PS 268 CHAPTERS 1-3 EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026
Four principles of psychoactive drugs - Answers 1- Drugs are neither good nor bad
2- Every drug has multiple effects
3- Drug effects depend on dose
4- Drug effects depend on individual's history and expectations
What is a drug? - Answers any chemical substance that has an effect on a living organism
Harm reduction - Answers Measures may include programs, policies, or interventions that seek to
reduce or minimize the negative social, health and economic consequences of problematic drug and
substance use.
include safe injection sites, syringe exchange programs, easy access to naloxone, and methadone
maintenance therapy for heroin intravenous drug users
Changes in drug use over last century - Answers - Introduction of vaccines and legal pharmaceuticals,
widespread acceptance of medicine
-government efforts to limit access to certain kinds of drugs that are deemed too dangerous or too
likely to produce dependence to allow them to be used in an unregulated fashion
Canada's Drug and Substances Strategy - Answers significantly reduce the harm associated with
alcohol and other drugs by using a broad four-component approach that includes prevention,
treatment, harm reduction, and enforcement
Canadian Alcohol and Drug Survey (CADS) objectives - Answers 1. To determine the prevalence,
incidence, and patterns of drug and alcohol use.
2. To measure the personal (e.g., physical health, home life and marriage, work and studies, financial
position, legal problems, housing, learning) and social harms (e.g., friendships and social life)
associated with patterns of use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs, including opiates, cocaine and
crack, amphetamines, hallucinogens (including MDMA), and inhalants, during a person's lifetime and
during the 12 months before the survey.
3. To assess the context of use and identify risk and protective factors related to drug use and
consequences of such use in specific subgroups and the general Canadian population.
To establish baseline data against which to evaluate the effectiveness of CDS and harm reduction
efforts focused on alcohol and other drug use in the Canadian population aged 15 years and older
Drug use among young people - Answers some groups say that drug use is increasing among young
people or that people are starting to use drugs at younger and younger ages, but the best data we
have provide no support for such statements.
Risk factors of drug use in adolescents - Answers 1. Having friends who use marijuana or other
substances
2. Engaging in frequent fighting, stealing or other antisocial activities
3. Perceiving that substance use is prevalent at your school
4. Knowing adults who use marijuana or other substances
5. Having a positive attitude towards marijuana use
Protective factors of drug use in adolescents - Answers 1. Perceiving that there are strong sanctions
against substance use at school
2. Having parents as a source of social support
3. Being committed to school and sports
4.Believing religion is important and attending religious services
5. Participating in two or more extracurriculars
Correlates and Antecedents of Adolescent Drug use - Answers Risk and protective factors
Genetics
Gender
Level of education
Personality variables
Use of other drugs
*Impulsivity
,-Personality and genetics may play a small role in whether someone decides to try alcohol or
marijuana but a larger role in whether that use develops into a serious problem.
Antecendents - Answers Characteristics that predict later initiation of drug use
Gateway Drugs - Answers A typical progression of drug use starts with cigarettes and alcohol, then
marijuana, then other drugs, such as amphetamines, cocaine, or heroin. However, no evidence shows
that using one of the gateway substances causes a person to escalate to more risky forms of drug use.
More likely is that early alcohol use and cigarette smoking are common indicators of the general
deviance-prone pattern of behaviour that also includes an increased likelihood of smoking marijuana
or trying cocaine
Because beer and cigarettes are more widely available to a deviance-prone young person than are
marijuana or cocaine, it is logical that beer and cigarettes would most often be tried first.
In other words, we think of the use of gateway substances not as the cause of later illicit drug use but,
instead, as an early indicator of the basic pattern of risk-taking behaviour resulting from a variety of
psychosocial risk factors.
Why do people use drugs? - Answers They may find the effects of the drugs to be reinforcing, or they
may be seeking an altered state of consciousness
chosen to identify with a risk-taking subculture. These groups frequently engage in a variety of
behaviours not condoned by the larger society. Within that group, the use of a particular drug might,
in fact, be expected.
- . An adolescent who is unable to gain respect from people or who is frustrated in efforts to go their
own way might engage in a particularly dangerous or disgusting behaviour as a way of demanding
that people be impressed or at least pay attention.
Most drug users are seeking an altered state of consciousness, a different perception of the world
than is provided by normal, day-to-day activities. Many of the high school students in the nationwide
surveys report that they take drugs "to see what it's like," or "to get high," or "because of boredom."
Reinforcing properties of drugs - Answers Reinforcement means that, everything else being equal,
each time you take the drug you increase slightly the probability that you will take it again. Thus, with
many psychoactive drugs there is a constant tendency to increase the frequency or amount of use
What predicts continuation of drug use? - Answers - with increasing use the individual's own
experiences with the drug become increasingly important. For those who become seriously
dependent, the drug and its actions on that individual become central, and social influences,
availability, cost, and penalties play a less important role in the continuation of drug use.
The journalism questions of drug use - Answers "who", "what", "where", "when", "why", "how" and
"how much".
