Club Drugs

Synthetic, psychoactive drug similar to the stimulant amphetamine and hallucinogen mescaline.

Signs & symptoms:

• increased energy
• euphoria
• emotional warmth
• empathy toward others
• distortions in sensory and time perception.

MDMA, E, X, XTC, Molly, Adam

"G," "liquid x","caps," "scoop," "goop," "georgia home boy," “heaven,” and "grievous bodily harm."

Brand name: Sodium Oxybate

Ecstasy (MDMA)

Trends/Statistics

• initially popular among White adolescents and young adults in the nightclub scene or at “raves” (long dance parties), but the drug now affects a broader range of users and ethnicities, such as wall street traders

Short/Long term effects

Classification and legalities

Short-term effects: confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, and anxiety, that may occur soon after taking the drug or during the days or even weeks thereafter.

Long-term effects: MDMA can cause hyperthermia that can lead to kidney failure. MDMA can also increase heart rate, blood pressure, and heart wall stress. MDMA can damage specific neurons in the brain, causing cognitive deficits and memory loss.

• Schedule 1 controlled substance that is highly abusive, and has no recognized medical use.
• Class A drug: maximum sentence of 7 years and/or fine for possession, and maximum of lifetime sentence and/or fine for supply.

General Chemistry

Where is it found/ how is it made?

Surprising Findings

• found in the form of ecstasy pills, pure MDMA combined with other substances, such as caffeine, speed, LSD, ephedrine, Ketamine, talcum powder, and aspirin, etc.
• Common nicknames for pills with combined substances are "candy flipping", "hippie flipping", or "kitty flipping".
• Patented by Merck Pharmaceuticals in 1914 and used in 1970s by psychotherapists on patients. It was introduced to nightclubs and raves in the late 1980s.
• Price of 1 pill: $10-45 each

Ecstasy is commonly taken with other drugs. For example some urban gay and bisexual men report using MDMA as part of a multiple-drug experience that includes cocaine, GHB, methamphetamine, ketamine, and the erectile-dysfunction drug sildenafil (Viagra).

MDMA increases the activity of three neurotransmitters, serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

• serotonin: emotional and pro-social effects; influences mood (as well as other functions such as appetite and sleep)
• Serotonin also triggers the release of the hormones Oxytocin and Vasopressin, which affect love, trust, sexual arousal, and other social experiences.

PSA:

http://www.drugfreeworld.org/#/videos/e

Club Drugs

(also called designer/dance drugs)

Club Drugs

By Jocelyn and Tevah

Pharmacologically heterogeneous group of psychoactive drugs that tend to be abused by teens and young adults at bars, nightclubs, parties, and concerts. Includes MDMA( ecstasy), GHB, and Ketamine.

Ketamine

dissociative anesthetic, mostly used in dental, veterinary practice and surgical procedures in general (used mostly on animals as a sedative)

GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyrate)

Specific Examples/forms

General chemistry

• called Cat Valiums, Vitamin K, Horse Trank, KitKat, Super K, or Special K

• used in powdered or liquid form as an anesthetic, usually on animals. It can be injected, consumed in drinks, snorted, or added to joints or cigarettes.

• price per dose: $20-25

Acts on Glutamate receptor (NMDA receptor) to produce effects that are similar to those of PCP.

Developed in 1963 to replace PCP and currently used in human anesthesia and veterinary medicine.

Central nervous system depressant that was approved by FDA for treatment for narcolepsy (sleep disorder).

Short/long term effects

Signs and symptoms

Short-term effects: impaired attention, learning ability, and memory, a feeling of detachment.

Long-term effects: dream-like states, hallucinations for weaker doses, and for high doses can cause delirium and amnesia, impaired motor skills, high blood pressure, and fatal respiratory problems.

Classification and legalities

it distorts perceptions of sight and sound and produces feelings of detachment from the environment and self.

Where is it found/ How is it made?

Classification and Legalities

Signs and Symptoms

GHB is a part of a harmacologically heterogeneous group of psychoactive drugs (other than GHB, Ketamine and Rophynol are also part of the group).

It is approved by the FDA for medical treatment for Narcolepsy, but the rest of GHB-type drugs are banned in the U.S.

Schedule 3 controlled substance

• Schedule 3 controlled substance, only legal used as sedatives in veterinary clinics.
• Class C drug with maximum 7 year imprisonment for possession and maximum of lifetime imprisonment for supply
• part of a pharmacologically heterogeneous group of psychoactive drugs (other than Ketamine, GHB and Rophynol are also part of the group)

Current trends

Surprising Finding

GHB is made by GBL (gamma-butyrolactone), a solvent commonly used as a paint stripper, or butanediol (1,4-butanediol), a chemical used in the production of plastics and adhesives. They have very short half lives and are very hard to detect within the body.

GHB is often mixed with alcoholic drinks and increases feelings of euphoria, tranquility, and increases sex drive.

Teenagers and young adults at bars, nightclubs, and raves are known to use this drug.

It is a dissociative drug, so it creates feelings of detachment, and because of this, is classified as a (potential) date rape drug.

Specific example

GHB is a depressant drug, so it relaxes the body and forces the body’s movements to become slow and sluggish, less energetic.

Trends and Statistics

Ex: Xyrem (sodium oxybate):

• brand name prescription drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002 for the treatment of narcolepsy.
• also just used as a pill, GHB, and is commonly referred to as a date rape drug.
• available as an odorless, colorless drug that may or may not be consumed with alcohol.

Surprising Findings

E with ketamine is called “kitty flipping”

current trends with this drug are people using them at raves as a date rape drug because it can cause the victim to go limp and immobile and sometimes can induce amnesia in the victim.

Mostly teenagers, particularly high school and college students, take this drug at parties for feelings of utter tranquility, euphoria, and intimacy.

General chemistry

Short/Long term effects

GHB acts at two receptor sites in the brain, the GABAB and specific GHB receptors. Action at these two receptor sites leads to the CNS depressant, stimulant and psychomotor impairment effects of GHB. Roughly 95 percent of GHB is metabolized in the liver and only 5% is excreted through the kidneys.

Different forms/ cost

Short term effects: nausea, breathing difficulties, sweating, unconsciousness, headaches, vomiting, exhaustion, sluggishness, amnesia, confusion, and clumsiness.

Long term effects: insomnia, anxiety, tremors, comas, seizures, and breathing difficulties.

Reactions to GHB can differ- first 15 minutes of euphoria and relaxation, but afterwards, effects can range from feelings of nausea to a loss of consciousness depending on the way a person reacts to the drug and the purity of the drug.

It can be found in either liquid or powder form and is usually ingested orally. It is odorless, colorless, and can be mixed with alcohol, snorted, or smoked.

GHB is usually worth around $5-10 per dose (by the capful / teaspoonful)

Sources

http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/club-drugs

http://www.drugfreeworld.org/#/interactive

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1526938/table/tbl1/

http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/180/classify.html

http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/180/dea_drugsofabuse_2011.pdf

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/23/fashion/molly-pure-but-not-so-simple.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0