stores. Caffeine is a common ingredient in energy drinks and supplements, sodas, performance-enhancing supplements, weight loss products, and even herbal remedies. Nicotine is commonly found in tobacco products that are either smoked, dipped, or chewed in the form of gum. Approximately 30-60 minutes after consuming a product with either caffeine or nicotine products, the brain begins to fight fatigue and gives the user a boost of energy. Taurine is a natural amino acid which is commonly found in energy drinks and performance enhancing supplements due to its importance in several of the body’s metabolic processes. Some researchers believe that it also helps athletes remain mentally focused. (Zeratsky, 2018) Guarana is another plant-based stimulant that is an ingredient in many energy drinks. Like Taurine, it helps you maintain focus and mental energy.

The medical community still uses certain stimulant products for short-term illnesses and psychiatric disorders. Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant that reduces the blood vessels in the nasal passages which, when swollen, cause nasal congestion. Codeine is a narcotic cough suppressant which eliminates the brain’s trigger to use the cough reflex. (cigna.com, 2018) Amphetamines are prescribed to patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder that have trouble with concentration, memory, and mental fogginess because they increase the brain’s activity and secretion of the chemicals called dopamine and norepinephrine. They are also prescribed to patients with narcolepsy that experience uncontrollable episodes of deep sleep. The amphetamines increase alertness, attention, and energy for these patients. (drugabuse.gov, 2018) and ginseng are examples of products that can be purchased in stores if the buyer is of legal age to do so.

Cocaine and methamphetamines are both illegal stimulants and have similar effects on the body, yet the high that the user experiences is completely different. Smoking cocaine offers users a brief high and over 50% of the drug is worn off within an hour whereas the high from smoking methamphetamines is significantly longer and remains in the body for up to 12 hours. (drugabuse.gov, 2013) Another significant difference between cocaine and methamphetamines is that cocaine comes from a plant whereas methamphetamines are man-made and significantly more addictive. (therecoveryvillage.com, 2018) guarana are illicit and can only be purchased on the black market.

All stimulants share one thing in common and that is that they can be highly addictive. Additionally, if used medically, the patient’s use should be closely monitored by the prescribing physician due to serious and potentially fatal side effects. Common short-term side effects include increased blood pressure and heart rate, increased breathing, decreased blood flow, increased blood sugar, and opened-up breathing passages. These drugs have also been associated with causing psychosis, anger, and paranoia. When large doses of stimulant drugs are used, the user’s body temperature can soar dangerously high, they might have an irregular heartbeat, heart failure, and even seizures.

Depressants, or “downers” as they are sometimes called, belong to a classification of drug that characteristically sedates the user because it relaxes them so much. Alcohol is the second most widely used psychoactive drug in the world. Although it is legal to consume it, there are limits to how much a person can drink and legally appear in public and how much a person’s body can tolerate drinking in the privacy of their own home. Much like any drug, there are many safety risks associated with consuming it such as drowsiness, loss of balance and coordination, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting. Losing consciousness or breathing difficulty are also possible side effects which can be fatal. (alcoholthinkagain.com.au, 2014) Barbiturates are another type of central nervous system depressant which causes the user to go into a state of euphoria and relaxation when taken in small doses. They are harmful because they are highly addictive, dramatically impact the user’s sleep pattern, and prevent the user from getting enough deep sleep. Benzodiazepines are medically useful for the short-term treatment of sleep issues, anxiety disorders, excessive agitation, muscle spasms, and seizures because they make the user very sleepy, sedated, and their muscles naturally relax. The medical community generally views them as a safe medication to prescribe for short-term use, but long-term use can lead to tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal symptoms so the patient should be monitored closely. (Cherry, 2018)

Heroin is an illegal depressant formerly used as a common pain reliever due to the euphoric high, deep relaxation, and sleep-inducing effect it has on the user. This opioid drug which is synthesized from another pain-relieving drug, morphine, is generally injected into the user’s veins but some prefer to snort it or smoke it. Liver disease, pulmonary infections, collapsed veins, chronic constipation, depression, kidney disease, skin infections, hepatitis, HIV, and deterioration of white matter in the brain are all possible side effects of heroin abuse. Unfortunately, the euphoria is short-lived and when the user comes down from their high, there is an increased risk of aggressive and violent behavior. This drug is easily one of the easiest drugs to overdose on because it is one of the fastest that users get addicted to and later build up a tolerance. (americanaddictioncenters.org, 2019)

