DRUG TERMINOLOGY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Define the most commonly used drug and drug abuse terms.

In your dealings with narcotics and dangerous drugs, you will find the following terms are those most commonly used.

Narcotics- Any preparations or derivatives of opium, synthetic narcotics, opiates, or cocaine. Examples are opium, heroin, morphine, codeine, paregoric, dilaudid, pethidine, and methadone. Note that federal law defines cocaine as a narcotic, though medical science classifies it as a stimulant only.

Dangerous drugs (an administrative label)-

Nonnarcotic substances that the Attorney General or designee, after investigation, has found to have, and by regulation designates as having, a potential for abuse because of their depressant or stimulant effect on the central nervous system or their hallucinogenic effect (Public Law 91-5 13).

Controlled Substances- A drug, or other substance or immediate precursor thereof, listed in the current schedules of Title 21, U.S. Code (U.S.C.), Section 812.

Depressant- Any of several drugs that calm or sedate by acting on the central nervous system. Medical uses include the treatment of anxiety, tension, and high blood pressure.

Sedative- An agent that quiets or calms activity.

Stimulant- Any of several drugs that act on the central nervous system, producing excitation, alertness, and wakefulness. Medical uses include the treatment of mild depressive states, overweight, and narcolepsy.

Hallucinogen- Any of several drugs, popularly called psychedelics, that produce sensations such as distortions of time, space, sound, color, and other bizarre effects. While they are pharmacologically nonnarcotic, some of these drugs are regulated under federal narcotic laws.

Hypnotic- An agent that induces sleep.

Central nervous system- The brain and spinal cord.

Convulsions- An involuntary and violent irregular series of contractions of the muscles.

Delirium- A condition characterized by mental excitement, confusion, disordered speech and, often, hallucinations.

Drug abuse- Illegal, wrongful, or improper use of any narcotic substance, marijuana, or other dangerous drug, or the illegal or wrongful possession, sale, transfer, delivery, or manufacture of the same. When such drugs have been prescribed by competent

medical personnel for medical purposes, their proper use by the patient is not drug abuse.

Drug abuser- One who has illegally, wrongfully, or improperly used any narcotic substance, marijuana, or dangerous drug, or who has, for whatever reason, illegally or wrongfully possessed, sold, transferred, delivered, or manufactured the same.

Drug experimenter- One who has illegally, wrongfully, or improperly used drugs for a specific purpose. The exact number of usages is not necessarily as important in determining the category of user as is the intent of the user, the circumstances of use, and the psychological makeup of the user.

Drug user spree- One who has illegally, wrongfully, or improperly used drugs for "kicks" or for the experience. Some persons falling under this category may only try drugs a couple of times and stop. Personnel in this category usually take drugs in groups or at social functions. There is little psychological dependence.

Drug addict (hard core)- One whose activities revolve almost entirely around drug experiences and securing supplies. As the term drug addict is used herein, three conditions must be present:

1. The individual must have developed a tolerance for the drug.

2. The individual must have developed a psychological or compulsive dependence, and drug effects must be necessary to maintain a state of well-being.

3. The individual must have developed physiological dependence on the drug and, in the absence of the drug, must exhibit the withdrawal syndrome. This dependence results from an altered physiological state from prolonged drug use that necessitates continued use to avoid withdrawal symptoms.

Drug dependence- A state arising from repeated administration of a drug on a periodic or continual basis. Its characteristics will vary with the agent involved. That is made clear by designating the particular type of drug dependence in each specific case-for example, drug dependence of the morphine type, of the cocaine type, of the cannabis type, of the barbiturate type, and so on.

Physical dependence- Physiological adaptation of the body to the presence of the drug. In effect, the body develops a continuing need for the drug. Once such dependence has been established, the body reacts with predictable symptoms if the drug is abruptly withdrawn. The nature and severity of withdrawal symptoms depend on the drug being used and the daily dosage level attained.

Psychological dependence- An attachment to drug use that arises from a drug's ability to satisfy some emotional or personality need of an individual. This attachment does not require a physical dependence, although physical dependence may seem to reinforce psychological dependence. An individual may also be psychologically dependent on substances other than drugs.

Psychosis- A major mental disorder; any serious mental derangement.

Habituation- A condition, resulting from the repeated consumption of a drug, that includes these characteristics: (1) a desire (but not a compulsion) to continue taking the drug for the sense of improved well-being that it engenders; (2) little or no tendency to increase the dose; (3) some degree of psychic dependence on the effect of the drug, but absence of physical dependence and, hence, no abstinence syndrome; (4) a detrimental effect, if any, primarily on the individual.

Potentiation- Potentiation occurs when the combined action of two or more drugs is greater than the sum of the effects of each drug taken alone. Potentiation can be very useful in certain medical procedures. For example, physicians can induce and maintain a specific degree of anesthesia with a small amount of the primary anesthetic agent. Potentiation may also be dangerous. For example, barbiturates and many tranquilizers potentate the depressant effects of alcohol.

Tolerance- With many drugs, a person must keep increasing the dosage to maintain the same effect. This characteristic is called tolerance. Tolerance develops with the barbiturates, with amphetamines and related compounds, and with opiates.

Toxic effects (poisoning)- Any substance in excessive amounts can act as a poison or toxin. With drugs, the margin between the dosage that produces beneficial effects and the dosage that produces toxic or poisonous effects varies greatly. Moreover, this margin will vary with the person taking the drug.

Side effects- A given drug may have many actions on the body. Usually one or two of the more prominent actions will be medically useful. The others, usually weaker effects, are called side effects. They are not necessarily harmful, but may be annoying.

Supplier- One who furnishes illegally, wrongfully, or improperly to another person for gain any of the drugs defined earlier.

Casual supplier- One who furnishes illegally, wrongfully, or improperly to another person, a small amount of any of the drugs defined herein for the convenience of the user rather than for gain.