Alcohol
An alcoholic beverage labeled as 90 proof contains:
45% alcohol
Which kind of molecule in the cannabis plant is believed to account for much of the aroma?
Terpenes
List these in order of least to most regulation:
Prescription
Over the counter
Controlled substance
Restricted over the counter
Over the counter
Restricted over the counter
Prescription
Controlled substance
What was the first medicinal chemical isolated from a plant?
Morphine
How do we calculate the Therapeutic Index of a drug?
Lethal dose/therapeutic dose
What psychoactive molecule in absinthe distinguishes it from other alcoholic beverages?
Thujone
The first endocannabinoid molecule to be discovered was named after the Sanskrit word for bliss.
The name of this molecule is _______________________.
Anandamide
What did the Volstead Act specify?
Enforcement of the 18th Amendment alcohol prohibition: manufacturing, sale, and interstate transport of alcoholic beverages prohibited
An opioid receptor antagonist can be used to:
reverse the effects of opioid overdose
What neurotransmitter activity do benzodiazepines enhance?
GABA--enhances activity at receptors
What is the approximate LD-50 of alcohol in humans?
0.4 BAC
BAC is measured as _mg/100mL of blood
THC is thought to exert its psychoactive effects by interacting primarily with receptors found on:
presynaptic axon terminals
What is the number one criteria for a Schedule 1 controlled substance?
No currently accepted medical use in the US.
Other criteria:
lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision
high potential for abuse
What is the difference between synthetic and semi-synthetic opioids?
Is heroin synthetic or semi-synthetic?
Chemical structure. Semi-synthetic opioids are similar to natural opioid molecules, usually with a slight reconfiguration in structure. Synthetics have a very different structure, and this accounts for their stronger potency.
Heroin is Semi-synthetic (just two acetyl groups added to isolated morphine)
The following contribute to the ___ potential of a drug:
pharmacology (includes genetics)
quantity used / dose
route of administration
context of use (social, psychological)
Abuse
Describe what alcohol does at the synapse.
GABA facilitator--keeps GABA receptor ion channels open longer, increased inhibition
Glutamate antagonist--increased inhibition
Which process, involved in the regulation of synaptic strength, is thought to be a primary function of endocannabinoid neurotransmitters?
Retrograde signaling
What did the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 establish?
sentencing guidelines based on drug type and quantity
US Sentencing Commission established
What are ways in which opioids differ in potency?
(give me three)
• efficiency in crossing the blood-brain barrier
• metabolism and duration of action
• binding to various opioid receptors
• analgesic potency
• oral or injection route of administration
Who is Raphael Mechoulam?
Israeli scientist who discovered THC
Put these in order to describe ethanol metabolism in the liver:
acetaldehyde
ethanol
acetic acid
Ethanol->Acetaldehyde->acetic acid
Enzyme for 1st step: alcohol dehydrogenase
Enzyme for 2nd step: acetaldehyde dehydrogenase
What U.S. government official was one of the first to actively demonize the use of cannabis in the first half of the 20th century?
Harry Anslinger
1st commissioner of US Federal Bureau of Narcotics, supporter of prohibition, and was pivotal to cannabis prohibition.
Using your knowledge of the Controlled Substances Act Drug Schedule system currently in place in the US, why is this not a good basis for how we view drugs and enforce laws around their use and possession?
examples: It isn't based on science!
It was developed largely on societal perception of these drugs
The schedules do not even follow the criteria they base the categorization on, such as no accepted medicinal uses.
Many other reasons as well...
Where are opioid receptors largely found within the nervous system?
Bonus: tell me what this region controls and how this relates to medicinal uses of opioids
• pain perception pathways in the spinal cord and brainstem (analgesia)
• brainstem region controlling respiration (respiratory depression)
• brainstem region regulating cough reflex (cough suppressant)
• brainstem region regulating pupillary size (pupil constriction)
• reward-pleasure pathways in the limbic system (euphoria)
• intestine: decreased motility (constipation)
What two words does "endorphin" originate from?
Endogenous morphine