SESSION II DRUGS IN SOCIETY AND IN VEHICLE OPERATION

SESSION II DRUGS IN SOCIETY AND IN VEHICLE OPERATION

SESSION II DRUGS IN SOCIETY AND IN VEHICLE OPERATION Upn successfully cmpleting this sessin the student will be able t: Define the term "drug" in the cntext f this curse. Name the seven majr categries f drugs that are relevant t the Drug Evaluatin and Classificatin prgram. State in apprximate, quantitative terms the incidence f drug use amng varius segments f the American public. State in apprximate, quantitative terms the incidence f drug invlvement in mtr vehicle crashes and ther driving incidents. Crrectly answer the "tpics fr study" questins at the end f this sessin.

A. Definitin and Categries f Drugs The wrd "drug" means many things t many peple. The wrd is used in a number f different ways, by different peple, t cnvey sme very different ideas. Fr purpses f this training, a simple, enfrcement-riented definitin is needed: A drug is any substance, which when taken int the human bdy, can impair the ability f the persn t perate a vehicle safely. This definitin is adapted frm the Califrnia Vehicle Cde, and reflects the traffic safety rientatin f this training prgram. It is wrth nting that this definitin excludes many substances that physicians and thers wuld nt cnsider "drugs". Fr example, nictine (cigarettes) and acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) wuld nt be cnsidered "drugs" fr purpses f this training. Similarly, this definitin includes as "drugs" many substances that physicians wuldn't rdinarily think f when they hear the wrd. Mdel airplane glue, fr example, is a "drug" fr purpses f this training. Under this definitin, there are seven brad categries f drugs. Central Nervus System Depressants Alchl Barbiturates Anti-Depressants Anti-Anxiety Tranquilizers Central Nervus System Stimulants Ccaine Amphetamines Methamphetamine Ritalin Hallucingens LSD MDMA (Ecstasy) Psilcybin Peyte II-1

Dissciative Anesthetics Phencyclidine (PCP) Ketamine Dextrmethrphan Narctic Analgesics Herin Cdeine Demerl Methadne OxyCntin Inhalants Glue Gasline Aersls Nitrus Oxide Amyl Nitrate Cannabis This categry includes the varius frms and prducts f Cannabis plants (e.g. marijuana, hashish, Marinl, etc.) Each categry prduces a different set f effects n the human mind and bdy. Each categry exhibits different signs f drug influence, signs which cme t light in the Drug Evaluatin and Classificatin examinatins. Each categry als includes drugs that are widely abused. One fact that is abundantly clear is that many drug users dn't stick with nly ne substance, but instead rutinely ingest mre than ne drug categry. This behavir is called "plydrug" use (the prefix "ply" derives frm the Greek wrd fr "many"). Sme cmmnly abused cmbinatins f drugs include: Alchl and virtually any ther drug (fr example, ut f 173 drivers arrested by LAPD n suspicin f being under the influence f drugs, 81 (r 47%) had cnsumed alchl and sme ther drug). Marijuana and PCP (A cmmn way f ingesting PCP is t sprinkle it n a marijuana cigarette and smke it. The user then autmatically ingests bth PCP and Cannabis.) Ccaine and Herin (This cmbinatin has its wn "street name. It is II-2

