Drugs, Society, and Criminal Justice

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering major narcotics, hallucinogens, anabolic-androgenic steroids, depressants, inhalants, alcohol, tobacco, and the relationship between drugs and crime.

Narcotic

A psychoactive painkilling drug derived from opium or synthesized with similar properties; originated from the Greek word for "stupor."

Laudanum

A liquid medicinal preparation of opium in an alcohol base introduced by Paracelsus in 1520 and popularized by Dr. Thomas Sydenham in 1680.

Black Tar Heroin

A relatively pure ($60\%$ to $90\%$) and inexpensive form of heroin originating in Mexico and illegal laboratories in the U.S. that can be snorted or smoked rather than injected.

Fentanyl

A synthetic prescription opioid narcotic, also known illicitly as "China White," that is 10 to 10,000 times stronger than heroin.

Conditioned Tolerance

A form of drug tolerance linked to environmental cues and settings; when a user takes drugs in an unfamiliar setting, the lack of conditioned compensatory responses can lead to overdose.

Methadone Maintenance

A medically supervised opioid treatment modality where daily oral doses of methadone are dispensed at specialized clinics to relieve drug cravings and block withdrawal symptoms.

OxyContin

A time-released formulation of oxycodone approved by the FDA in 1995 and produced by Purdue Pharmaceuticals, whose aggressive marketing for general pain conditions contributed to the prescription opioid epidemic.

Ergot

A fungus that grows on cereal grains like rye, from which Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD-25 in 1938.

Synesthesia

A subjective hallucinogenic phenomenon in which sensory modalities cross and intermingle, causing the user to experience phenomena such as "seeing sounds."

$S_{2A}$ Receptors

A specific subtype of serotonin-sensitive brain receptors stimulated by all hallucinogens, including those that do not structurally resemble serotonin, mediating hallucinatory experiences.

Psilocybin

A serotonin-related hallucinogenic compound found in certain mushrooms (such as Psilocybe mexicana) that produces visual, euphoric trips lasting 2 to 5 hours.

Mescaline

A naturally occurring norepinephrine-related hallucinogen derived from the peyote cactus, characterized by sensual visual hallucinations and bitter taste.

Amanita Muscaria

An acetylcholine-related hallucinogenic mushroom known as "Fly Agaric," historically ingested by Viking "Berserkers," producing muscle twitching, dizziness, hallucinations, and aggressive behavior.

Phencyclidine (PCP)

A synthetic dissociative depressant developed by Parke-Davis in 1963 as a surgical anesthetic, known as "Angel Dust" and classified as a Schedule II drug causing manic agitation, depersonalization, and aggression.

Androgenic

Promoting masculine characteristics and changes in the body, derived from words meaning "man-changing" or "man-producing."

Anabolic

Promoting tissue growth, protein synthesis, and muscular development, derived from words meaning "upward-changing."

Shotgunning

An illicit pattern of steroid abuse involving the simultaneous consumption of multiple oral and injectable anabolic steroids.

Pyramiding

A steroid dosing regimen in which an athlete increases drug dosage over several weeks prior to a competition and then tapers off before the event to escape detection.

Muscle Dysmorphia

A form of body dysmorphic disorder, sometimes termed "reverse anorexia," wherein individuals perceive their bodies as small and underdeveloped despite having large musculature.

Acromegaly

A physical condition resulting from human growth hormone (HGH) abuse, manifested by an enlarged skull, misshapen hands and feet, and internal organ damage.

Gas Chromatography & Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)

A highly definitive and expensive confirmatory urinalysis drug testing technique in which urine is vaporized and the resulting gas is electrically analyzed.

Sedative-Hypnotics

A category of central nervous system depressants, including barbiturates, that reduce anxiety and induce sleep primarily through overall sedative action.

Benzodiazepines

Anti-anxiety tranquilizers developed in the 1950s (such as Valium and Xanax) that promote relaxation and stress reduction by facilitating GABA activity without depressing respiratory centers.

GABA Receptor

An inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor site in the central nervous system whose action is enhanced by depressant drugs such as benzodiazepines and barbiturates to slow neuronal firing.

Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA)

The use of alcohol or other odorless, tasteless depressant substances (such as Rohypnol, GHB, or ketamine) to compromise an individual's consciousness, ability to consent, and subsequent memory.

