Drug

The drug is taboo for society. No one can talk or Speak about drugs everyone just ignored them and ran away from them, due to this some of our youth are trapped in the web of drugs. Drugs are may be good or bad, neither every drug are bad nor every drug is good.

 The drugs also help us to cure some diseases. Drugs are good, but when we know about their amount and their consciences. But those people who don't know about the drugs are risking their lives.

In India, the graph of drug and alcohol abusers are kept rising every year because the lack of proper information and knowledge keeps misguiding our youth and teenagers.  

The drugs, which are commonly abused are opioids, cannabinoids, and coca alkaloids. The majority of these are obtained from flowering plants. Some are obtained from fungi.


Drug Abuse


When certain compounds are taken :
  • For a purpose other than medicinal use 
  • In amounts/frequency that impairs one’s physical, physiological, or psychological functions
  • The majority of these are obtained from flowering plants, but some drugs are obtained from fungi. For e.g. LSD (Lysergic acid Diethylamide)
  • Frequent use of addictive drugs is called Drug addiction.
  • Receptor resistance starts in drug habituation and neuroadaptation found in drug dependence.  
Types of Drugs 





Opioids
Opioids are drugs, which bind to specific opioid receptors present in our central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.

Examples:-

  • Natural Opioids:- Morphine
  • Synthetic: Heroine (Diacetyl morphine)
  • Smack [White, odorless, bitter crystalline compound]

Source:-

  • Morphine: Extracted from the latex of poppy plant Papaver somniferum
  • Heroine: Obtained by acetylation of morphine. 

Mechanism of action

  • Binding with specific opioid receptors present in the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.

Effects on body

  • Morphine: Very effective sedative and painkiller, and is very useful in patients who have undergone surgery
  • Heroine: A depressant and slows down body functions 

Opium Poppy

License to "NCERT"

Cannabinoids

Cannabinoids are a group of chemicals.

Examples:- 

  • Bhang
  • Marijuana, Hashish, Charas, and Ganja
Source

  • Natural: Inflorescences of the cannabis plant Cannabis sativa Marijuana, Hashish, Charas, and Ganja : Flower tops, leaves, and the resin of the cannabis plant are used in various combinations for production

Mode of intake 

  • Generally by inhalation and oral ingestion

Mechanism of action

  • Interacting with cannabinoid receptors present principally in the brain

Effects on body  

  • Effects on the cardiovascular system of the body
  • Also being abused by some sports persons these days 
    NCERT

Cocaine

Also known as Coca alkaloid

Examples:- 

  • Cocaine is commonly known as coke or crack.
Source:-

  • Coca plant Erythroxylum coca, native to South America.

Mode of intake:-

  • Usually by snorting

Mechanism of action:-

  • Interference with the transport of the neurotransmitter dopamine

 Effects on body

  • Potent stimulating action on the central nervous system, producing a sense of euphoria and increased energy.
  • Excessive dosage causes hallucinations.


Several plants, fruits, and seeds having hallucinogenic properties have been used for hundreds of years in folk medicine, religious ceremonies, and rituals all over the globe. 
Well-known plants with hallucinogenic properties are Atropa belladonna and Datura
Drugs like barbiturates, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, and other similar drugs, that are normally used as medicines to help patients cope with mental illnesses like depression and insomnia(Sleeping sickness), are often abused.