Medicine and Drugs

• Drugs have to be tested and trialled extensively before they are made available for public use
• A medical drug is tested to establish its effectiveness, its toxicity, the most appropriate dosage and its stability
• Thalidomide was developed as a sleeping drug, but doctors realised it could control morning sickness 
• However, the drug had not been tested on pregnant women, and it caused limb abnormalities in some of the foetuses
• In human trials, placebos are used - placebos do not contain a drug
• Double-blind tests are used to see how effective the medicine is
• They reduce the psychological effects of the patient, and the possible vested interest of the doctors, as neither of them know who has taken a placebo or not

• Test drug on cell cultures (check it is non-toxic)
• Test drug on animals (look for side effects)
• Test drug on healthy volunteers
• Test drug on small group of patients
• Test drug on large group of patients

• Statins are medical drugs
• They are used to lower cholestrol levels in the blood
• They reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

• Drugs change the chemical processes in the body, so you may become addicted to them
• A drug is a substance which alters the way in which your body works
• Drugs are chemicals which alter the body's chemistry
• Addiction is when you become physically or mentally dependent on a drug
• Hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, are very addictive
• If you stop taking addictive drugs, you will suffer from withdrawal symptoms
• Smoking cannabis may cause mental health problems
• Recreational drugs are used by people for pleasure

• Many recreational drugs affect the nervous system, particularly the brain
• It is easy to become addicted to recreational drugs because they affect the nervous system
• Some recreational drugs are more harmful than others
• Recreational drugs can be legal or illegal
• More people use legal drugs, so their impact on health is greater than that of illegal drugs

Yes:

• Cannabis can cause mental illness in some people, making them more vulnerable and likely to progress to harder drugs
• Cannabis is illegal, so obtaining it puts you in contact with drug dealers, who might later try to push harder drugs on you
• Nearly all heroin users previously used cannabis

No:

• Only a very small minority of cannabis users progress to harder drugs
• Cannabis doesn't cause any cravings for harder drugs

• Some athletes use drugs to make them perform better
• Anabolic steroids increase muscle mass, but are banned
• They help athletes who need to be strong or fast
• Strong painkilling drugs allow an athlete to train/compete with an injury, cause it further damage
• Some sports require great stamina - a drug can be taken to stimulate the body into making more red blood cells
• Illegal performance enhancing drugs can cause great harm/death to athletes
• Athletes found taking these drugs get disqualifed from the event