Where'd you come from?
What brand of drug skyrocketed the opioid crisis
OxyContin - specific brand name of oxycodone from Purdue Pharma
What drug is the mose misued psychoactive drug in the world?
What drug is the most used psychoactive drug?
Most misused: Alcohol
Most used: Caffeine
Name one brain chemical that is involved with the good feelings drugs can give
Dopamine - pleasure and reward
Serotonin - mood and emotions
What drug is naloxone used for and how does it work?
Used for opiates.
Naloxone has a higher affinity/sits on the opiate receptor, blocking opiate from activating the receptor
What different drugs do these ingredients get mixed into and what is the end product:
1. Baking soda
2. Ammonia
3. Caffeine
Baking Soda: Mix with Cocaine = Crack
Ammonia: Mix with Cocaine = Crack
Caffeine: Mix with Fentanyl = down
What drug swap in 2014 put 18,000 people in BC at risk for engaging with street drugs?
Methadone / Methadose swap
What does OAT stand for?
Bonus: what are some examples of OAT medications?
Opioid Agonist Therapy
Bonus: suboxone (partial agonist), kadian ( slow release morphine), methadone ( full agonist), sublocade
This drug gives the user 12X the amount of dopamine than eating your favourite food or engaging in sexual activity.
Meth - no known behaviour that humans engage with can release this much dopamine.
What substance is the leading contributer to overdose deaths and why are we seeing more fatal overdoses each year?
Bonus: what policy change could help reduce these overdoses?
Fentanyl
Toxic drug supply causing more deaths
Safe Supply, legalization of substances
This substance is often found in the toxic drug supply increasing the likelihood of overdose BUT on it's own has a very low likelihood of lethal overdose as it has little effect on the respiratory system.
Benzodiazepines
What drug act was racially driven in Canada towards Chinese people?
Bonus: What year did this act get put in place?
Opium Act ( 1908)
Later became the Drug and Opium Act in 1911.
Started in Vancouver - the birthplace of prohibition in Canada driven by anti-chinese racism and threat to the white mans middle class.
What are atleast 4 physical difference between a opioid and stimulant overdose?
Opioid:not responding, slow/no breathing, choking/gurgling sounds, blue lips/nails, cold clammy skin, tiny pupils.
Stimulant: rigid jerking limbs, seizures, in/out consiousness, psychological distress (anxiety, paranoia, stress), hot skin, chest pain, severe headaches/sweating, rapid pulse
What is MDMA/Ecstacy?
MDMA = stimulant + psychedelic
Researchers have found that many tablets of esctasy also contain substances like meth, ketamine, cocaine, cathinones (bath salts) and caffeine which can increase the danger of the substance.
What is the difference in high between cocaine/crack and meth?
cocaine - prevents reuptake of dopamine = pronounces euphoria BUT just as pronounces crash. Rapid metabolization, shortest half life of any psychoactive drug or one hour.
Crack has a rapid absorption and can be felt within 8 seconds.
Meth - enhance the release of dopamine, seratonin and norepinephrine. Half life of 10-12hrs but can be found in system 1-4 days later. Can last up to 6-12hrs.
Name 3 drugs that when mixed with Ketamine can be dangerous/life threatening
Alcohol, GHB, Opioids
What is the new substance that is being found in the toxic drug supply that is getting known as "tranq" or "zombie dope"??
Xylazine - animal tranquilizer
What does a GHB overdose look like?
Bonus: How can we support someone in this overdose?
GHB: gamma-hydroxybutyrate , central nervous system depressant
Overdose: loss of consciousness/unresponsive, profuse sweating, slowed respiratory depression, loss of gag reflex/body control, shaking, tremors, seizures, vomitting.
Overdose response: manage breathing, call 911.
What substances are being researched as treatment options to help with substance abuse?
psychedelics - psilocybin + therapy is having positive results
studys starting to happen around ibogaine, ayahuasca..
Ketamine
How would you define the term addiction?
Where do you think most addictions stem from?
physical and psychological dependency + use = negative effects in life
Addiction can stem from many things but is often linked with ACE's
What affect can marijuana have on other substances when mixed?
Marijuana can have depressant effects but can also act as a sitmulant or hallucinogen. Mixing marijuana with depressants and sitmulants can increase the side effects of those drugs ( increase overdose, increase anxiety/heart rate, hallucinations)
Morphine is an opiate that comes from opium in the poppy. Where does fentanyl come from and how much stronger is it from morphine?
Bonus: what is the different between an opiate and an opioid?
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid - made in a lab. Fentanyl is 100X stronger than morphine.
Bonus: opiates are natural ( morphine, heroin, codeine), opioids refers to all natural, synthetic/ semi synthetic opioids.
Name 2 types of inhalents people abuse.
Bonus: what makes inhalents dangerous?
Nitrous oxide ( whipped cream aerosols (whip-its), anaesthetics), paint thinners, fuels, air fresheners
Bonus: no way to predict how much of an inhalent will damage/kill someone. Nitrous oxide can cause heart attacks/ sudden asphyxiation, brain damage reduced availability of B12 - impacts nerves.
This class of drugs does not primarily give the feeling of euphoria but instead disrupts the messages being perceived in the brain/body. Give one example of this drug.
Hallucinogens eg LSD, psilocybin (mushrooms), DMT, MDMA (ecstasy), marijuana
What is the difference between decriminalization and legalization of a substance?
Decriminalization: substance still illegal to buy/sell but you won't face criminal charges or arrest for just having them or using them, drug wont be confiscated.
Legalization: You can legally buy it from a licensed seller. Laws in place to control the substance to be safe for the public. Taxes apply :(
Mixing these two substances creates a new chemical in your liver called cocaethylene - this chemical stays in your body longer, is more toxic to your organs, but can also give you a greater perceived euphoric effect.
Cocaine + Alcohol