Question about marijuana, drugs...

[6packofun]

Is there any other substance that is a prescribed DRUG that is also legally used recreationally?  Alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes don't really count...they are not prescribed, right?  Prescription drugs used recreationally but *illegally* don't count, either.

So is there any other prescription medication that people are permitted to use in any way they like?  I'm just so curious about how pot has been classified as a drug to get it legalized (for proper purposes, I think) and yet it is unique, in a way, because there aren't really any equivalent substances like it that have been found (at least by some) to be strong enough for prescribing but then perfectly ok to use on one's own without any direction whatsoever, etc.  Maybe natural, homeopathic stuff but those aren't prescribed.

This is really just a curiosity thing; not making a judgment. I think it's a fascinating situation.

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Seasider too said:

Possibly because it’s not (in it's original form) a manufactured pharmaceutical, but rather a naturally occurring plant?

Wild guess. 

Opium poppies are a natural plant.  They're illegal to grow.

[Bluegoat]

Hmm, that's an interesting question.

I can't really think of anything right now, but in the past there were other things - alcohol was used medically and recreationally and so was opium.

I think the reason is that in general, things strong enough to have a real mind altering affect, we also know that there are other potentially negative health effects or dangers associated with it.  The two kind of go together.

[shawthorne44]

Battlefield pain killer.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

Peyote

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-473/peyote

[Ravin]

There is alcohol in some OTC meds. Nyquil, for instance.

One of the issues that may be informing the end result here is that the natural plant and the chemical substance of most concern (THC) have been treated as all one thing for decades, while for other plant-derived substances which have entered pharmaceutical use, often they are divorced and the compound in the plant found to be pharmaceutically useful substance often synthetically produced. For example: Asprin was originally derived from willow bark, and aspirin is regulated by the FDA as a pharmaceutical substance, but willow trees, willow bark, and even willow bark tea are not. 

[bolt.]

Depending on what one means by “recreational” — as in just things that are intoxicating? Or things that contribute to wellness and/or prevent people from feeling badly?

I’m thinking of a lot of things that are classified as vitamins and supplements help people feel good. It is possible to have these prescribed, but it is also possible to buy them and use them however you like. Something like, say, supplementary iron falls into the category of, “strong enough for prescribing but then perfectly ok to use on one's own without any direction whatsoever”.

Many buy-it-yourself medications can be perceptions (even simple ones Like Tylenol) in cases where your doctor assesses that an above-label dose is appropriate for you... or even if you just have drug coverage and it saves spending your own money on an ongoing condition.

[gardenmom5]

2 hours ago, Seasider too said:

 

What’s the process to utilize poppies as heroin, though? I mean, marijuana can pretty much be tossed into a salad - I am curious now about the historic drug related use of poppies. Tea, maybe?

it's the seed pods.  they have cuts put into them while the seeds develop.  the opium develops in the cuts.  in more primitive areas, they will smoke it, or add it to a tea/broth.

consumption of non-opium poppy seeds (just the 'normal' seeds. on your bagel.) can also give readings of narcotic use.

[Bluegoat]

24 minutes ago, bolt. said:

Depending on what one means by “recreational” — as in just things that are intoxicating? Or things that contribute to wellness and/or prevent people from feeling badly?

I’m thinking of a lot of things that are classified as vitamins and supplements help people feel good. It is possible to have these prescribed, but it is also possible to buy them and use them however you like. Something like, say, supplementary iron falls into the category of, “strong enough for prescribing but then perfectly ok to use on one's own without any direction whatsoever”.

Many buy-it-yourself medications can be perceptions (even simple ones Like Tylenol) in cases where your doctor assesses that an above-label dose is appropriate for you... or even if you just have drug coverage and it saves spending your own money on an ongoing condition.

 

I'd not call OTC "recreational".

Iron isn't necessarily something where amounts you take when it is prescribed are what you take OTC without direction.  When I last took an iron supplement, it was OTC officially, but also kept behind the counter and the pharmacist made sure my doctor had told me to take it.

Most supplements haven't been shown to have any effect at all..  

