Recreational drugs

Amount of people that die from tobacco

>7 million people every year

Amount of people that die from second-hand smoke

~1.6 million non-smokers

Cost of a pack of 20 cigarettes

£12.50 - £17 is the average cost in the UK

Harmful chemical class produced from burning organic matter

Carbonyls - formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone etc…

Components of cigarette smoke

Tar, carbon monoxide, nicotine, carbonyls, heavy metals etc…

Heavy metals present in cigarette smoke

Chromium, polonium, cadmium, arsenic, beryllium

How is cigarette smoke harmful

-Carcinogens cause DNA damage

-Damage airways and mucosal membranes

-Cause inflammation and affects immune system

Health conditions resulting from smoking

-Various cancers: lung, oesophageal, mouth etc…

-COPD

-Heart disease

-Diabetes

-Reproductive damage in women

How many people suffer from cannabis use disorder

3 in 10

Groups of people especially susceptible to cannabis use disorders

children and teens

Health conditions linked to long-term cannabis use

Psychosis and schizophrenia

Parts of the brain affected by cannabis use

Areas involved with memory, learning, attention, decision-making, coordination, emotion, and reaction time

Psycho-active component of cannabis

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

Medicinal component of cannabis

Cannabidiol (CBD)

Possible uses for CBD

-Pain relief

-Anxiety treatment

-Epilepsy treatment and other neurological conditions

Average THC content in the 1960s and the 2020s

1960s: ~2%

2020s: 17-28%

Symptoms of acute marijuana toxicity

-Hypotension

-Delirium

-Muscle spasms

-Sudden panic

Effect of alcohol and cannabis combination

An additive effect that increases physiological changes from both substances

Addictive effect of cannabis

~10% of regular cannabis users become dependent and can experience withdrawal

Main pyschoactive substance of alcohol

Ethanol

Deaths caused by alcohol

2.6 million deaths per year

-1.6 from non-communicable diseases

-700,000 from injury

-300,000 from communicable diseases

Health conditions resulting from alcohol abuse

-Liver diseases: cirrhosis, fatty liver etc…

-Heart diseases

-Various cancers

-Pancreatitis

-Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)

Upper limit of alcohol per week

14 units

How much is a unit of alcohol

-10 ml of ethanol

-Half a pint of average lager/beer/cider

-25 ml shot of 40 proof spirit

Meaning of % ABV / proof

-Amount of ethanol per amount of alcoholic beverage

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms

-Hand tremors

-Sweating

-Hallucinations

-Mental health issues

-Insomnia

Legal limits of alcohol for driving

-35 micrograms per 100 ml of breath

-80 milligrams per 100 ml of blood

-107 milligrams per 100 ml of blood

How is alcohol absorbed

-Small amounts through blood vessels in mouth and on tongue

-up to 20% in the stomach

-Remaining amount absorbed through small intestine

Physical affects of alcohol in bloodstream

-Skin flushing and warmth

-Decrease in body temperature

-Drop in blood pressure

Hormones that alcohol stimulates

Dopamine and serotonin

Time it takes for blood alcohol to peak

45 - 90 minutes from first drink

Process of alcohol intoxication in the brain

-Ethanol is small, so passes into gaps between neurons

-Interferes with neurotransmitter activity

Process of alcohol decomposition

-Alcohol dehydrogenase in liver converts ethanol into acetaldehyde

-Acetaldehyde broken down into acetic acid

-Acetic acid broken down into fatty acids, water and carbon dioxide

Chemical responsible for hangovers

Acetaldehyde

Types of drugs based on affect on nervous system

-Stimulants / uppers

-Depressants / downers

affect of alcohol on nervous system

-Depressant / downer

affect of cannabis on nervous system

-Depressant / downer

affect of nicotine on nervous system

-Both a depressant and stimulative effect

Depressants

opioids (heroin, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl), benzodiazepines, alcohol, cannabis

Stimulants

ecstasy (MDMA), cocaine, methamphetamines, amphetamines (speed)

Danger of mixing stimulants and depressants

-Stimulants increase heart rate and blood pressure, while depressants slow breathing

-Unpredictable results from drug mixing

Drug used to reverse overdoses

Naloxone / ‘Narcan’