BBH 143 Exam 2

How do synthetic cannabinoids compare to THC in potency, negative side effects and addiction liability?

- 2-100x more potent than THC - rapid heart rate, vomiting, violent behaviour, suicidal thoughts, can be addictive

What is amotivational syndrome and what data supports the diagnosis of the syndrome?

- A lack of ambition, diminished participation in social situations and activities, apathy - It is unclear whether the syndrome exists or not, no causal link

THC is an ________ at cannabinoid receptors. Which type of cannabinoid receptor is in the brain and central nervous system?

agonist - CB1 is in brain and central nervous system

List the moderate withdrawal symptoms seen after short-term alcohol consumption and in stage 1 of withdrawal from chronic consumption.

anxiety insomnia nausea abdominal pain

Match reward and addiction with the neurotransmitter responsible for that effect.

dopamine

How is THC excreted and how long does clearance take? How is the length of clearance related to the variable half-life?

- Excreted in urine - Clearance can take 20-30 hours

What is the irreversible liver damage associated with alcohol abuse?

Cirrhosis

What role did racism play in the criminalization of marijuana?

Harry Anslinger frequently used racism (against African Americans) as a motivating factor in building fear of the drug

What are the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 alcoholism? Which has the strongest genetic association?

Type 1: - may self-medicate for anxiety (rapid tolerance develops) - binge drinking - later onset of alcohol-related problems (20s) - do better in treatment Type 2: - steady drinker - early onset of alcohol-related problems (teens) - largely male - larger genetic association

What type of brain damage is seen in people with alcoholism?

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

What are the main points of the Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act of 2009?

- Gave FDA authority over tobacco products sold in the US - Led to banning of candy-flavoured cigarettes - Disclosure of additives and ingredients - Graphic warning labels - Prohibited marketing to youths

What role did William Randolph Hearst play in the criminalization of marijuana? What is "yellow journalism"?

- He began a crusade against marijuana, referring to it as the "marijuana menace" - yellow journalism: present little or no well-researched news, instead present eye-catching headlines

What is the difference between hemp and marijuana?

- Hemp: low THC strains of cannabis sativa - Marijuana: dried flowers, leaves, and stems of the female cannabis plant

What is the most common route of administration for nicotine and how long does it take for nicotine to reach the brain via this route?

- Inhalation - Can reach the brain in as little as 10 seconds

What is the impact of cannabis consumption on psychosis and mood disorders?

- Risk of psychosis may be increased in people who are predisposed to psychosis - May worsen symptoms of several mood disorders like bipolar or anxiety disorders

How are the 16th and 18th amendments to the US constitution related to prohibition?

- The 16th amendment was the federal income tax that replaced the alcohol tax to prepare for prohibition - that 18th amendment was the country-wide prohibition of manufacture, sale and transport of intoxicating liquors

Why do women have higher BACs than men after consuming the same amount of alcohol?

- The average male body is larger and contains more water - men have more gastric alcohol dehydrogenase activity, enabling them to metabolize alcohol more quickly than women

What withdrawal symptoms do chronic cannabis users report when they abruptly stop using?

- craving - difficulty in stopping use - emotion & mood disturbances - sleep disruption - gastrointestinal disturbances - physiological

What are the withdrawal symptoms resulting from cessation of nicotine use? Which one symptom lasts the longest for most people?

- cravings - anger or irritability - anxiety - depression - trouble sleeping

Describe how drink patterns -- current use, binge use, and heavy use -- change across age groups

- current use is higher among older people - binge use is highest among 18-30 year olds - heavy use is highest for people in their 20s

What is the half-life of nicotine and how long is nicotine and/or the metabolite cotinine detectable in the blood and urine?

- half-life = 2 hours - detectable for up to 3 or 4 days

Describe the changes in age restrictions on alcohol consumption since prohibition.

- in the early 1970s, the drinking age lowered below 21 (between 18 and 20) in 30+ states - National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 - 1987: all states comply with age 21 drinking requirements

True or false: smoking marijuana is associated with increased rates of chronic bronchitis and lung cancer.

- increased symptoms of chronic bronchitis - a link between smoking cannabis and lung cancer has not been consistently demonstrated

How did the tobacco companies respond to the Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act?

