INTRODUCTION
For generations, we have been taught that illicit drugs are bad for you. Almost every physician will recommend avoiding use of illicit drugs because it can lead to long term health problems, drug abuse, and drug addiction. Illicit drug use can ruin a life in such a short amount of time. Although illicit drugs can be extremely dangerous, there have been recent studies which left researchers baffled. These studies have shown that illicit drugs have surprisingly positive medical benefits. From treating hereditary diseases to relieving chronic pain, many drugs which are classified as illicit do indeed have positive medical benefits. This phenomenon leaves researchers questioning if drugs identified as “illicit” in classifications such as schedule I and schedule II, should be reviewed and altered?
HISTORY
Illicit drugs are those that are illegal to produce, sell, and use. These drugs include but are not limited to cocaine, ecstasy, hallucinogens like marijuana, LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, heroin and amphetamines. Illicit drugs are described as having highly addictive properties which pose a serious health risk to individuals who use them recreationally.
Drugs have been used for centuries. Humans smoked marijuana, used opium, chewed coca or ‘cocaine’, and ingested substances like psychoactive mushrooms(2). But beginning in the late 19th century, the United States began a major drug prohibition which limited the use of these drugs.
In the 1870’s, Chinese immigrants crossed the Pacific Ocean in search of better lives. Chinese-Americans were forced to work in underpaid, strenuous, industrial jobs. Many were put to work building railroads for the first Transcontinental Railroad system. Although Chinese-Americans brought a strong work ethic to the United States, they also brought a new habit stateside; smoking opium(2).
During this time, China began cracking down on illegal trade which sparked the Opium Wars making opium trade legal in China after a century of Opium being outlawed(2). But in 1880, the United States and the Chinese Dynasty signed an agreement making the shipment of Opium between the two countries illegal(3). This was known as the first Drug Prohibition the United States had ever seen.
Since the agreement which prohibited the trade of Opium to the United States, legislatures began amending more laws to prevent the use of drugs. In 1910, anti-cocaine laws were established in the south. These laws were mostly directed towards African American men because U.S. contractors were giving cocaine to their black employees as a stimulant which made them work faster for extended periods of time. After stories emerged from The New York Times about “cocaine-crazed” black men, law enforcement began regulating cocaine(5).
After the Prohibition of Alcohol which was amended soon after, the first anti-marijuana regulations in the United States began in 1937 when the U.S. Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act which put control on marijuana similar to other narcotics(6).
In the 1960’s, drug prohibition took off. The government halted all scientific research to evaluate medical safety and efficacy(4). In response, President Richard Nixon declared a “war on drugs” and signed into law Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA) which became the first federal U.S. drug policy which regulates the manufacture, importation, possession, use and distribution of certain substances(7).
This new legislation created five classifications of various drugs called schedules. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Food and Drug Administration together, determined which substance should belong in which schedule. Schedule I substances are those that have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse and dependency. Schedule II substances have high potential for abuse and potential for severe dependence. Schedule III substances have a moderate to low potential for dependence. Schedule IV substances have low risk for dependence and abuse. Schedule V substances have lower potential abuse than Schedule IV substances and contain very limited quantities of certain narcotics(8).
Many of these laws were made by lawmakers to protect American Citizens from dangerous drugs, but in recent history many of the drugs put into schedule I have shown potential for beneficial uses.
ILLICIT DRUGS WITH MEDICAL BENEFITS
Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant that can either be snorted, injected, or smoked(1), Deprived from the coca plant native to South America, cocaine produces a short-term euphoria which gives creativity and energy(2). But Cocaine is also known as the “most unsatisfying drug” because it produces euphoria but never satisfaction.
Cocaine is commonly known as coke, blow, or Bolivian marching powder. Cocaine has a high that usually peeks in fifteen to thirty minutes and increases heart rate and blood pressure, dilates pupils, elevates body temperature, and is known as a vaso-constrictor which narrows blood vessels. It can cause headaches and tends to decrease appetite(2).
Almost fifteen percent of Americans have tried coke and had not only been promoted by drug dealers, but doctors as well. Cocaine actually has a history of medicinal use. Doctors were amazed by the medicinal benefits cocaine had in the nineteenth century, “cocaine was the miracle drug of the 1880’s – doctors thought it would cure everything under the sun and patients clamored for the stuff,” Dr. Markel stated(4). Big drug companies started making cocaine-containing products to cure everything from back pain and muscle aches to treating skin lacerations(5).
