Let’s Talk about Party Drugs
Written by Aiman Khan
Thumbnail Photo by Wesley Gibbs on Unsplash
University is a time for late nights in the library and coffee-fueled mornings on the bus. We call home to complain about our deadlines and stressful courses while planning for upcoming semester breaks. But when our parents ask about our week, we don’t typically mention the crazy parties or hangovers the morning after. Most importantly, we definitely don’t discuss the variety of recreational drugs available right at our doorsteps.
Even if you haven’t strayed from the straight and narrow, chances are you know someone who has. Alcohol and weed may be the go-to on Canadian campuses, but illegal substances are still quite easy for students to get their hands on. Despite the prevalence of these substances, the issues of legality and stigma already limit honest discussions on these drugs.
But just like abstinence-only education never worked for sex, we can’t expect undergrads to fully appreciate the consequences of drug use (and abuse) without an open conversation about their effects. This way, students can make informed decisions about what they’re putting in their bodies.
Marijuana
Now that weed is legal in Canada, we can expect more research and funding into the questions that many of us have about smoking pot. Cannabis has been used recreationally, as well as in religious and spiritual contexts, worldwide for centuries. The Indian subcontinent was already using cannabis as a holistic anxiety medication as far back as 2000-1400 BCE. In Tantric Buddhism, originating in the Tibeto-Himalayan region, traditional rituals incorporated cannabis use as a significant part of the ceremony to help with meditation. Ancient Germanic paganism associated the plant with the Norse goddess of love, and even the word hemp is rumoured to have been borrowed from the Proto-Germanic word hanapiz, indicating prehistoric use of the drug among these peoples.
For most people, smoking weed generally alleviates stress and can even lead to feelings of euphoria. For those who are afraid of the effects of smoking on the lungs, research has indicated that as long as your use is moderate, your lung functions may even show an improvement for up to 10 years in terms of lung capacity. This isn’t to say that smoking pot makes our lungs stronger. Rather, the mechanisms involved in the act of smoking, coupled with the lack of adverse effects on lung health (as with smoking cigarettes, for example) may be the real reason why pot smokers showed an improvement in their FEV1 tests (which measure the strength of your lungs). But it’s important to note that the study cited above examined the effects of moderate use which was described as one joint a day.
However, while many people experience the best sides of marijuana use, the psychological effects may not be as rosy. Studies have found correlations between cannabis overuse and psychosis. Further, according to a 2019 meta-analysis, 34% of people with cannabis-induced psychosis later went on to develop schizophrenia – a number higher than those for hallucinogens (26%) and amphetamines (22%).
Of course, correlation does not equal causation. More importantly, drug-induced psychosis isn’t just limited to cannabis use and is more often reported by those with a family history of mental illness or schizophrenia. Developing schizophrenia isn’t always predetermined by genes – childhood experiences and lifestyle factors can also contribute to a later onset. So, if you have a family history of psychotic illnesses or substance abuse, it’s better to consult a physician before you make a habit of smoking pot (or anything that can be potentially hallucinogenic for that matter). Just like any drug, however, marijuana has the potential to become addictive. If you begin to experience withdrawal symptoms from smoking pot or taking edibles (irritability, sleep and mood difficulties, decreased appetite), you may need to give it a break.
While marijuana does negatively affect our short-term memory and executive function, there are no findings of similar long-term effects. In fact, smoking strains with a higher CBD content (rather than THC) has, in some cases, been found to offset those short-term side-effects. CBD has also been shown to protect the brain against cognition problems brought on by Alzheimer’s, dementia, and alcohol-induced brain damage.
MDMA and Molly
Derived from the synthetic drug MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine), Molly or Eve is a common party favour that can reduce anxiety and increase feelings of euphoria and closeness. It might make for a fun time at a music festival, but the Molly that you are offered at a party may contain nothing of the actual MDMA from the labs. Instead, street drugs contain substances (like anesthetics, stimulants, and synthetic psychedelics, or more commonly bath salts) that mimic the effects of pure-form MDMA. Unless you’re carrying out drug tests before every use, there’s no telling what substances have been mixed into these pills, and what they’re made of. According to Paul Doering, professor of pharmacology at the University of Florida, “Any drug that is purchased on the street is always subject to being something different. Nobody is looking out for the dosage or anything else. It’s the roll of the dice what the stuff is.”
Since we don’t know what’s mixed into the pills we get, there’s no telling what the side-effects may be for the individual. With pure MDMA, you can expect some level of depression in the following days after use given the depletion of your natural serotonin levels (charmingly nicknamed Suicide Tuesdays). So, if you’re struggling with mental health issues, it’s safer to give it a pass. The same goes for those who have existing conditions like diabetes, epilepsy, and heart, liver and kidney issues, which are known to be associated with severe complications after use.