- increasing prices - marketing in other countries

What are the negative effects of alcohol that occur at BACs above 0.25%?

- lapses of consciousness - anterograde amnesia - decreased heart rate - urinary incontinence - depressed reflexes - life-threatening respiratory depression

What are the relapse rate at 1 and 2 years for people attempting to stop drinking?

- less than 20% of patients who receive treatment remain alcohol free for an entire year

Identify demographic differences in smoking patterns associated with gender, age, race/ethnicity, and education/socioeconomic status.

- more males than females - less educated females are more likely to smoke (those with an education up to 11th grade) - American Indian/Native Alaska Natives have higher prevalence rates compared to other groups in the US (many tribal ceremonies include the use of tobacco) - college students smoke less than non-college attending youths

Explain the relationship between smoking and schizophrenia

- the rate of smoking in people with schizophrenia is at least two to three times that in the general population

Explain "bootlegging"

- the term comes from hiding illegal liquor inside boots - illegal manufacturing/sale of alcohol - home made alcohol became a common way of working around prohibition laws

What is the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to be considered "driving under the influence"?

0.08

What is the LD50 of nicotine in humans? What are the symptoms of nicotine poisoning (other than eye exposure)

0.5-1 mg/kg - nausea - vomiting - increased blood pressure - abnormal heart rate - dehydration - loss of appetite

In what year did the US Surgeon General link cigarette smoking with lung cancer and coronary artery disease?

1964

What are delirium tremens and why can they be life threatening?

A potentially fatal withdrawal symptom marked by delusions, confusion, and disorientation DTs can be fatal

What was the La Guardia Report? What were the findings reported?

A report that examined the truth to claims about marijuana: - smoking does not lead to addiction - use does not lead to morphine, heroin or cocaine addiction - marijuana is not the determining factor in the commission of major crimes - smoking is not widespread among school children - smoking is not associated with juvenile delinquency - publicity concerning the catastrophic effects of marijuana smoking in New York City is unfounded

What is alcohol by volume (ABV)? How does ABV compare to proof as a measure of alcohol content?

ABV: - percent of alcohol contained in the volume Proof: - Amount of alcohol in a beverage expressed as twice the percentage of the alcohol content

Describe the metabolic process for alcohol. Which metabolite is toxic and associated with hangovers?

ADH metabolizes alcohol to acetaldehyde (a highly toxic substance (associated with hangovers). Acetaldehyde is further metabolized down to acetate which is then broken down to water and carbon dioxide

What are the main differences between the effects of Acamprosate and Disulfiram in treating alcoholism?

Acomprasate: - appears to normalize alcohol-disrupted brain activity, particularly in the GABA and glutamate neurotransmitter systems - does not cause sickness if alcohol is ingested - reduces craving for alcohol Disulfiram: - inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase - causes sickness when alcohol is ingested - does not reduce craving

Why is the alcohol in beer and wine absorbed more slowly than the alcohol in a single shot of distilled liquor?

Because the concentration of alcohol is lower in beer and wine

What are the potential benefits and risks of using e-cigarettes?

Benefits: - Individual adult smokers switch completely from combustible tobacco products to e-cigarettes - They assist in rapid transition to a society with little or no combustible tobacco use Risks: - Lead to use of nicotine and/or other tobacco products by youth and non-tobacco users - Are used by pregnant women - Lead former smokers to relapse to nicotine use or use of other tobacco products - Delay complete smoking cessation among current smokers - Result in nicotine poisoning - Expose nonusers to secondhand aerosol

In 1996, which state was the first state to legalize medical marijuana and what were the regulations?

California - with a doctor's note, a patient can grow up to 6 plants or possess no more than 1/2 oz. of marijuana - patients receive medical marijuana identification cards from the state - dispensaries can sell marijuana with a license from the state

In 2012, which 2 states legalized recreational use of cannabis and what were the regulations?

Colorado and Washington: - possession of up to an ounce for adults 21 and over - provisions against intoxicated driving - personal cultivation of up to 6 plants is legal - commercial cultivation and sale is subject to taxes

Are you more likely to overdose from drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana?

