Write a paper comparing and contrasting the four major classifications of drug actions on the human body (stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and narcotics).
Select one drug from each classification for an in-depth analysis, which should include at least:
1. the effects of those drugs on the human body,
2. A discussion of the dependence aspects of the drugs, and
3. Their interactions with other drugs
4. How this drug impacts crime in the US
This paper must be from three to five full pages of text, not including the cover page or the references page and a minimum of two scholarly sources.
Recitations using the APA Format. Sources should be summarized or paraphrased with appropriate in-text and Resource page
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Pharmacology
In terms of how they affect the body, drugs can be put into four main groups: stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and narcotics. Drugs have different effects on the body and can change how other drugs work. Crime in the U.S. is also affected by different drugs. In the paper, we will talk about how stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and narcotics are different in how they affect the body, how they make people dependent, and how they interact with other drugs. To do this well, one drug from each of the four main categories will be looked at in detail. The rest of the paper will be based on comparing and contrasting the different types of drugs. Stimulants are drugs that affect the central nervous system and other parts of the nervous system by making people more productive, aware, and alert. Cocaine is a major example of a stimulant, and it will be talked about in detail to show how stimulants are different. Cocaine is one of the most addicting stimulants, and it can be smoked, injected, or even snorted. Cocaine affects the body by stopping dopamine from going back into the neurons, which keeps it in the synapse longer. So, the dopamine overstimulates the neurons, which speeds up the activity in the brain, spinal cord, and heart. Cocaine also makes people not want to eat or sleep, which is bad because the body needs these things to be healthy. Cocaine is very addicting, and most people don’t notice that they are becoming addicted until it is too late. The person wants cocaine and doesn’t care about the bad things that happen when someone is addicted. From this point on, the person needs the drug a lot to do anything. When a person ignores the signs of addiction, this can lead to psychological addiction. If someone uses cocaine often, they will become dependent on it, which means that they will need to use it sometimes to feel and act normally. It’s hard to stop because cocaine increases the amount of dopamine in the brain and changes the way the brain’s reward system works. When talking about how cocaine and other drugs work together, it’s important to note that most people who use cocaine are around other people who are also using drugs. Most people who are addicted to other drugs like alcohol or marijuana also become addicted to cocaine when they are in the same place. Alcohol is often used with cocaine, and for people who are trying to get off of it, it can act as a trigger. People think that using heroin and cocaine together in a drug mix called the “speedball” is dangerous and could be fatal.
Cocaine is expensive, and most addicts have to spend a lot of money to keep using it. So, when it’s hard for them to find ways to make money, most addicts turn to property crimes like burglary, theft, and robbery, which can help them make money. So, it makes sense to think that when the price of cocaine goes up, there is a chance that property crime will go up so that addicts can get enough money to pay for their drug habit.
Alcohol is a very common depressant that is used all over the world. It is called a depressant because it affects the central nervous system by slowing down the way the brain works and the activity of the nerve cells. In the human body, slows down and blocks changes in the way the person thinks, moves, feels, and sees things. When someone is dependent on alcohol, they want to drink a lot and often can’t stop themselves. The most psychological dependence on alcohol is when a person can’t relax and enjoy themselves without drinking. When the blood alcohol level drops below a certain level, people who are physically dependent on alcohol have withdrawal symptoms like shaking, sweating, and feeling sick.
Most of the time, people use alcohol along with other drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy. When you drink, you are more likely to come into contact with other drugs, both legal and illegal. In the U.S., crimes like robbery, sexual assault, aggravated assault, child abuse, and murder, as well as the common crime of drinking and driving, are linked to alcohol.
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is thought to be the strongest hallucinogen. It changes how a person sees reality and how they feel by making them have hallucinations. It changes how the person using it sees the world, and the effects can last for up to 12 hours. LSD changes the receptors that control the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is in charge of controlling how people act, how they think, and how their bodies work. By taking LSD, the user’s system is messed up, and they have intense mood swings and hallucinations of the senses.
LSD is not physically addicting, but people who use it often build up a tolerance, which means they have to take more of it to get the same effects. People quickly get used to the drugs, and their effects are thought to be hard to predict. People think that the way LSD works with other drugs is unpredictable and dangerous. When LSD is taken with amphetamine or ecstasy, the chance of having a bad trip goes up, which can cause panic. When LSD is mixed with alcohol, most people feel sick and throw up.
Heroin is a narcotic drug that is illegal, even though there are other narcotics that can be used to treat pain that are legal. Heroin is illegal because it has dangerous side effects and is very addicting. Heroin changes the way the body works by binding to certain receptors and neurotransmitters in the brain. These are the parts of the brain that control the release of pain hormones and how people feel pain. The drug affects them by simulating the release of dopamine, which floods the brain with pleasant feelings. When the overwhelming pleasures of a drug wear off, withdrawal symptoms show up, and the person who used it starts to want another hit. As the cycle goes on, the body builds up a tolerance to the drug by wanting it more and more. As a result, the amount of the drug taken goes up as the cycle goes on. When heroin is mixed with other drugs or alcohol, health problems are more likely to happen. When heroin is used with other drugs, the highest risk is an overdose.
In a comparison of the four main types of drugs, cocaine and heroin have done more to raise the crime rate in the United States than any other drugs. The use of these drugs can lead to crimes like robbery, theft, child abuse, burglary, and even murder. When the price of drugs goes up and they can’t buy enough to satisfy their cravings with their current income, drug users turn to crime. Most drug addicts turn to property crime to get the money they need to buy drugs. When the price of cocaine and heroin goes up, there will be a big jump in the number of property crimes in the U.S.
References
Gallagher, C. T., Atik, S. K., Isse, L., & Mann, S. K. (2020). Doctor or drug dealer? International legal provisions for the legitimate handling of drugs of abuse. Drug Science, Policy and Law, 6, 2050324519900070.
Moss, J. A. (2016). Drug abuse and the law: prosecution or persecution?. Drogue et Civilisation: Refus Social ou Acceptation: Entretiens de Rueil, 289.
Pant, V., & Ahmad, K. (2020). Drugs Abuse: An Alarming Diversion For Society. Studies in Indian Place Names, 40(3), 5313-5319.
Pasaribu, W. B. F., Syafruddin, K., & Madiasa, A. (2020, March). Rehabilitation System as Legal Protection Efforts for Victims of Narcotics Crime. In International Conference on Law, Governance and Islamic Society (ICOLGIS 2019) (pp. 255-258). Atlantis Press.