Cocaine is considered a Schedule II substance and the main reason why it has been categorized as being a Schedule II drug is because it has addictive properties. Despite potential dangers of addiction, respiratory failure, strokes and seizures, cocaine is still used as a local anesthetic(3).
Today, Cocaine has other purposes as it can be used as a topical gel for anaesthetizing children’s lacerations. According to the National Institute of Health and the U.S. National Library of Medicine, topical adrenaline and cocaine is an effective anesthetic for suturing children’s facial lacerations and is acceptable to children and parents(6). The study showed that there were no adverse effects to the study and the topical cocaine gel which contains 11.8% cocaine is an alternative to injecting local anesthetics(7).
Ketamine, which is also categorized as an anesthetic, is usually used on animals as an anesthetic. It can be injected, consumed in drinks, snorted, or added to cigarettes or joints. Also known as “Special-K”, Ketamine has short and long term effects which are slightly similar to cocaine, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, nausea, numbness, and fatal respiratory problems(8). Ketamine is classified as a Schedule III drug because it is addictive. Used mostly as an animal tranquilizer but is becoming increasingly popular as a recreational drug used at dance raves and other events. Ketamine was discovered in 1962 and is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines because of the surprising benefits it has combating chronic depression(5).
About 30 million Americans suffer from depression and when severe episodes strike, there is no instant fix. Studies suggest that the popular “night club drug”, Ketamine, can soon be available for anti-depression medication(10).
Scientists have determined that a single dose of Ketamine can relieve symptoms of depression days after initial injection by strengthening connections between the frontal cortex and the areas in the brain which are important for learning and memory(11). In 2013 and 2014, drug trials began on Ketamine, “once the patient takes ketamine, it causes euphoria and a rapid anti-depressant effect within two hours,” reported Asim Shah, Chief of Psychiatry at Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston and a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, where the newest study is taking place(10).
In the largest hallucinogenic study in more than forty years, Psilocybin shows promising signs for treating Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and anxiety(11).
Magic Mushrooms are known as mushrooms that contain psilocybin which is found in certain kinds of fungus(3). More often than not, “shrooms” are used as a recreational drug. Consuming these mushrooms produces short term “trips” also called hallucinations which gives the user a feeling of transcendence and spirituality along with visual hallucinations that distort space and time(11). Currently, psilocybin mushrooms are a Schedule I substance due to having no recognized medical uses and potential for high abuse.
In the past decade, studies have been exploring the possible therapeutic benefits that psilocybin, along with other hallucinogens, have on psychiatric disorders(13). More recently, studies done at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich show that when used properly, psilocybin binds serotonin receptors in the brain which ultimately decreases activity there, calming anxiety, OCD, and acts as an antidepressant(12).
Another study found that the drug can also give people more “open” personalities, making them more likely to successfully treat anxiety and depression(4). “We’re not saying go out there and eat mushrooms,” Robin Carhart Harris who leads both studies explained, “but this drug has such a fundamental impact on the brain that it is going to be meaningful. It’s got to be telling us something about how the brain works. So we should be studying it and optimizing it if there’s therapeutic benefit”(5).
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) is the drug which first sparked research into psychedelic drugs. These consciousness-altering drugs also showed promise for treating psychiatric disorders(11). According to recent studies, LSD also has the potential to treat alcoholism(4).
LSD comes in tablets, capsules, liquid, or on absorbent paper which produces effects that last about twelve hours. LSD is mostly used as a recreational drug much like how other psychedelic drugs are used, it alters awareness, perceptions, and feelings(4). While doing acid, you will experience “sensations and images that seem real though they are not” (14).
LSD causes pupil dilation, reduced appetite, and wakefulness. Other physical reactions are common but never specific. It raises body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and also triggers “flashbacks” which are seen months after initial use. LSD binds to certain serotonin receptors in the frontal lobe which affects consciousness and emotions(11). Although LSD does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behaviors, it is still categorized as a Schedule I because it has no medical uses to date(15).