Some of the more life-threatening effects include severe dehydration, hyperthermia, uncontrollable seizures and kidney failure. While the claims of ‘holes in your brain’ or early onset of Parkinson’s from using MDMA have been debunked, long-term users may experience long-lasting brain damages affecting memory, damage to parts of the brain that regulate functions such as sleep, learning and emotion, and psychosis. These side-effects may be exacerbated if you’re taking Molly, which may be cut with any number of harmful substances.
Photo by Geran de Klerk on Unsplash
Magic Mushrooms
Just like marijuana, we have been using psilocybin mushrooms since as far back as 6,000 years ago (although after the discovery of some ancient cave paintings in North Africa, some contend it’s actually 9,000 years). The Aztecs called it teonanácatl or ‘the flesh of Gods,’ and were ritual users of the drug. Indeed, the effects of psilocybin lend themselves quite nicely to its use in religious practices: ranging from visual hallucinations, a feeling of connectedness, wonder, and depression to synesthesia. Terence Mckenna posits in the Stoned Ape hypothesis that we evolved from Homo Erectus to Homo Sapiens due to an early encounter with these mushrooms.
In the psychedelic 60s and 70s, popular celebrities like Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Mick Jagger brought the drug to the public limelight. The hippie counterculture ran amok with psilocybin alongside cannabis and LSD. As a result, Nixon’s War on Drugs brought an end to the recreational use of psilocybin, as well as the potential for research on it. Classed as a Schedule I drug alongside the likes of heroin and LSD, the US government deemed it to have a high potential for abuse and no potential for medical use. Today, it is classed under the most restricted category of drugs under the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances. In Canada, it’s a Schedule III drug meaning its sale, possession and production are illegal.
According to David Nutt, a professor of Neuropsychopharmacology at the Imperial College in London, this is “one of the most atrocious examples of the censorship of science and medicine in the history of the world.” His disillusionment is warranted. One study in 2016 at John Hopkins University found high doses of the active compound of magic mushrooms reduced end-of-life depression in cancer patients, with similar results found in a New York study in the same year.
The trip itself will vary on an individual basis. The environment you are in can either have a profoundly positive or negative impact on your high. Your existing mental health conditions and current mood will also factor into your experience. Given that a typical trip lasts anywhere from six to eight hours (depending on dosage, preparation and individual metabolism), if you’re having a bad experience, you’ll have to ride it out for hours on end. According to Dr. Lawrence Weinstein, the chief medical officer of American Addiction Centers, “Psychological distress is the most common adverse effect reported after use of psilocybin. This can range from a 'bad trip' to disturbing hallucinations that can last for days.”
Many researchers are increasingly of the mind that psilocybin can offer an alternative and perhaps more effective treatment of depression and anxiety. FMRI scans of patients’ brains after psilocybin administration is associated with a reduced blood flow in the part of the brain which is generally overactive with depression and anxiety. The scans also showed connections between brain networks as part of what the Imperial College research team believes to be a ‘resetting’ of the brain. This potential resetting has serious implications for behavioural changes and addictions. When under the influence of magic mushrooms, neurotransmitters get off the well-trodden neural pathways and embark on new and different paths. This neuroplasticity doesn’t fade away once the trip is over.
The renewed interest in psilocybin may bode well for research into mental health, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe to use in an unregulated way. While magic mushrooms seem to have a low potential for physiological addiction, some people might become psychologically dependent on them given their ‘eye-opening’ effects. High doses may also pose additional risks for those with psychotic illnesses. Finally, given that it is a restricted drug, possession of this substance is still considered illegal, and it’s harder to know where the drug comes from because it’s not controlled. You might end up ingesting something poisonous without even knowing it.
Adderall
While Adderall is not a party drug, its abuse on college campuses allows it an honourable mention in this article. If you don’t have an ADHD diagnosis, and you take Adderall regularly when studying for difficult exams, you might grow a tolerance for it. As a result, you won’t be able to concentrate as much when you’re off the drug, leading to dependency.
While the side-effects of Adderall may not compare to those of street drugs like Molly, performance-enhancing drugs can easily become a crutch, leading to longer-term problems in your life. Instead of taking controlled substances as a study aid, focus instead on building better study habits. It’s cheaper, and certainly a lot less risky for your mental and physical health.
University life is all about trying new things, but some things are just not worth the costs to your well-being (and maybe even your pocket). At the end of the day, your decisions are your own, but hopefully, this helped in clearing up some misconceptions surrounding these popular party drugs.
References:
https://doubleblindmag.com/why-are-shrooms-illegal/
https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2019-04/2011_CCSA_Student_Alcohol_and_Drug_Use_en.pdf
https://www.thoracic.org/patients/patient-resources/resources/marijuana.pdf
https://merryjane.com/culture/keef-t-w-coakley-1897-excerpt-feral-house
https://www.nature.com/articles/mp201397
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-does-mdma-do-to-the-brain-63096