Drinking alcohol

What is the negative impact of e-cigarettes on the lungs?

E-cigarettes expose lungs to: - multiple carcinogenic and toxic chemicals from liquid - toxic metal nanoparticles

True or False. More adults use e-cigarettes than adolescents.

False

True or False: The potency of marijuana has remained steady since the mid-1990s.

False

True or False: more heavy cannabis users will develop physical dependence but few will develop psychological tolerance.

False

Why was prohibition an important political issue?

Federal government was dependent on revenue from alcohol and tobacco taxes, no income tax

Alcohol is an indirect agonist at _______ receptors

GABA

Who made the first association between smoking and lung cancer and when was the association made?

German scientists in 1939

What are the medical benefits of marijuana consumption?

Glaucoma: - lowers intraocular pressure by about 25% - isn't an improvement over current medications HIV/AIDS and Cancer: - marijuana has been shown to have beneficial effects on appetite - can significant improve associated pain Other benefits: - can reduce spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients - help sufferers of chronic pain to both tolerate pain and sleep better - some state laws allow prescription for anorexia, arthritis, epilepsy, migraine

What role did Harry Anslinger play in the criminalization of marijuana?

He used fear of marijuana as a tool to build support for a uniform narcotics act

If you wanted to speed up your rate of absorption of alcohol, should you drink your rum in pepsi or orange juice?

Pepsi because of the carbonation. Carbonation increases the pressure on the stomach which helps force alcohol into the bloodstream

List the ACUTE physical and psychological effect of THC

Physical: - loss of coordination Psychological: - euphoria - increased awareness, sharpened sense of sight and hearing - a feeling of creative enhancement - feeling that everything is funny - altered sense of passage of time - deficits in tasks involving attention or memory - inability to concentrate - sedation/sleepiness - anxiety, paranoia, and panic attacks

What are congeners and how do they contribute to hangovers?

Substances responsible for the taste, aroma and colour of drinks They contribute to the severity of hangovers -- more congeners usually cause a worse hangover

What is the difference between cannabidiol (CBD) and THC?

THC is the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, it's what makes people feel high CBD doesn't cause a high, works with other elements in the body linked to feelings of well-being

Why is the half-life of THC highly variable?

THC is very lipophilic (stored in body fat)

What is the psychoactive ingredient of marijuana?

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

Why is nicotine poisoning more likely to occur with e-cigarette/vaping cassettes than with tobacco products?

They are not child proof

True or False. Egyptians produced wine and beer.

True

True or False. The availability of appealing flavours contributes to the use of e-cigarettes by adolescents.

True

True or False: Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit in the United States.

True

True or False: during prohibition, marijuana was a legal substitute for alcohol.

True

True or false. Men binge drink more than women

True

True or False. If you stop smoking, your health will return to that of a non-smoker within 15 years.

True, risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker

Nicotine is an _______ of acetylcholine receptors

agonist

Describe the temperance movement that began in America in the 1800s

Women's Christian Temperance Union advocated prohibition (prevention of consumption and production of alcoholic beverages)

What was required by the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937?

You must possess a stamp/license to possess or distribute marijuana

Match memory and cognition with the neurotransmitter responsible for that effect.

acetylcholine

What are synthetic cannabinoids and how are they used?

human-made mind-altering chemicals that are either sprayed on dried shredded plant material so they can be smoked or sold as liquids to be vaporized and inhaled in e-cigarettes and other devices

What is the purpose of distillation in producing alcohol?

increases alcohol content

Match alertness, arousal and concentration with the neurotransmitter responsible for that effect.

norepinephrine

Alcohol reduces activity in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum. What is the result of the decreased activity in these brain regions?

prefrontal cortex: decision-making cerebellum: motor coordination and balance hippocampus: memory

In 1966, how did the tobacco industry try to "address the health issues associated with smoking"?

raised the issue of filtration

How effective are smoking cessation treatments?

smoking cessation interventions double success rate, but this is a change from 7-12% without help to 14-24% with help

How is alcohol produced?

the fermentation of sugar - by yeast or bacteria - produces ethanol as a waste product

In 1988, what did the Surgeon General's report conclude?

tobacco is more addicting than cocaine and heroin