[AmandaVT]

Coca Cola used to have cocaine in it. It used to be used for a bunch of medical uses as well: http://mentalfloss.com/article/57988/11-unbelievable-moments-cocaines-early-medical-history

[TheReader]

Others have mentioned, but caffeine is prescribed for some uses, and is in some OTC as well as Rx meds (Excedrin migraine, for ex). My youngest was prescribed it (caffeine) via IV while in the NICU after birth, to help with low heart rates. My poor DH flipped out, because our older boys weren't even allowed caffeine at that point (they were 7 and 4). 

[Spy Car]

19 minutes ago, TheReader said:

Others have mentioned, but caffeine is prescribed for some uses, and is in some OTC as well as Rx meds (Excedrin migraine, for ex). My youngest was prescribed it (caffeine) via IV while in the NICU after birth, to help with low heart rates. My poor DH flipped out, because our older boys weren't even allowed caffeine at that point (they were 7 and 4). 

And I don't know about you, but caffeine is my very favorite recreational drug 

Bill

[TheReader]

1 minute ago, Spy Car said:

And I don't know about you, but caffeine is my very favorite recreational drug 

Bill

Oh, absolutely!  I figured that part went without saying....

[Terabith]

Alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine were all used medicinally in the past 

[sweet2ndchance]

Caffeine is still used medicinally. When my dh had a spinal tap done, he was to drink a highly caffeinated beverage every six hours if he developed a spinal headache from the procedure. This was in the patient instruction paper as he was released from the hospital and when we told the nurse that we don't drink caffeinated beverages, we gave up caffeine 2.5 years ago and haven't looked back, she told us that if he developed this headache, he needed to get that caffeine in his system.

Caffeine is also recommended to be taken along with many headache medications and some migraine medicines actually include the caffeine in the pill. Of course many people also use caffeine just for the energy rush and in an attempt to force themselves to stay awake. Not sure if that is what you are looking for....

[Carrie12345]

Well, marijuana wasn’t illegal until it became illegal. Neither was opium. Both were medicinal and recreational until “they” decided the desired effect was bad. Same with alcohol, until “they” changed their minds. They can change their minds again, but are doing so much more slowly this time, and with a million strings... like “morally acceptable “ prescriptions. 

[Spy Car]

5 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

it's the seed pods.  they have cuts put into them while the seeds develop.  the opium develops in the cuts.  in more primitive areas, they will smoke it, or add it to a tea/broth.

consumption of non-opium poppy seeds (just the 'normal' seeds. on your bagel.) can also give readings of narcotic use.

I'm pretty sure all the poppy seeds on bagels and in poppy seed cakes, etc. are from opium poppies.

Which is why, even though the amounts of opium are tiny, they can trigger false positives on drug tests.

Bill

Edited January 18, 2019 by Spy Car

[gardenmom5]

28 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I'm pretty sure all the poppy seeds on bagels and in poppy seed cakes, etc. are from opium poppies.

Which is why, even though the amounts of opium are tiny, they can trigger false positives on drug tests.

Bill

I grow poppies - not opium poppies.  I can use their seeds in baking.  

[Spy Car]

47 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

I grow poppies - not opium poppies.  I can use their seeds in baking.  

Culinary poppies seeds like those used on bagels come from Papaver somniferum plants. They are opium poppies.

I've got California poppies that grow in my yard, but these are not used as culinary poppy seeds.

This fall I was looking for some seeds to fill in my border planting and saw (and purchased) a lovely purple colored poppy called Lauren's Grape from the famous Select Seed Company. When I got home I figured out it was Papaver somniferum. Opium poppies.

The seeds are legally sold here. Growing is a grayer area, but no one is bothered--as I understand--so long as the seedpods show no signs of harvesting (via cuts and collection of latex, which are obvious). I'd intended these for my front yard border garden. That's not happening. I'm still weighing whether to use them in the backyard borders. I certainly won't be producing anything but flowers and seeds.

I love the taste of poppy seeds. They are from opium poppies.

