In the ’60s, marijuana was a hallmark of the counterculture, along with free love, bell bottoms, long hair and bandannas. But marijuana has had the most staying power. This month, in a remarkable first, the recreational use of marijuana became legal (depending on your definition) in Colorado and Washington. Over a dozen other states have decriminalized possession of […]
Prescription Drug Deaths And the Drug Industry
Terence Young, Member of Parliament for Oakville, Ontario, is the founder and Chair of Drug Safety Canada, a research and public advocacy organization based in Oakville. He has been active in issues related to prescription drug safety since March 2000, after losing his 15-year-old daughter Vanessa to the Johnson & Johnson manufactured drug Prepulsid, marketed […]
Marijuana – Interesting Facts
There are 2,500 to 3,500 species of flowering plants Various uses around the world and in history included: Medicinal value Poisons Psychoactive Religious ceremonies Magic Initiation into puberty Escape reality Fashionable Social pleasure Psychoactive substances are found in various parts of the plant: Resin Fleshy fruit Stems Leaves Seeds Roots Psychoactive substances can be introduced […]
Is Pot as Benign as we Thinks?
We used to fear Mary Jane, then we laughed about her, and now many of us think she’s downright wholesome. Marijuana’s public image has undergone a stunning transformation since the scare-mongering of Reefer Madness and the dope comedies of Cheech and Chong, but many doctors believe that weed’s rehabilitation as a virtual wonder drug may […]
Family Issues in Recovery- What do I Need to Know?
Familes are often the primary support for people who have substance use and/or mental health problems. Families are likely to experience significant physical, emotional, social and spiritual stress. Although there are a growing number of interventions designed to help and support family members, many helpers “perceive this as secondary to the job of working with […]
Prescription Painkillers a Potential Danger to Society
A wave of new prescription painkillers presents a potential danger to society, some medical researchers warn.“The deaths are going to continue,” said Dr. David Juurlink, a leading Canadian researcher on pain medication. “The only thing that’s going to stop them is reduced prescribing. “Pharmaceutical companies have made billions and billions of dollars. And over the […]
Length of Addiction
When families are dealing with a loved one who is locked into addiction they naturally want to know how long the insanity is going to last before the person decides to get help. The truth is, some alcoholics and addicts never do seek help, but for those who do, years can go by before they […]
Marijuana-Induced Psychotic Episodes
Mikkel Arendt, Ph.D., a fellow at the Center for Basic Psychiatric Research at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, and coworkers used the Danish Psychiatric Central Register to identify patients treated for a first marijuana-induced psychotic episode between 1994 and 1999. There were 535 such patients. The researchers then followed those patients for at least […]
Marijuana Induced Psychosis
Young adults who used marijuana as teens were more likely than those who didn’t to develop schizophrenia and psychotic symptoms including hallucinations and delusions, an Australian study found. Those who used the drug for six or more years were twice as likely to develop a psychosis such as schizophrenia or to have delusional disorders than […]
Cannabis Basics
Cannabis Basics Cannabis is a general term given to drug products derived from the cannabis plant. Cannabis (or marijuana) usually refers to the dried flowers and leaves of the plant, which are smoked or eaten to produce a psychoactive effect. Other names for cannabis include grass, dope, pot, weed, and mull. The main active ingredient […]
When Drug Use Becomes a Problem?
It becomes a problem when a person experiences one or more of these instances: when use of a drug results in negative consequences ( physical, mental, social, emotional, legal, economic or environmental consequences) when a person continues to use a drug despite negative consequences to him or herself or to other people such as family, […]
Club Drugs
Club drugs are a group of psychoactive drugs that tend to be abused by teens and young adults at bars, nightclubs, concerts, and parties, they are: Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) Rohypnol Ketamine MDMA (ecstasy) Methamphetamine GHB is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002 for […]
Heroin
Heroin is an opiate drug that is synthesized from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of the Asian opium poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder or as a black sticky substance, known as “black tar heroin.” How Is Heroin Abused? Heroin can be injected, snorted/sniffed, or […]
Ecstasy
Ecstasy – A Central Nervous System (CNS) Stimulant, Hallucinogen Ecstasy is a street drug that is only made in illegal labs. It is usually sold as a tablet, capsule, or powder. Ecstasy tablets vary in size, shape, color, “a logo” or an image imprinted in the tablets. Its chemical name is methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). The chemical […]
Cocaine and Crack
Cocaine- a Central Nervous System stimulant. Cocaine is a drug extracted from the leaves of the coca plant, a fine powder (often diluted with other substances). There are three routes of cocaine administration: snorting, injecting, and smoking. Snorting is the process of inhaling cocaine powder through the nose, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream […]
Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens are drugs that cause hallucinations & distortions in a person’s perceptions of reality, including seeing images, hearing sounds, and feeling sensations that seem real but do not exist. Some hallucinogens also produce rapid, intense emotional swings. Hallucinogens cause these distortions by disrupting the interaction of nerve cells and the neurotransmitter serotonin. Distributed throughout the brain and spinal […]