================================================================= This file is a part of the 1999 Hyperreal Drug Archives Snapshot. This snapshot is hosted by Erowid and will not be updated after October 1999. The information in these files may be out of date. See Erowid's Psychoactive Vaults for more current info. ================================================================= Newsgroups: alt.drugs,talk.politics.drugs From: lamont@hyperreal.com (Lamont Granquist) Subject: References List Message-ID: <1993Nov12.064229.8191@beaver.cs.washington.edu> Date: Fri, 12 Nov 93 06:42:29 GMT A little something i'm working on: Comments, suggestions? COSTS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS Cost of the Criminal Justice system "Federal Courts are Casualties in the War on Drugs." LA Times, Oct 25, 1993. 297% increase in drug cases in the past decade -- 8,294 additional drug trials. Two senior justices from NY will no longer hear drug cases. 143% prison overcrowding. ECONOMICS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS Price Inelastic Drug Demand Becker-GS, et al. "Rational Addiction and the Effect of Price on Consumption." American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings. May 1991. 81(2):237-241. Miron-JA, Zwiebel-J. "Alcohol Consumption During Prohibition" American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings. May 1991. 81(2):242-247 PSYCHOLOGY OF DRUG USE Shedler-J, Block-J, "Adolescent drug use and psychological health. A longitudinal inquiry." American Psychology. 1990 May. 45(5):612-630. Finds that adolescents who engaged in some drug experimenation were better adjusted than both abstainers (who were emotionally constricted) and frequent users (who were maladjusted). Also that psychological differences between the groups could be traced to the earliest years of childhood. This indicates that problem drug use is a symptom and not a cause of personal and social maladjustment, and that current efforts at drug prevention are misguided in not focusing on the psychological syndrome underlying drug abuse. Hogan-R, Conway-J, et al. "Personality correlates of undergraduate marijuana use". J. Consult. and Clinical Psychology. 1970. 35:58-63. Cunningham-WH, et al. "Sociopsychological Characteristics of Undergraduate Marijuana Users." Journal of Genetic Psychology. 1974. 125:3-12. CANNABIS (POT, MARIJUANA, ET AL.) Carcinogenicity Hoffman, Rathkamp, Wynder, El. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 31(3):627-635. 1963. efficiency of water pipes at filtering 91% of tobacco smoke tar. Medical Overview National Academy of Sciences (U.S.). Institute of Medicine. Division of Health Sciences Policy. _Marijuana_and_Health_. Washington: National Academy Press. ISBN 0-309-03236-9. LC 81-86534. Comprehensive review of all medical evidence on marijuana prior to 1982. addresses issues such as brain damage, immune damage, etc and finds no supporting evidence. Potency Mikuriya-T-H, Aldrich-M-R, "Cannabis 1988. Old drug, new dangers. The potency question." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 20(1):47-55. 1988 addresses the potency question, such as that MJ has increased in potency 10 times since the sixties and that all research to date has been done on 1 or 2% THC pot. finds no evidence to back up these assertions. LSD (Acid, d-lysergic acid diethylamide) Mutagenicity (Chromosome Damage) Dishotsky-N-I, Loughman-W-D, Mogar-R-E, Lipscomb-W-R, "LSD and Genetic Damage - Is LSD chromosome damaging, carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic?" Science. 172(3982):431-440. 30 April 1972 review of 68 studies published between 1967-1972 concluding that LSD is not chromosome damaging, carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic. 2C-B (4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenthylamine) Synthesis "Melanin and its precursors, Part VI" JCS 1953 pg 200. Incorrectly cited as a synthesis of 2C-B in pg 44-45 of "Recrational Drugs" by Professor Buzz and pg 77 in "Psychedelic Chemistry" (2nd ed) by Michael Valentine Smith. Is actually a synthesis of 2-bromo-4,5- dimethoxyphenethylamine (6-Br-DMPEA) -- see PiHKAL #20 (or PiHKAL #124 for the amphetamine ORTHO-DOB). METHCATHINONE ('Cat') Synthesis KHAT Economy + Sociology Randall-T. "Khat Abuse Fuels Somali Conflict, Drains Economy" JAMA 1993 Jan 6. 269(1):12,15. Claims that Khat in Somalia is primarily an import trade. DEXTROMETHORPHAN Adverse Reactions Walker-J, Yatham-L-N. "Benylin (dextromethorphan) abuse and mania." BMJ. 1993 Apr 3. 306(6882):896 Craig-D-F. "Psychosis with Vicks Formula 44-D abuse" Can-Med-Assoc-J 1992 Apr 1. 146(7):1199-1200. Schadel-M, Sellers-E-M. "Psychosis with Vicks Formula 44-D abuse" Can-Med-Assoc-J. 1992 Sep 15. 