Laissez-faire - Answers Historically, governments took a hands-off approach with psychoactive drugs -
people were free to make their own decisions, and if they chose to use psychoactive drugs they could
legally do so. Laissez Faire is the term applied to this approach of government non-intervention
Drug Toxicity - Answers Potential harms associated with the drug
Can be acute (immediate) or chronic (occur after repeated use)
Can be physiological or behavioural
Comparing drug toxicity - Answers Thought of as relative to how many people are using a drug in
comparison to how many people are dying from it rather than just which drug causes the most deaths
substance use disorder criteria - Answers substance abuse" is defined as a maladaptive pattern of
substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one or more of
the following occurring at any time in the same 12-month period:
1. Recurrent substance use resulting in failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home
, 2. Recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous
3. Recurrent substance-related legal problems
4. Continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems
caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance
DOES NOT include a minimum amount of the drug that must be used
Substance dependence criteria - Answers a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically
significant impairment or distress, as manifested by three (or more) of the following, occurring at any
time in the same 12-month period
1. Tolerance
2. Withdrawal
3. Substance often taken in larger amounts or over a period longer than intended
4. Persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use
5. A great deal of time is spent in obtaining the substance
6. Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of
substance use
7. Substance use continues despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent problem that is
caused or exacerbated by the substance
The addictive personality - Answers there is no single "addictive personality"
nothing is written in stone - being a highly impulsive thrill seeker with antisocial personality disorder
by no means dooms you to a life of substance dependence, or a lifetime of gambling, or a lifetime of
any other maladaptive reward-related behaviour
Does drug use cause crime? - Answers -Issue 1: Drug use may change a person's personality- This
hardly suggests that drugs cause crime - only that drugs can impair decision making circuitry in the
brain over the long-term, and some bad decisions will be considered crimes
-Issue 2: People under the influence causes people to commit crimes- - What is far more likely to be
true is people who are normally violent in specific circumstances tend to be violent in additional kinds
of circumstances
-Issue 3: Crimes may be carried out to obtain money for drugs
-Issue 4: Drug use itself is a crime
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act - Answers divided into Schedules I through VIII
penalties associated are divided into summary conviction offences and indictable offences
Summary conviction offences - Answers § Less serious crimes
§ Police must see you do it
§ Maximum 6 months in prison
§ Maximum $5000 fine
indictible offences - Answers §More serious crimes
§Police do not need to see you do it; must have warrants for arrests
§ > 6 months in prison; > $5000 fines
Schedule I drugs - Answers "Hard drugs"
Four principles of psychoactive drugs - Answers 1- Drugs are neither good nor bad
2- Every drug has multiple effects
3- Drug effects depend on dose
4- Drug effects depend on individual's history and expectations
What is a drug? - Answers any chemical substance that has an effect on a living organism
Harm reduction - Answers Measures may include programs, policies, or interventions that seek to
reduce or minimize the negative social, health and economic consequences of problematic drug and
substance use.
include safe injection sites, syringe exchange programs, easy access to naloxone, and methadone
maintenance therapy for heroin intravenous drug users
Changes in drug use over last century - Answers - Introduction of vaccines and legal pharmaceuticals,
widespread acceptance of medicine
-government efforts to limit access to certain kinds of drugs that are deemed too dangerous or too
likely to produce dependence to allow them to be used in an unregulated fashion
Canada's Drug and Substances Strategy - Answers significantly reduce the harm associated with
alcohol and other drugs by using a broad four-component approach that includes prevention,
treatment, harm reduction, and enforcement
Canadian Alcohol and Drug Survey (CADS) objectives - Answers 1. To determine the prevalence,
incidence, and patterns of drug and alcohol use.
2. To measure the personal (e.g., physical health, home life and marriage, work and studies, financial
position, legal problems, housing, learning) and social harms (e.g., friendships and social life)
associated with patterns of use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs, including opiates, cocaine and
crack, amphetamines, hallucinogens (including MDMA), and inhalants, during a person's lifetime and
during the 12 months before the survey.
3. To assess the context of use and identify risk and protective factors related to drug use and
consequences of such use in specific subgroups and the general Canadian population.
To establish baseline data against which to evaluate the effectiveness of CDS and harm reduction
efforts focused on alcohol and other drug use in the Canadian population aged 15 years and older
Drug use among young people - Answers some groups say that drug use is increasing among young
people or that people are starting to use drugs at younger and younger ages, but the best data we
have provide no support for such statements.
Risk factors of drug use in adolescents - Answers 1. Having friends who use marijuana or other
substances
2. Engaging in frequent fighting, stealing or other antisocial activities
3. Perceiving that substance use is prevalent at your school
4. Knowing adults who use marijuana or other substances
5. Having a positive attitude towards marijuana use
Protective factors of drug use in adolescents - Answers 1. Perceiving that there are strong sanctions
against substance use at school
2. Having parents as a source of social support
3. Being committed to school and sports
4.Believing religion is important and attending religious services
5. Participating in two or more extracurriculars
Correlates and Antecedents of Adolescent Drug use - Answers Risk and protective factors
Genetics
Gender
Level of education
Personality variables
Use of other drugs
*Impulsivity
,-Personality and genetics may play a small role in whether someone decides to try alcohol or
marijuana but a larger role in whether that use develops into a serious problem.