Bill

 

 

Edited January 18, 2019 by Spy Car

[Pam in CT]

11 hours ago, 6packofun said:

Is there any other substance that is a prescribed DRUG that is also legally used recreationally?  Alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes don't really count...they are not prescribed, right?  Prescription drugs used recreationally but *illegally* don't count, either.

So is there any other prescription medication that people are permitted to use in any way they like?  I'm just so curious about how pot has been classified as a drug to get it legalized (for proper purposes, I think) and yet it is unique, in a way, because there aren't really any equivalent substances like it that have been found (at least by some) to be strong enough for prescribing but then perfectly ok to use on one's own without any direction whatsoever, etc.  Maybe natural, homeopathic stuff but those aren't prescribed.

This is really just a curiosity thing; not making a judgment. I think it's a fascinating situation.

I don't quite understand the question.  There are LOTS of prescribed drugs that are used by people other than those to whom they've been prescribed. Opioids and drugs like Xanax are used (abused) recreationally; Adderall and Ritalin are -- I dunno that I'd quite call it recreationally, but by students to help their performance; steroids are -- again, I dunno that I'd quite use the word recreationally, but used off-label and often unprescribed by athletes to enhance performance.  Sometimes doctors are complicit in folks' using these drugs differently than their FDA approved use; and all of them also have a lively trade outside the classification of for whom and how they're legally approved.

As other pp have said, many substances (pseudoephedrine, alcohol, caffeine, codeine) have both an unprescribed/OTC use and are also used in prescription medications.  

But I don't expect it's a particularly great idea to think of *any* of these substances, including alcohol and nicotine, as OK to use "in any way we like."  Which substances are permitted without any fetters at all (caffeine), which are semi-circumscribed by something like age requirements (alcohol, nicotine), and which fall into varying categories of FDA regulation are all a matter of balancing their pleasures/benefits, their health/addiction risks to individuals using them, and the public health/social risks around things like driving while impaired, secondary smoke and so on. Those balances shift over time.

[geodob]

Marijuana is in urgent of quality control regulation.
So that when people buy it, in any form.  That their is a quality and quantity guarantee.
Specifically of the active substances: THC and CBD.
Where THC is used for recreational, and CBD medically.
 

In regard to CBD oil, for medicinal uses. It can be sold with no guarantee, that it actually contains any CBD.  If it is found not to contain any CBD?  Then no penalties can be applied.
Given the high price of CBD Oil, it is very vulnerable to fakes being sold.
Also when used for medicinal purposes. It is crucial that people can rely on the amount of CBD, in a single droplet.
This is a major concern currently, as people try CBD for various 'conditions'.

Though this equally applies to people buying Marijuana for recreational use.  Where it should state the percentage of THC that it contains. With penalties if the stated percentage isn't correct.

[TravelingChris]

On 1/17/2019 at 8:53 PM, Pam in CT said:

I don't quite understand the question.  There are LOTS of prescribed drugs that are used by people other than those to whom they've been prescribed. Opioids and drugs like Xanax are used (abused) recreationally; Adderall and Ritalin are -- I dunno that I'd quite call it recreationally, but by students to help their performance; steroids are -- again, I dunno that I'd quite use the word recreationally, but used off-label and often unprescribed by athletes to enhance performance.  Sometimes doctors are complicit in folks' using these drugs differently than their FDA approved use; and all of them also have a lively trade outside the classification of for whom and how they're legally approved.

As other pp have said, many substances (pseudoephedrine, alcohol, caffeine, codeine) have both an unprescribed/OTC use and are also used in prescription medications.  

But I don't expect it's a particularly great idea to think of *any* of these substances, including alcohol and nicotine, as OK to use "in any way we like."  Which substances are permitted without any fetters at all (caffeine), which are semi-circumscribed by something like age requirements (alcohol, nicotine), and which fall into varying categories of FDA regulation are all a matter of balancing their pleasures/benefits, their health/addiction risks to individuals using them, and the public health/social risks around things like driving while impaired, secondary smoke and so on. Those balances shift over time.

Steroids used by athletes are not the same as the ones that are prescribed for asthma, arthritis, etc.  Prescription steroids are corticosteroids.  THe ones used by athletes are anabolic steriods.