INTRODUCTION There isnt a term to cover them all, most of the drugs - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

INTRODUCTION

There isn’t a term to cover them all, most of the drugs aren’t new not that novel they aren’t all used in clubs or at parties and a lot of them aren’t legal anymor

• re.

e. A lot

• t of these

se dru rugs are re synth theti tic c and so are re easy y to manipu pulate. e. They aren’t similar and aren’t easy to group together, but they do share charact acteristi istics cs with h ot

• ther

er drugs s we know w abou

• ut.

t. These se are drugs used by a wide range of people e for differen ent t reason

• ns

s so populari rity ty can go up in one populati tion n while e ot

• ther

ers s move e on to ot

• ther

er drugs. s. We’re going to concentrate on drugs which are currently popular with people who are homel eless ess – Mephed hedrone

• ne

and “Spice”.

HOW BAD ARE THEY?

Legal, l, Designer er or Synthet thetic ic MUST mean n the drugs s are safe.

We don’t know … There isn’t much experience of this kind of use

and there isn’t much research. We do see e drug ug related ed hospital spital admis issi sion

• ns

s and d death ths. s. We do kno now w a lot

• t about

t the e conseq nsequen ences ces of taking ing too

• many

y drugs, ugs, injecti ecting ng and we kno now w a lot

• t about

t un unsafe sex. x.

MEPHEDRONE

MEPHEDRONE (MKAT. MEOW) (1929)

This s is probabl bably y the e most st freq equently ently inject ected ed of all the e new w drug ugs.

• s. As

As well ll as new w us users s some me heroin

• in inject

ector

• rs

s have e switche tched d to mephedrone, because it’s cheap, relatively pure and easy to get hold ld of (un until til recen centl tly y it was also legal). ). Heroin isn’t as popular any more and mostly it is of disappointing qua uality. . Peop

• ple

le are aware re of what t heroin

• in did to thei

eir r parents nts and nd peer ers s - it doesn’t appeal so much to new users. Not

• t to be confus

nfused ed with h MET ETHAD ADONE ONE!

MEPHEDRONE – WHAT IS IT?

Mepha hadr drone

• ne is a cathi

hinone none – this is a stimulant mulant some mewh where ere betw etwee een n a lot

• t of coffee

ee and a bit of speed. ed. Khat is also a cathinone hinone – this s is where ere mephed phedrone

• ne come

mes s from

• m

Mephe hedr drone

• ne

is different erent to Khat because it’s not a straight forward cathi hinon none, , it has s so some me addi diti tion

• nal bits too,
• , which

ich is s why y it has s a differe erent nt kind nd of feel eel – in the e same me way that t ecst stasy sy (MDMA) A) is most stly ly amfeta tami mine nes, , but ut not

• t qui

uite. e.

MEPHEDRONE EXPERIENCE

Eup uphori

• ria,

a, stimulat mulation ion and d an increas reased ed sense nse of empat

• athy. The

e effects ects are qui uite shor

• rt

t lasting, ing, but ut can produ duce ce muc uch h longe ger residu idual effects ects. Use also produ

• duces

ces extrem remely y stron

• ng

g cravings ings to us use more re and d more re – which ich encou coura rage ges s binging.

• ging. Like

e crack k does. es. Chem emica cal l smelling elling sweat eat. There ere is an over erlap lap in effect ect with th Mephe hedr drone,

• ne, ecsta

tasy sy and Methamfetamines, which isn’t a surprise because chemically, they y all look

• k a bit alike.

e.

MEPHEDRONE – PRESENTATION

Agita tation, tion, seizures, izures, shaking king and tremor emors (Pa

Parkinsoni nsonian). ).

Headac daches hes and Anore rexi xia (reduced

uced appeti tite). e).

Blue ue or cold fing nger ers (peri

riphe phera ral va vasocon

• constr

strict ictio ion). n).

User ers s who snort, t, often en repor

• rt

t noseb ebleed leeds. s. Inj nject ector

• rs

s repor

• rt more

re damage, age, more re track k marks, ks, abscesses esses and collaps apsed ed veins. ns.

MEPHEDRONE - PHARMACOLOGY

Mephe hedr drone

• ne is a neur

urotr transm nsmitt tter r reup upta take e inhibi ibitor

• r - reduc

duces the e brain’s ability to remove dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline, caus using ng an increa rease se in conc ncen entrati tration

• n – this

s is similar lar to how w crack ck works. ks. Having ng too muc uch h of a neur urotr transmitt ansmitter r is toxic. ic. E. E.g: : Met etha hamf mfeta tamine mine increa rease ses s the e releas ease e of, , and inhibi hibits ts the e reup upta take e of Dopamine mine which ch bur urns ns out ut Dopami amine ne recep ceptor

• rs

s leading ding to a permane manent nt down wn regula ulati tion

• n – the

e brain in is less s recep cepti tive e to dopa pamine. mine.

