Depressants, Synthetics, and Others

Depressant

substance that depresses the functions of the central nervous system / calms irritability and anxiety / decreases brain activity / sleep disorders / most are prescription drugs

Common names for alcohol

juice, hard stuff, sauce, hooch, vino, suds

Common names for benzodiazepines

benzos, BZDs, stupefy, tranx, heavenly blues, valley girl

Common names for barbiturates

yellow jackets, yellows or reds, red birds or devils, barbs, tooies, phennies

Barbiturates

all are chemical derivatives of barbituric acid / effective as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants / have physical and psychological addiction potential as well as overdose potential among other possible adverse effects / largely been replaced by benzodiazepines (medicine, interrogation) / common examples: phenobarbital, amobarbital, secobarbital / used in euthanasia and death penalty

1864 (barbiturates)

first synthesized barbituric acid

1903 (barbiturates)

medical significance identified

1912 (barbiturates)

Bayer introduced phenobarbital as a sedative hypnotic

1939 - 1945 (barbiturates)

military used to tolerate heat and humidity

1950s (barbiturates)

potential for dependence and behavioral disturbances recognized

1970 (barbiturates)

Controlled Substances Act - sch II, III, IV

Benzodiazepines

psychoactive drug with a chemical structure including the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring / medical uses include treatment for anxiety, insomnia, and seizures / considered safe and effected for short term use / long term use can increase the risks of suicide, aggression, dementia, and cancer, also decreases effectiveness / delivered orally, intravenously, intramuscular, or rectal

1955 (benzodiazepines)

first benzodiazepine synthesized; failed experiment

1957 (benzodiazepines)

project revisited after “spring cleaning”

1963 (benzodiazepines)

diazepam (valium) introduced

1970s (benzodiazepines)

most commonly prescribed medication in the world

1975 (benzodiazepines)

dependence issues recognized and controlled as a sch IV

GHB

gamma-hydroxybutyric acid / date-rape drug, colorless and odorless, club drug / naturally occurring neurotransmitter and psychoactive drug (precursor to GABA and acts on the GHB receptor) / medical uses include anesthetic and treatment of narcolepsy, alcoholism, fibromyalgia / sch I

Synthetic cannabinoids

bind to same receptors as natural cannabinoids / typically smoked or injected / sold in early 2000s as herbal incense or smoking blends (labeled not for human consumption but later found in e-cigarettes) / can be sprayed or mixed with other drugs / main types include spice, K2, krypton

Federal/state rules on synthetic cannabinoids

the federal government has banned many specific synthetic cannabinoids / recent federal and state laws targeting synthetic cannabinoids have banned general categories of ingredients, rather than specific chemicals / makers of synthetic cannabinoids try to get around these laws by creating new products with different ingredients or by labeling them not for human consumption

Common street names for synthetic cannabinoids

K2, spice, aroma, chaos, dream, Mr. Happy, scooby snacks

Products named after inventors or institutions

JWH - John. W. Huffman / AM - Alexandros Makriyannis / HU - Hebrew University / URB - Urbino, Italy

Products developed by pharmaceutical companies

A material (A796, 260) - Abbott Laboratories / KM-XI (UR-144) - Abbott Laboratories

How synthetic cannabinoids are used

sprayed onto plant material and smoked / mixed into a liquid and vaped in electronic nicotine delivery devices / added to herbal tea or to food and swallowed

Cathinones

benzoylethanamine / alkaloid found in the shrub Catha edulis (khat) / chemically similar to ephedrine, cathine, methcathinone and other amphetamines / it has a ketone functional group / referred to as bath salts / sch I

Cathinones sold as

bath salts, plant food, jewelry cleaner, phone screen cleanerA

Anabolic steroids

steroids that promote muscle growth / synthetic compounds chemically related to male sex hormone testosterone / halts bone growth, destructive behavior, depression

Inhalants

considered a starter drug for young people because they’re easy to get / more than 18 million people use them / ranked as 3rd most popular drug for students up to 7th grade