Fermentation

The organic chemical process of converting plant sugars into ethyl alcohol through the action of yeasts, producing beers and wines with up to $12\%$ to $14\%$ alcohol concentration.

Distillation

The process of heating a fermented alcohol beverage, capturing the vaporized alcohol steam, and condensing it to produce concentrated distilled spirits containing $40\%$ to $50\%$ alcohol.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase

A gastric enzyme that breaks ethyl alcohol down into toxic acetaldehyde; present in approximately $60\%$ lower quantities in women than in men.

Balanced Placebo Design

An experimental research protocol involving four separate groups to untangle true pharmacological drug effects from learned cognitive expectancy effects.

Crime Days Per Year

A quantitative research metric developed by Dr. David Nurco measuring the number of days out of 365 at-risk days in which an individual commits at least one crime.

Violent Generalists

A narcotic addict typology identified by Dr. David Nurco characterized by an early age at first drug use and engagement in serious violent crimes both prior to addiction and during non-addicted periods.

Working Addicts

A narcotic addict category identified by Dr. David Nurco who make $$500 or less per week from illicit activity and maintain full-time legitimate employment.

Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM)

A research program assessing drug prevalence among arrestees across multiple cities within 24 hours of booking using voluntary interviews and urinalysis.

Psychopharmacological Violence

Violence occurring when an individual commits an aggressive act due to the direct, short-term intoxicating biochemical influence of a psychoactive substance.

Economic-Compulsive Violence

Violence committed by drug users for the explicit secondary purpose of acquiring money to finance their drug dependence.

Systemic Violence

Aggressive and violent behaviors intrinsic to the illicit drug distribution trade, including territorial disputes, dealer competition, and code enforcement.

Delirium Tremens (DTs)

An acute, life-threatening complication of alcohol withdrawal seen in chronic drinkers, characterized by intense disorientation, fever, profuse sweating, and terrifying hallucinations.

Alcoholic Cirrhosis

A severe, irreversible chronic liver disease marked by widespread destruction, scarring, and hardening of functional hepatic cells caused by prolonged alcohol abuse.

Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

A severe neurological impairment resulting from thiamine (vitamin $B_1$) deficiency in alcoholics, combining acute confusion and motor ataxia (Wernicke's disease) with chronic amnesia and confabulation (Korsakoff's psychosis).

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

A congenital disorder resulting from maternal alcohol ingestion during pregnancy, causing prenatal/postnatal growth delays, central nervous system damage, and distinct facial dysmorphology.

Co-Dependency

A psychological condition within alcoholic families characterized by obsessive over-involvement with the drinker and enabling behaviors that shield the individual from consequences.

Primary Harm

The direct, adverse physical damage and medical consequences caused intrinsically by the biochemical toxicity of the drug itself, such as cigarette smoke inducing lung cancer.

Secondary Harm

Negative consequences arising not from a drug's direct biological action, but from its illicit legal status, prohibition, and lack of harm reduction resources (e.g., bloodborne infection from unsterile needles).

Years of Life Lost

An epidemiological measure evaluating drug mortality by considering the age of the victim; legal drugs kill predominantly older adults in their 50s–70s, whereas illicit drugs disproportionately kill younger adults in their 20s–30s.

Carbon Monoxide

An odorless, colorless, toxic combustion product in tobacco smoke that binds to hemoglobin, preventing oxygen delivery to body tissues and causing subtle asphyxiation.

Tar

A sticky particulate matter in tobacco smoke that paralyzes respiratory cilia and settles carcinogenic chemical compounds into the lungs.

Leukoplakia

Precancerous white patches or plaques that develop on the lips, gums, or oral cavity tissues in response to smokeless tobacco use.

Sidestream Smoke

Unfiltered secondhand tobacco smoke emitted directly from the burning tip of a cigarette, pipe, or cigar into the surrounding room environment.

Drug-Defined Offenses

Violations of criminal statutes that explicitly outlaw the possession, manufacture, or sale of controlled illicit substances.

Drug-Related Offenses

Crimes motivated by drug intoxication or the need to acquire funds to purchase illegal drugs, such as robberies, larcenies, or assaults.

Smurfing

A money-laundering technique where illegal proceeds are broken down into multiple small cash deposits under the $$10,000 threshold to evade Bank Secrecy Act reporting.

Freelance Model

An unorganized, non-hierarchical illicit retail drug-distribution framework operating on a cash-and-carry basis with independent sellers.