Antecendents - Answers Characteristics that predict later initiation of drug use
Gateway Drugs - Answers A typical progression of drug use starts with cigarettes and alcohol, then
marijuana, then other drugs, such as amphetamines, cocaine, or heroin. However, no evidence shows
that using one of the gateway substances causes a person to escalate to more risky forms of drug use.
More likely is that early alcohol use and cigarette smoking are common indicators of the general
deviance-prone pattern of behaviour that also includes an increased likelihood of smoking marijuana
or trying cocaine
Because beer and cigarettes are more widely available to a deviance-prone young person than are
marijuana or cocaine, it is logical that beer and cigarettes would most often be tried first.
In other words, we think of the use of gateway substances not as the cause of later illicit drug use but,
instead, as an early indicator of the basic pattern of risk-taking behaviour resulting from a variety of
psychosocial risk factors.
Why do people use drugs? - Answers They may find the effects of the drugs to be reinforcing, or they
may be seeking an altered state of consciousness
chosen to identify with a risk-taking subculture. These groups frequently engage in a variety of
behaviours not condoned by the larger society. Within that group, the use of a particular drug might,
in fact, be expected.
- . An adolescent who is unable to gain respect from people or who is frustrated in efforts to go their
own way might engage in a particularly dangerous or disgusting behaviour as a way of demanding
that people be impressed or at least pay attention.
Most drug users are seeking an altered state of consciousness, a different perception of the world
than is provided by normal, day-to-day activities. Many of the high school students in the nationwide
surveys report that they take drugs "to see what it's like," or "to get high," or "because of boredom."
Reinforcing properties of drugs - Answers Reinforcement means that, everything else being equal,
each time you take the drug you increase slightly the probability that you will take it again. Thus, with
many psychoactive drugs there is a constant tendency to increase the frequency or amount of use
What predicts continuation of drug use? - Answers - with increasing use the individual's own
experiences with the drug become increasingly important. For those who become seriously
dependent, the drug and its actions on that individual become central, and social influences,
availability, cost, and penalties play a less important role in the continuation of drug use.
The journalism questions of drug use - Answers "who", "what", "where", "when", "why", "how" and
"how much".
Laissez-faire - Answers Historically, governments took a hands-off approach with psychoactive drugs -
people were free to make their own decisions, and if they chose to use psychoactive drugs they could
legally do so. Laissez Faire is the term applied to this approach of government non-intervention
Drug Toxicity - Answers Potential harms associated with the drug
Can be acute (immediate) or chronic (occur after repeated use)
Can be physiological or behavioural
Comparing drug toxicity - Answers Thought of as relative to how many people are using a drug in
comparison to how many people are dying from it rather than just which drug causes the most deaths
substance use disorder criteria - Answers substance abuse" is defined as a maladaptive pattern of
substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one or more of
the following occurring at any time in the same 12-month period:
1. Recurrent substance use resulting in failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home
, 2. Recurrent substance use in situations in which it is physically hazardous
3. Recurrent substance-related legal problems
4. Continued substance use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems
caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance
DOES NOT include a minimum amount of the drug that must be used
Substance dependence criteria - Answers a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically
significant impairment or distress, as manifested by three (or more) of the following, occurring at any
time in the same 12-month period
1. Tolerance
2. Withdrawal
3. Substance often taken in larger amounts or over a period longer than intended
4. Persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control substance use
5. A great deal of time is spent in obtaining the substance
6. Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of
substance use
7. Substance use continues despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent problem that is
caused or exacerbated by the substance
The addictive personality - Answers there is no single "addictive personality"
nothing is written in stone - being a highly impulsive thrill seeker with antisocial personality disorder
by no means dooms you to a life of substance dependence, or a lifetime of gambling, or a lifetime of
any other maladaptive reward-related behaviour
Does drug use cause crime? - Answers -Issue 1: Drug use may change a person's personality- This
hardly suggests that drugs cause crime - only that drugs can impair decision making circuitry in the
brain over the long-term, and some bad decisions will be considered crimes
-Issue 2: People under the influence causes people to commit crimes- - What is far more likely to be
true is people who are normally violent in specific circumstances tend to be violent in additional kinds
of circumstances
-Issue 3: Crimes may be carried out to obtain money for drugs
-Issue 4: Drug use itself is a crime
Controlled Drugs and Substances Act - Answers divided into Schedules I through VIII
penalties associated are divided into summary conviction offences and indictable offences
Summary conviction offences - Answers § Less serious crimes
§ Police must see you do it
§ Maximum 6 months in prison
§ Maximum $5000 fine
indictible offences - Answers §More serious crimes
§Police do not need to see you do it; must have warrants for arrests
§ > 6 months in prison; > $5000 fines
Schedule I drugs - Answers "Hard drugs"
