Food and Drug Administration - Essay Example

          Gateway substances are those drugs that lead to the use of other illicit drugs. A good example is an alcohol. Gateway substances serve as an indicator of deviant behavior.

          Approval is needed before one can proceed to test a new drug on humans. Preclinical research should be conducted and the results submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Clinical research will then take place in three phases. Phase one requires the drug to be tested in low doses to around 20- 80 healthy volunteers. Phase two requires the drug to be tested among a few hundred patients who could benefit if the drug is effective. Phase three allows the drug to be tested from around 1000-5000 patients.

Oral ingestion of drugs is a very complicated process as drugs must withstand digestion and then be absorbed into the cells and then finally they find their way into the bloodstream. These drugs pass through the liver where they may be metabolized.  Intravenous administration of drugs is the process of directly putting drugs into the blood system through an injection. The pros include; irritating drugs can be administered this way, the effect takes place rapidly and this method allows drugs to be administered in high concentrations. The cons are; veins are damaged and infections can be introduced directly into the blood system.

Current laws on crack possession have been criticized since they sometimes conflict with state laws. Corruption and racism have also formed the basis of some of the criticism.

          The time course of drugs depends on how the drug is absorbed administered and how the drug is eventually eliminated from the body. Drugs administered orally take a lot of time before they take effect. Drugs administered through inhaling, injections, and topical application take effect rapidly.

          Hypnotic can be used as anxiolytics. They can be used to reduce anxiety. They can also be used as sleeping pills when taken in large doses. These drugs are mostly administered to people who suffer from insomnia. However, hypnotics cause dependence hangover effects and rebound insomnia.

          The physical dependence on drugs is caused by drugs that usually have a short duration of action. This means that the longer the time a drug takes to show effect the higher the risk of being dependant on the drug. A good example is hypnotics.