NookieNotes
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Joined: 11/10/2013
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Right. Because 107 people who have just lived life with no control factors is totally enough to say that dope is scary-bad. Oh wait! It's a knee-jerk thing. Ok. Well, how about this:
Revised December 2014
Some medications have psychoactive (mind-altering) properties and, because of that, are sometimes abused—that is, taken for reasons or in ways or amounts not intended by a doctor, or taken by someone other than the person for whom they are prescribed. In fact, prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are, after marijuana (and alcohol), the most commonly abused substances by Americans 14 and older.
Past year illicit use among 12th graders, Marijuana 36.4%, Amphetamines 8.7%, Synthetic Marijuana 7.9%, Adderall 7.4%, Vicodin 5.3%, Cough med 5.0%, Tranquilizers 4.6%, Hallucinogens 4.5%, Sedatives 4.8%, Salvia 3.4%, Oxycontin 3.6%, MDMA 4.0%, Inhalants 2.5%, Cocaine 2.6%, Ritalin 2.3%
The classes of prescription drugs most commonly abused are: opioid pain relievers, such as Vicodin or Oxycontin; stimulants for treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), such as Adderall, Concerta, or Ritalin; and central nervous system (CNS) depressants for relieving anxiety, such as Valium or Xanax.1 The most commonly abused OTC drugs are cough and cold remedies containing dextromethorphan.
People often think that prescription and OTC drugs are safer than illicit drugs, but that’s only true when they are taken exactly as prescribed and for the purpose intended. When abused, prescription and OTC drugs can be addictive and put abusers at risk for other adverse health effects, including overdose—especially when taken along with other drugs or alcohol.
How Are Prescription Drugs Abused?
Prescription and OTC drugs may be abused in one or more of the following ways:
Taking a medication that has been prescribed for somebody else. Unaware of the dangers of sharing medications, people often unknowingly contribute to this form of abuse by sharing their unused pain relievers with their family members.
Most teenagers who abuse prescription drugs are given them for free by a friend or relative.
Taking a drug in a higher quantity or in another manner than prescribed. Most prescription drugs are dispensed orally in tablets, but abusers sometimes crush the tablets and snort or inject the powder. This hastens the entry of the drug into the bloodstream and the brain and amplifies its effects.
Graphic showing the spectrum of Prescription Drug Abuse from improper use to abuse: 1 Taking someone else's prescription to self-medicate. 2 Taking a prescription medication in a way other than prescribed. 3 Taking a medication to get high.
Taking a drug for another purpose than prescribed. All of the drug types mentioned can produce pleasurable effects at sufficient quantities, so taking them for the purpose of getting high is one of the main reasons people abuse them.
ADHD drugs like Adderall are also often abused by students seeking to improve their academic performance. However, although they may boost alertness, there is little evidence they improve cognitive functioning for those without a medical condition.
How Do Prescription and OTC Drugs Affect the Brain?
Taken as intended, prescription and OTC drugs safely treat specific mental or physical symptoms. But when taken in different quantities or when such symptoms aren’t present, they may affect the brain in ways very similar to illicit drugs.
For example, stimulants such as Ritalin achieve their effects by acting on the same neurotransmitter systems as cocaine. Opioid pain relievers such as OxyContin attach to the same cell receptors targeted by illegal opioids like heroin. Prescription depressants produce sedating or calming effects in the same manner as the club drugs GHB and rohypnol. And when taken in very high doses, dextromethorphan acts on the same cell receptors as PCP or ketamine, producing similar out-of-body experiences.
When abused, all of these classes of drugs directly or indirectly cause a pleasurable increase in the amount of dopamine in the brain’s reward pathway. Repeatedly seeking to experience that feeling can lead to addiction.
What Are the Other Health Effects of Prescription and OTC Drugs?
Opioids can produce drowsiness, cause constipation, and—depending upon the amount taken—depress breathing. The latter effect makes opioids particularly dangerous, especially when they are snorted or injected or combined with other drugs or alcohol.
Opioids and Brain Damage
While the relationship between opioid overdose and depressed respiration (slowed breathing) has been confirmed, researchers are also studying the long-term effects on brain function. Depressed respiration can affect the amount of oxygen that reaches the brain, a condition called hypoxia. Hypoxia can have short- and long-term psychological and neurological effects, including coma and permanent brain damage.
Researchers are also investigating the long-term effects of opioid addiction on the brain. Studies have shown some deterioration of the brain’s white matter due to heroin use, which may affect decision-making abilities, the ability to regulate behavior, and responses to stressful situations.
quote:
More people die from overdoses of prescription opioids than from all other drugs combined, including heroin and cocaine (see "The Prescription Opioid Abuse Epidemic" below).
The Prescription Opioid Abuse Epidemic
Over 2 million people in the United States suffer from substance use disorders related to prescription opioid pain relievers. The terrible consequences of this epidemic include overdose deaths, which have more than quadrupled in the past decade and a half. The causes are complex, but they include overprescription of pain medications. In 2013, 207 million prescriptions were written for prescription opioid pain medications.
from: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/prescription-over-counter-medications
Or
quote:
“People assume because it is over the counter that it is safe,” said Heather Free, pharmacy manager of a Walgreen’s Pharmacy in Washington, DC, and an American Pharmacists Association spokesperson. The reality is that even an aspirin can have adverse effects or cause harm if you don’t follow recommended doses, directions, and warnings.
“Over-the-counter medications are intended to treat short-term illnesses and symptoms,” said Amy Tiemeier, associate professor in the department of pharmacy practice at St. Louis College of Pharmacy. “Ingesting them over a long period of time can lead to any number of adverse effects and lead to a worsening of a disease that should be treated by a medical professional.”
from: http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/over-the-counter-drug-dangers-should-know-about/
And so on.
There is a difference between using a drug and abusing it.
quote:
Researchers point to studies that show that too much sugar (both in the form of natural sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup) not only makes us fat, it also wreaks havoc on our liver, mucks up our metabolism, impairs brain function, and may leave us susceptible to heart disease, diabetes, even cancer.
And yet, you're not calling for legislation on sugar...
quote:
Sugar’s harmful effects on the brain don’t only occur in the long term; during a single instance of hyperglycemia, slowed cognitive function and deficits in attention and memory have been reported.1 Hyperglycemia also affects mood states; type 2 diabetic patients experienced increased feelings of sadness and anxiety during acute hyperglycemia. 6 In healthy young people as well, a brain imaging study has suggested that in a hyperglycemic state, the brain’s ability to process emotion is compromised.
from: http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/what_does_sugar_do_to_the_brain.aspx
Sugar is the new dope.
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RE: I knew it...Pot makes you stupid - 
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