Drug Classification

(See: Drugs in American Society, 5th, 6th, and 7th editions, Erich Goode, McGraw-Hill, 1999/2005/2008. Chapter 1)

• How many types of drugs are there?
• What do we see as relevant: Problem of the Observer vs. The Drug

CNS (central nervous system): Relevant for our purposes.

• Stimulant
• Depressant
• No effect
• Complex effect

1. Stimulants: Amphetamines, Caffeine, Nicotine Cocaine

• Excite, arousal, increase alertness, elevate mood. Speed up signals to the brain. (Some newer drugs (Prozac) work mainly as mood elevators and do not (supposedly) produce the other effects).

2. Depressants

Analgesics: relieve pain (block signals?)

• Narcotics: Opiates and Opioids
• Non-narcotics: Aspirin, etc.

Sedative Hypnotics: relax, induce sleep

• Alcohol (ETOH)
• Anti-anxiety agents, tranquilizers
• Non-Barbiturates: Qualude, Halcion
• Long acting Barbiturates: Phenobarbital
• Short acting Barbiturates: Seconal

3. Anti-Psychotics: Thorazine

4.Anti-Depressants: Prozac, Lithium

5. Hallucinogens

6. Marijuana

7. Inhalants

Legal Classification: Controlled Substances Act 1990

(original 1970)

(http://www.fda.gov/RegulatoryInformation/Legislation/ucm148726.htm)
(DEA listing)

(The following is only a partial listing. Decisions as to scheduling may also include amount of a particular substance in a preparation, etc.)

Schedule 1: High Abuse, No Recognized Medical Use, Lack of Safety

• Heroin
• LSD
• MDMA
• Marijuana
• Methaqualone

Schedule 2: High Abuse, Medical Utility, High Dependency Risk

• Opium
• Morphine
• Coca
• Cocaine
• Methadone
• Methamphetamine

Schedule 3: Lower Abuse, Medical Utility, Moderate Dependency Risk

• Amphetamine
• Barbiturate
• Valium
• Xanax
• Anabolic Steroids
• Codeine

Schedule 4: Limited Abuse, High Medical Utility, Limited Dependency Risk

• Chloral Hydrate
• Meprobamate
• Paraldehyde
• Phenobarbital

Schedule 5: Minor Problems

• Typically includes preparations of the above drugs in limited amounts

Categorizing Varieties of Use:

Legal Status:

• Some drugs are legal, some are not
• Some drugs are available only by prescription, some are OTC
• Cross-Cultural variation: Relativity of Situation

Purpose/Goal of Use

• Drugs are used for a variety of reasons
• Drugs have multiple effects
• Purpose of use varies based on the effect sought

Drug Effects

URL: http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/180/classify.html
Owner: Robert O. Keel rok@umsl.edu
References and Credits for this Page of Notes
Last Updated: Saturday, September 5, 2009 10:17 AM