147(6):843-4. Medical Overview Bem-J-L, Peck-R. "Dextromethorphan. An overview of safety issues." Drug-Saf. 1992 May-Jun. 7(3):190-199 48 references. Neuropharmacology NATURAL SOURCES OF SUBSTANCES Tryptamines Arthur, H.R., Loo, S.N. & Lamberton, J.A., 1967. "Nb-methylated tryptamines and other constituents of Acacia confusia Merr. of Hong Kong." Aust. J. Chem. 20, 811. Fitzgerald, J.S. & Sioumis, A.A., 1965. "Alkaloids of Australian Leguminosae V." Aust. J. Chem. 18, 433. Rovelli, B. & Vaughan, G.N., 1967. "Alkaloids of Acacia I." Aust. J. Chem. 20, 1299. Smith, T.A., 1977. "Review: Tryptamine and Related Compounds in Plants." Phytochemistry v16, 171-175. ============================================================================= From: lamont@hyperreal.com (Lamont Granquist) Newsgroups: alt.drugs Subject: References and Shit (high SNR) Date: 23 Jun 1994 10:19:54 GMT Message-ID: <2ubnka$knm@news.u.washington.edu> First: IF WHOEVER HAS THE MARCH ISSUE OF PSYCHIATRIC ANNALS CHECKED OUT AT THE U OF W HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY WOULD RETURN IT I WOULD MOST APPRECIATE IT (and you probably could have just xeroxed the entire thing at kinko's for all the library fines you've racked up...) Onwards: (MDMA + Depression, MDMA Neurotoxicity, PCP synthesis, Etryptamine fatalities, and LSD psychoses) Riedlinger-TJ, Riedlinger-JE, "Psychedelic and Entactogenic Drugs in the Treatment of Depression." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs. 26(1):41-55. Jan-Mar 1994. Covers the use of MDMA ("Ecstasy") in treating depression. Reviews an awful lot of stuff, and i haven't read it all yet -- looks good, though... "The value of MDMA is that it does not make its users feel better by transporting them into a naive state of bliss. They are not unaware of the fact that their lives have been burdened by negative thinking based on fears and anxieties. But MDMA seems to give them a different perspective for seeral hours by reducing their 'defensiveness and fear of emotional injury.' It stimulates a _process_ by which they are able to look at their problems more objectively and thus transcend a feeling of hopeless entrapment. Concurrently they feel more in touch with their positive emotions. The drug gives them both the courage to confront their emotional problems and the strength to communicate constructively. Numerous examples of this process are described in Adamson's book. One is the account of a 39-year-old woman who had been going through a period of guilt, self-doubt, and regret in regard to decisions she had made in the course of her life and her behavior in many relationships. After taking MDMA she reported: 'I now understand more clearly how i close myself up. I am grateful that i now know _experientially_ that there is so much more to me, and to life, than I perceive on a daily basis." Similar stories are told by many others. O'Callighan-JP, Miller-DB, "Quantification of Reactive Gliosis as an Approach to Neurotoxicity Assessment." in NIDA Monograph #136, _Assessing Neurotoxicity of Drugs of Abuse_. 1993. This study uses a Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protien (GFAP) assay to measure the neurotoxicity of various drugs of abuse. Included in the study were amphetamines, MPTP and MDMA. The results were good an in agreement in the assays of amphetamines and MPTP. The results on MDMA, however, did not indicate neurotoxicity at levels where 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels were depressed. Levels of 30mg/kg twice daily for 7 days in the long- evan rat were used, and it was found that "these data indicate that an MDMA dose sufficient to produce a large and long-lasting decrease in 5-HT was not sufficient to induce an astrocyte reaction characteristic of neuronal injury." Only at levels of 75 to 150 mg/kg twice daily for 2 days were sufficient to produce an increase in GFAP. These results may indicate that MDMA is not as neurotoxic as was presumed and that changes in 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels may indicate 5-HT neuroplasticity or other morphological changes rather than direct 5-HT axonal neurotoxicity. Unfortunately, the commentary on this paper was not recorded due to technical difficulties, and i therefore i have no idea about how accepted this paper is, or what its weaknesses are... Allen-AC, Robles-J, Dovenski-W, Calderon-S, "PCP: A review of synthetic methods for forensic clandestine investigation." Forensic Science International. 61:85-100. 