Psychotropic Plants

• Discuss the trend in the use of psychoactive plants as the world has become more interconnected.

  • Historically, psychoactive plants were used ritually and medicinally, especially by shamans for spiritual purposes.

  • With globalization, these substances became separated from their cultural context and were increasingly used recreationally.

  • This shift led to stigmatization, legal prohibition, and later, partial re-acceptance (e.g., cannabis legalization, psychedelics for therapy).

  • Some remain criminalized, while others (like caffeine) are widely accepted.

• Distinguish the primary categories of psychoactive plants in terms of their physiological and psychological effects, and provide examples of each

Depressants (slow down CNS activity)

• Effects: Reduce anxiety, pain, promote sleep

• Examples:

  • Opium (Papaver somniferum): morphine, codeine, heroin

  • Valerian (Valeriana officinalis): sleep aid

  • Cannabis (THC) in moderate-high doses

Stimulants (increase CNS activity)

• Effects: Heightened alertness, suppressed appetite, elevated mood

• Examples:

  • Caffeine (coffee, tea, cacao)

  • Nicotine (tobacco)

  • Cocaine (coca plant)

  • Ephedrine (Ephedra)

Hallucinogens (alter perception)

• Effects: Visual/auditory hallucinations, sense of unity, time distortion

• Examples:

  • Mescaline (peyote)

  • DMT (ayahuasca)

  • Salvinorin A (Salvia divinorum)

  • Lysergic acid derivatives (morning glory seeds)

• Identify the origin of Cannabis and discuss factors that led to its prohibition, and current trends in regulation of the plant

Origin:

• Native to Asia, first used in China for fiber and oil.

• Religious use in India (bhang, ganja, charas).

• Bred for high-resin female flowers → increased THC content.

Prohibition history:

• 1937: U.S. bans cannabis (racially motivated rhetoric played a role).

• 1970: Controlled Substances Act categorizes cannabis as Schedule I (most restrictive).

• 1980s: Reagan’s Anti-Drug Act increases penalties.

Current trends:

• Legal for medical use in many states since 1990s.

• Now legal for recreational use in over 18 states + DC.

• Still illegal under federal law, but enforcement is easing.

• Florida's 2024 ballot initiative for recreational use did not pass, but momentum is growing.

• Outline the history of opium including the development of different ways of administering the drug, and describe the effects on society

Early use:

• Used by Sumerians (~3000 BC).

• Originally eaten, later smoked (17th century China → opium dens).

Opium Wars:

• British traded opium from India to China to offset trade deficits.

• Chinese resistance led to wars and forced opium imports.

Administration methods:

• Laudanum: opium + alcohol; 19th-century "medicine."

• Injection (morphine): began post-1853 (hypodermic syringe).

• Heroin: created in 1898, thought to be safer than morphine — turned out to be more addictive.

Modern impacts:

• Opiates (morphine, codeine) still used medically.

• Massive opioid addiction crisis in the U.S. (>70,000 overdose deaths annually).

• Contrast hallucinogens with other categories of psychoactives

Hallucinogens are generally:

• Not addictive

• Non-lethal at common doses

• Historically used in rituals

• Often regulated more harshly despite low harm