cmmnly called a "speedball".) Herin and Amphetamine (This cmbinatin is smetimes called a "pr man's speedball".) Herin and PCP (Smetimes called a "fireball".) "Crack" Ccaine and PCP (Smetimes called "space base".) "Crack" ccaine and marijuana (Smetimes called "prim".) "Crack" and Methamphetamine (Smetimes called "crak".) The practice f plydrug use is s cmmn that a DRE shuld expect t encunter many suspects wh are under the influence f mre than ne categry f drugs. Indeed, at sme times and places, plydrug use may be mre cmmn than single drug use. B. Incidence and Characteristics f Drug Use in America Estimates f the number f American drug users vary widely and are difficult t pinpint with any accuracy. It is knwn that ne drug, alchl, is ccasinally used by at least a majrity f adults in this cuntry. Despite the fact that almst all f the alchl cnsumed in this cuntry is legally manufactured (and taxed) under fairly clse gvernmental scrutiny, experts disagree as t hw many peple abuse alchl, hw much they cnsume, hw frequently, etc. Knwledge f cnsumptin patterns f ther drugs is even less exact, since these drugs ften are prduced and sld illegally. Nevertheless, virtually all experts agree that millins f Americans use drugs ther than alchl. The 2002 Natinal Survey n Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reprted by the Substance Abuse f Mental Health Services Administratin (SAMHSA) btained survey infrmatin n nine different categries f drugs; marijuana, ccaine, herin, hallucingens, inhalants and nn-medical use f prescriptin drugs. The results cnfirmed that a large percentage f the American ppulatin use drugs ther than alchl. In 2004, an estimated 19.1 millin Americans (7.9% f the ppulatin) aged 12 years r lder were current illicit drug users. Marijuana was the mst cmmnly used illicit drug in 2004 with 14.6 millin current users (6.2 percent f the ppulatin). In 2004, 6 millin peple were users f psychtherapeutic drugs taken nn-medically. The NSDUH survey als reprted that an estimated tw (2) millin persns were current Ccaine users and 567,000 peple used Crack during the same time perid. Hallucingens were used by 1.2 millin persns, including 676,000 users f Ecstasy. In 2004, there were an estimated 166,000 current users f Herin. Of the nn-medical II-3

prescriptin drug users, an estimated 4.7 millin abused pain relievers, 1.8 millin abused tranquilizers, 1.2 millin abused stimulants and 0.3 millin abused sedative medicatins. C. Incidence f Drug Impaired Driving Accurate data n the frequency with which peple drive while under the influence f drugs is very hard t cme by. First f all, many impaired drivers are never detected. Secndly, since many drug users als drink alchl, when they are stpped fr impaired driving they may be arrested (and tabulated in statistics) as alchl impaired drivers nly. Thirdly, when they are invlved in crashes, they may nt be tested fr drugs ther than alchl. Nevertheless, sme limited studies have been cnducted that suggest drug impaired driving is a prblem f significant prprtins. (1) A study was cnducted in Califrnia f yung (15-34 years ld) male drivers killed in crashes during 1982 and 1983. This study cvered 440 such drivers. Mre than half were fund t have sme drug r drugs ther than alchl in them. The mst prevalent drug ther than alchl was cannabis, which was fund in 37% f these yung dead drivers. Nearly ne-third f these 440 dead drivers (30%) had alchl and cannabis in them. (2) In what is prbably ne f the mst cmprehensive studies f this kind cnducted by the University f Tennessee Medical Center wh analyzed the urine samples f crash-injured drivers fr a brad spectrum f drugs, and fund that 40 percent had evidence f drugs ther than alchl. (3) Research cmpleted in 2000 at the Department f Cmmunity and Preventative Medicine - University f Rchester, Rchester, NY examined bld samples frm 880 drivers brught t the emergency rm with injuries received in a mtr vehicle crash. Of these samples 33% were psitive fr at least ne substance. The mst cmmnly fund substances were THC, Benzdiazepines, and Ccaine. (4) The U.S. Department f Transprtatin, Natinal Highway Traffic Safety Administratin (NHTSA) reprted that a study f fatally injured drivers frm seven states shwed that alchl was present in mre than 50% f the drivers and ther drugs were present in 18% f the drivers. (5) The Mnitring the Future Natinal Survey (2003) cncluded that ne ut f six high schl senirs admitted driving under the influence f drugs in the previus year. (6) The NSDUH study reprted that an estimated 11 millin persns admitted driving under the influence f an illicit drug in 2003. II-4

Tpics fr Study 1. What des the term "drug" mean, as used in this curse? 2. What are the seven categries f drugs? T which categry des alchl belng? T which categry des ccaine belng? 3. What des "plydrug use" mean? 4. What is a "Speedball"? What is "Space Base"? 5. In the Mnitring the Future Natinal Survey frm 2003, what rati f high schl senirs admitted driving under the influence f drugs? II-5