THE EVIDENCE OF DRUGS AND ITS POWER “JOLLITY IN FESTIVE SEASONS “

Drinks, food, drugs and merriment is the activities associated with festivity such as birthdays parties, burial ceremony, Christmas, valentine among others. I know you are wondering why drugs is on the list well it is because of the jollity attached to this period. Thus with this idea, today would focus on what is drugs, the different perspective to the concept. cocaine picture from google 23/12/17

To begin with, drugs despite its regular presence, festive period promote its usage because of several reasons such as  it is used for a medicinal purposes and also for entertainment and merriment purposes. It is important to differentiate this drugs.

I hope you are as inquisitive as I am about what truly drug is?

The concept drug is disputed; it is both socially contested and culturally context-specific. Nonetheless, what counts as a drug differs between historical and cultural contexts and the term can be seen as politically and morally value-laden in terms of which sub­stances are legally and medically sanctioned or socially disapproved of.[1] In relation to this post the perspective that would be used to analyze drugs is the medico-legal description, physical or psychoactive effects and European and Nordic perspective.

Medico-legal description views drugs as psychoactive sub­stances with a range of different legal statuses, including legal, illegal and quasi-legal drugs. To this opinion Legal drugs are those that can be legally sold, possessed and used, even if it is faced with certain restrictions. They include tobacco, alcohol, caffeine, volatile sub­stances, and over-the-counter and prescription medicines. The second is Illegal or controlled drugs this are those whose sale, possession or use constitutes an offence under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in the UK, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act 1970 in the USA and equivalent leg­islation in other countries. In the UK, illegal use of controlled drugs is defined as the ‘non-medical usage of the drugs controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act’. Illicit or quasi-legal drugs is a less clearly defined term, which includes the ‘grey area’ between legal and illegal drugs such as those drugs that are not legally controlled but may face certain formal or informal restrictions on their preparation, sale or use. [2]

Codeine syrup picture from google 23/12/17

The second perspective used to analyse drugs is by their attributed physical or psychoactive effects, there are four broad pharmacological categories of drugs namely Stimulants (‘uppers’) are drugs that speed up the central nervous system, make the user feel more alert and energetic, causing people to stay awake for long periods of time, decrease appetite and make the user feel euphoric. For exam­ple, cocaine, amphetamines, nicotine, caffeine.  Depressants (‘downers’) are drugs that slow down the functions of the central nervous system and make the user less aware of the events around them. For example, alcohol, opiates, opium, morphine, heroin, codeine, methadone, Demerol, Percodan, sedatives/hypnotics such as barbiturates, sleeping medications, tranquilisers, Valium, Librium and diazepam).  Hallucinogens (psychedelics) are drugs that distort the senses and one’s aware­ness or perception of people and events, possibly resulting in hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that do not exist). For example, LSD, PCP (angel dust), mescaline (buttons), psilocin (contained in ‘magic’ mushrooms).  Deliriants is a fourth category, sometimes submerged into depressants, which includes drugs that result in a dissociative effect between the mind and body, or ‘out-of-body’ experience. This has led some drugs in this category to be used as anaesthetics with humans and animals, for example, with children and on the battlefield, when traditional general anaesthetics may be consid­ered to be either impractical or too risky for the patient. For example, solvents,[3]

picture from google 23/12/17

The third view of drugs is the European and Nordic perspective on drugs which gives distinction between ‘hard’ drugs and ‘soft’ drugs. ‘Hard’ drugs usually include those drugs which are seen as more likely to result in ‘addiction, daily or problem use of drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine.[4] A ‘soft’ drug primarily relates to cannabis but may also include other drugs such as those which are used occasionally and/or ‘recreation­ally’ and may also include hallucinogens. [5]

Consequently, drugs is any psychoactive substance that can alter the way the mind or body works, irrespective of legal status or medical approval. It can be synthetic or produced from natural sources and can be used for a variety of reasons including medicinal, rec­reational and spiritual.[6]  USA which is one of the major patroniser of both legal and illegal drugs term all psychoactive substances regardless of legal status or medical sanction as ‘drugs which is a term of varied usage. In medicine, it refers to any substance with the potential to prevent or cure disease or enhance physical or mental welfare; in pharmacology it means any chemical agent that alters the biochemical or physiological processes of tissues or organisms.[7]

Thus today end with the idea that drugs as a concept is disputed, but there is a risk for addiction especially the analgesics and the illegal (hard ) drugs. This Christmas  and beyond  be careful of you drug intake and avoid overdose for drugs given by medical personnel. Also avoid drugs for entertainment such as hallucinogens, cocaine, amphetamines, nicotine, caffeine, cocaine to mention a few.

[1] Coomber  prelim Key concept in drugs and society p6

[2] Coomber  prelim Key concept in drugs and society pp6-7

[3] Coomber  prelim Key concept in drugs and society p5

[4] United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2003. Terminology and Information on Drugs. Prepared by the Laboratory And Scientific Section. Second edition. New York .United Nations.

[5] Coomber  prelim Key concept in drugs and society p6

[6] Coomber  prelim Key concept in drugs and society p3

[7] United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2003. Terminology and Information on Drugs. Prepared by the Laboratory And Scientific Section. Second edition. New York .United Nations.