In 2012, researchers analyzed the first studies done on LSD between 1960 and 1970 which showed that alcoholics who took LSD had decreased rates of alcohol abuse(11). “LSD stimulates the formation of new connections and patterns, and generally seems to open an individual to an awareness of new perspectives and opportunities for action,” researchers stated(16). Since alcoholism is a chronic, relapsing disorder, LSD treatment would be beneficial. Many alcoholics who took LSD also reported a “greater self-acceptance and openness” and said they gained a new appreciation for their alcohol problem and new motivation to address it(17).
Among the hallucinogens that are undergoing studies, MDMA or Ecstasy, is also being studied for its potential in treating PTSD. Surprisingly, Ecstasy is found to contain anti-cancerous properties which help treat leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma(11).
Ecstasy is a synthetic compound that produces short term hallucinations giving the user energy and feelings of emotional warmth(5). Ecstasy which goes by the name of MDMA or “molly” is a popular club drug which causes nausea, chills, muscle cramping and blurred vision. Ecstasy can be swallowed as a capsule, tablet, or liquid, and can also be snorted. Ecstasy lasts for three to six hours, while increasing three brain chemicals: Dopamine which causes the euphoria and increased energy, Norepinephrine which increases heart rate and blood pressure, and Serotonin which affects mood and hormones that affect sexual arousal and trust(18).
Research is currently being done with Ecstasy by showing the effects it has on war veterans, firefighters, and police officers with PTSD(11). Studies are also being done on the affects Ecstasy has on the treatment on deadly blood cancers. In the study, the anti-cancerous properties of Ecstasy and other psychoactive drugs show that the “analogues” get inside cancer cells and start dissolving them according to the University of Birmingham, where the research is being conducted(19).
The main concern during these trials is whether the drug will make cancer patients high. Evidence shows that this is not the case, however even if it did, patients battling life threatening diseases ‘might not complain’. “You could have worst side effects” Dr. Gordon contributed(19).
Along with the hallucinogens which have medicinal benefits, marijuana tops the list with recreational, spiritual, and medicinal benefits.
As a Schedule I drug with no addictive properties, Marijuana (or cannabis) today is the most widely used as an illicit drug in the United States right behind Cocaine with a remarkable safety record(5). Marijuana comes from the cannabis plant used for its relaxing properties produced by the mind altering chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), found in the pot plant. Effects from Marijuana generally last thirty minutes to an hour and include slowed thinking, slowed reaction time, and impaired memory and balance(20).
For decades, federal law prohibited marijuana in every circumstance. But scientists discovered that the brain responds to sixty different chemicals in marijuana which sparked interest for medical treatment(21). Today, marijuana is used medically in thirty-one states and recreationally legal in ten states and the District of Colombia (D.C.).
Scientific research shows that marijuana has many medicinal benefits including: relief for chronic pain, treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), symptoms associated with cancer and Crohn’s disease, stimulates appetite for people with AIDS or extreme weight loss, and is also used for opioid dependence(20). Unlike stimulants and hallucinogens which have similar medical benefits, marijuana is remarkably safe compared to other substances. The consumption of marijuana regardless of quantity or potency, cannot induce a fatal overdose(22).
CONCLUSION
Our children are taught that illicit drugs have no medical benefit, ”drugs are bad for you” is what they teach our next generation. Until now, most medical doctors would recommend avoiding recreational use of any and all illicit drugs due to the long term risk factors. But researchers are left challenging this. Many drugs that are classified as illicit, do indeed have medical benefits that commonly outweigh the extremely dangerous side effects. Some have less negative effects than Schedule V substances.
Illicit drugs are defined by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as having high potential for abuse and no medical benefit is contradictory. The DEA and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claim there is no research to justify re-categorization but oddly enough, research shows and explains that each illicit drug has potential for medical benefits which can treat a number of psychiatric and physical disorders including: anxiety, OCD, PTSD, depression, alcoholism, the list goes on(11).
Suggestions have been made to transfer responsibility of drug scheduling and classification away from the DEA to another agency or organization without a bias drug history such as the National Academy of Sciences(11). Until illicit drugs are reclassified, bringing some of these substances such as cocaine, hallucinogen drugs, and marijuana from research into clinical practice will be a long, uphill battle.
2018-12-12-1544582754