1993. Review of the literature on the synthesis of PCP. Includes a real-life case of a clandestine synthesis of PCP. Interesting note: why is the question "How much knowledge of chemistry did the clandestine chemist possess?" common? does this have any weight on the sentencing? The routes which have been encountered in clandestine chemistry labs are the ones from cyclohexanone with either a primary or secondary amine. Most syntheses encountered in clandestine labs in the past ten years have been of reacting cyclohexanone with a secondary amine. This paper also mentions some synthetic routes to Ketamine. Morano-RA, Spies-C, Walker-FB, Plank-SM, "Fatal Intoxication Involving Etryptamine." Journal of Forensic Sciences. 38(3):721-725. May 1993. Describes a case of a 19-year old female consuming two "hits" of what was supposed to be "Ecstasy." Etryptamine is ethyl-tryptamine or 3-(2-aminobutyl)-indole. It is a MAOI which does not inhibit tryptophan hydroxylase. Strassman-R, "Adverse Reactions to Psychedelic Drugs: A Review of the Literature." Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 172(10):577-595. 1984. Bit out of date, but comprehensive. Covers references to the famous murder cases, suicides, and people going blind. Mostly focused on LSD precipitating psychotic episodes, and other psychological sequalae to LSD use. "The multiplicity of symptoms and syndromes described in the 'adverse reaction' literature should make it clear that LSD can cause a number of reactions that can last for any amount of time--from minutes to possibly years. I believe that what is being studied here is the question of the potential role of LSD in _accelerating_ or _precipitating_ the onset of an illness that was "programmed" to develop ultimately in a particular individual--in a manner comparable to the major physical or emotional stress that often precipitates a bona fide myocardial infarction in an individual with advanced coronary atherrosclerosis. The stress did not _cause_ the heart disease; it was only the stimulus that accelerated the inexorable prpocess to manifest illness." he also remarks that short-lived paranoid reactions to LSD were in a group which were found to be: "more anxious, manipulative, hostile with conflicts about aggression, depressed and self-punitive; to feel physically impaired, prone to a though-disorder and confused in their identities; and likely to use projection as a defense." Although he did note that seriously psychologically unhealthy persons can use LSD with no bad reaction, and there is the occasional bad reaction in the person with no unusual prior psychological problems. -- Lamont Granquist (lamont@hyperreal.com) "And then the alien anthropologists - Admitted they were still perplexed - But on eliminating every other reason - For our sad demise - They logged the only explanation left - This species has amused itself to death" -- Roger Waters ============================================================================= Newsgroups: alt.psychoactives,alt.drugs From: bagg@ellis.uchicago.edu (matthew john baggott) Subject: Recent articles of interest Message-ID: <1994Jul19.034854.17430@midway.uchicago.edu> Date: Tue, 19 Jul 1994 03:48:54 GMT "Discriminative stimulus and subjective effects of theobromine and caffeine in humans" by Mumford, Evans, Kaminski, Preston, Sannerud, Silverman, and Griffiths documents that the amount of theobromine in a bar of chocolate can have mild but noticable effects. This is the first measurement of behavioral effects of theobromine in humans. Check it out in _Psychopharmacology_ (1994) 115:1-8. Silverman and Griffiths (along with Kimberly Kirby) also had a neat earlier article that shows what you plan on doing (& do) partially determines what type of drug effect you will prefer. As they put it "the refinforcing effects of drugs can be altered by the behavioral requirements following drug ingestion." They conclude that "these experiments illustrate the malleability of human drug self-administration and suggests that the excessive consumption of drugs, which in part defines drug abuse, is not driven solely by the intrinsic properties of the drugs of by characteristics of the abusers; human drug self-administration responds in orderly way to changes in environmental circumstances." This is probably no surprise to many of you, but it is still nice to see it published. "Modulation of drug reinforcement by behavioral requirements following drug ingestion" in _Psychopharmacology_ (1994) 114:243-247 -- read it and beep. As a side note, _Cracked Coverage: Television news, the anti-cocaine crusade, and the Reagan legacy_ by Reeves and Campbell, 1994, Duke U. Press is a sophisticated and interesting media analysis. I've just started it and thus far don't entirely agree with the authors' approach, but it's definitely an excellent book. --Matt