Whether it is legal or illegal, the use of depressants can be detrimental to the user’s health. With short-term use, they will likely have side effects such as dilated pupils, reduced brain function, impaired judgment, memory problems, fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness, slurred speech, and loss of coordination. As previously mentioned, some users might also experience severe aggression and irritability. Long term use is not encouraged; however, millions of users abuse this class of drugs daily. Risks associated with long-term use include severe depression (to the point that some become suicidal,) sexual problems, chronic fatigue, breathing problems, dependence, addiction, coma, sedation, overdose, death. (aforeverrecovery.com, 2015)

We have all heard of the mind-altering drugs that inspired the author of Alice In Wonderland to create talking animal characters and invent a fictional land, but what do we really know about the classification of drugs called hallucinogens? For starters, consumption of these drugs causes visual and auditory hallucinations as well as profound distortions in a person’s perceptions of reality. Because hallucinogens create significant changes in the perception of time, space, or consciousness they sometimes make a user delusional and obsessive about false notions. Rapid, intense mood swings are associated with use of hallucinogens because the user is said to be experiencing several emotions simultaneously and feels overwhelmed or confused.

Man-made hallucinogens include LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide,) MDMA, an amphetamine that is also called ecstasy or Molly, PCP (phencyclidine or “angel dust,”) Ketamine, and DXM (dextromethorphan.) Plant-based hallucinogens include psilocybin mushrooms, morning glory seeds, and peyote cactus (mescaline,) and marijuana. These plant-based hallucinogens have not been decriminalized by the US government because it alters and affects the parts of the brain that deal with judgment, emotions, memory, and self-control. (aforeverrecovery.com, 2015)

Whenever a hallucinogenic substance causes the user to experience an alternate reality and escape for a short time it, they are considered to be on a “trip” which is generally enjoyable. Sometimes, however, the “trips” are not enjoyable and produce terrifying thoughts, nightmares, intense anxiety, paranoia, and despair. Long-term effects of hallucinogenic use include difficulty concentrating, impaired judgment, violent defensive behaviors, tachycardia (rapid heart rate,) elevated blood pressure difficulty with communicating clearly, or distinguishing between reality and illusion. Hallucinogens can also cause heart arrhythmias, seizures, tighten muscles, kidney failure, and occasionally death. (psychologytoday.com, 2017)

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, “substances are placed in their respective schedules based on whether they have a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, their relative abuse potential, and likelihood of causing dependence when abused.” (deadiversion.usdoj.gov, 2016) A Schedule I drug is a substance or chemical that is not currently accepted for medical use and has a high potential for abuse. Heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), marijuana (cannabis), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy), and peyote fall under this category. Schedule II drugs are substances that have with a high potential for abuse but are unlikely to cause severe psychological or physical dependence. (Vicodin), cocaine, methamphetamine, methadone, hydromorphone (Dilaudid), meperidine (Demerol), oxycodone (OxyContin), fentanyl, Dexedrine, Adderall, and Ritalin are examples of schedule II drugs. Schedule III drugs have a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. Tylenol (with codeine), ketamine, anabolic steroids, and testosterone are examples of this category. Schedule IV drugs have a low potential for abuse and low risk of dependence. Some examples of Schedule IV drugs include Xanax, Soma, Darvon, Darvocet, Valium, Ativan, Ambien, and Tramadol. Schedule V drugs have even lower potential for abuse than Schedule IV but still have limited quantities of certain narcotics. They are generally used for antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic purposes. Some examples include Robitussin AC, Lomotil, Lyrica, and Parepectolin. (dea.gov, 2018)

The government’s scheduling system and the restrictions placed on physicians to prescribe them appear to be appropriate. Research is currently being conducted and there is a disagreement between the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration about possibly adding the herb Kratom to the list of Schedule I drugs due to its opioid-like qualities. (Block, 2018) Other than that, it appears that the only other controlled substance that could potentially change in the future would be for marijuana to be removed from the list of Schedule I substances and legalized due to public demand.

Substance abuse is tragic because it results in far too many preventable deaths each year. It was encouraging to read Russell Brand’s testimony about remaining sober for 10 years and know that recovery is possible if wanted badly enough. It was also encouraging to read that the federal government cares enough about its citizens to restrict and control harmful drugs and other substances from public distribution.