MEPHEDRONE INJECTING

Typical stimulant pattern and effect but worse… Mephe hedr dron

• ne inject

ctor

• rs us

usua ually ly repor

• rt

t that t thei eir r veins ns se seem em to go very y qui uickly ly, they y are more re likely ely to get et track k marks rks and d infecti ections

• ns.

Un Unlike heroin n you u can over erco cook

• k mephe

phedr drone

• ne and this

s causes uses it to thick cken, n, making ing it more re likel ely y to clog g veins. ns. Rot

• tat

ating ing si site is st s still l advisabl able, e, but ut inject ector

• rs will damag

age e them em all far far more re qui uickly ly.

CANNABIS, SKUNK, SYNTHETIC CANNABINOIDS

CANNABIS In t the e 60s, s, cannabis is never er di did a d anyone an e any harm at all...

However er, , these se days... ... 1.

• 1. We know more

e about ut it (links inks to psycho hoti tic illnes lness)

• 2. Modern

ern Canna nnabis bis is a comple letely ely differe erent nt be beast st

This is is wh why.... ....

CANNABIS CONTAINS TWO KEY COMPOUNDS* Del elta – 9 9 -Tet etrah rahyd ydroc

• cannabin

binol

• l (THC)

All the e go good d ef effec ects ts anda dall the e bad d ef effec ects. ts... .. Cannabid idio iol (CBD)

Reduces uces the bad effects cts of THC HC and is generally erally thoug ught ht to be protectiv ective. e.

*Ac Actua ually y around und 400 comp mpounds unds

CANNABIS PHARMACOLOGY

THC C binds ds to Anandam damide ide recept ptor

• rs (Sansk

nskrit it for bliss) s)

There re are two THC HC recept ptor

• rs

CB1 (brain rain – Pa Pain, in, cognit ition ion and rewar ard) d) CB2 (imm mmune ne syst stem em and sple leen en)

SKUNK

Skunk nk us usua ually y refer ers s to strains ins with th a high h conc ncen entrati tration

• n of THC.

There ere is a limited ed amount nt of space ce for THC and d CBA, , as the e THC increa reases es the e CBA A is s reduce duced, d, so so sm smok

• ker

ers exper perience ience more re of the e bad ad effects ects Growers/ s/ Impor mporter ers/ s/ dealers lers maximis imise e THC to imp mprove e value ue and sales So modern

• dern cannabi

nabis s is not

• t the happy

y grass s of the e 60s

THC VS. CBD

THC CBD THC CBD

SYNTHETIC “CANNABINOIDS”

These hese ar are NO NOT Can anna nabis bis

Lega gal l (un until til 01 Ap April 2016) 6) – easy y to buy uy

Chemi mical cals s which ch mimic ic THC (cani nibim imim imeti etic) Often en sprayed ed onto

• combust

mbustible ible leaf and sold and smoked ed like e canna nabis is Cheap ap - £5 a packet t and average erage use is 1-2 packets ts daily Spice e has a much h higher er affini nity ty for CB1/C /CB2 B2 recept ptor

• rs

Full agonists ists (THC C - partia ial agonist). ist). Synthe heti tic c so not

• t well managed

aged – disassoc associa iati tion

• n and reupta

take

ANECDOTAL EXPERIENCE

Really potent “head blown sideways”. Incre rease se in paranoia noia, , aggress ssion n and agitati ation. n. Users comp mplain ain of depress ession

• n and

d incre crease ase in psycho choti tic c sympt mptom

• ms.

s. Inten ense se cravi ving ng and compulsio ulsion n to use. Withd thdra rawals. There re is no CBD protecti ctive effect ct in syntheti nthetic c cannabinoids. noids. Enoug ugh h of an overlap ap in effect ct to allow self f det etox from m opiat ates. s. More like a s stimula ulant nt than n cannabis. s. Incre reased sed use in prisons sons – undet detec ectabl table e in drug g scre reens ns.

Nobody seems to actually like it…

WHAT TO DO…

If you don’t know, ask Treat t the perso son n not

• t the drug

Safer r injecti cting ng Be honest st – if you don’t know, say so. Giving people irrelevant advice tends to put them off. More traditi ditiona nal drugs gs are sti till in use Heroin, crack, , ket etamin mine, benzodi diazepin azepines, s, amfetami etamines nes. Sing ngle drug g use is rare, so take a f full hist story y (including uding alcohol, , OTC and GP m meds) s)

REFERENCES

http://w tp://www ww.e .emc mcdd dda.e .eur uropa.eu/ pa.eu/attach attacheme ments nts.cfm .cfm/att /att_23656 236560_ 0_EN_U EN_UK10_ 0_NEPT NEPTUNE NE %20NPS% S%20gui 0guida danc nce%20( e%20(20 2015). ).pdf pdf http: tp://www.n .nta ta.n .nhs hs.u .uk/u k/upl pload

• ads/nps

ps-a-toolki

• lkit-for
• r-sub

substa stance nce-misuse use- commiss ssioner ners.pdf s.pdf