Drawing of spider webs spun under the influence of various psychoactive drugs. The web spun by the common house spider, Araneus diadematus, is altered when the spider is exposed to chemicals. The one spun after the administration of caffeine is clearly the most deformed. The caffeine web has lost any trace of this design and is almost completely disrupted.
Source: Weinberg, Bealer. 2001. The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World’s Most Popular Drug.
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function.
Psychoactive substances often bring about subjective changes in consciousness and mood that the user may find pleasant (e.g. euphoria) or advantageous (e.g. increased alertness) and are thus reinforcing. Thus, many psychoactive substances are abused, that is, used excessively, despite health risks or negative consequences.
In part because of this potential for abuse and dependency, the ethics of drug use are debated. Many governments worldwide place restrictions on drug production and sales in an attempt to decrease drug abuse.
Source: Weinberg, Bealer. 2001. The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World’s Most Popular Drug.
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function.
Psychoactive substances often bring about subjective changes in consciousness and mood that the user may find pleasant (e.g. euphoria) or advantageous (e.g. increased alertness) and are thus reinforcing. Thus, many psychoactive substances are abused, that is, used excessively, despite health risks or negative consequences.
In part because of this potential for abuse and dependency, the ethics of drug use are debated. Many governments worldwide place restrictions on drug production and sales in an attempt to decrease drug abuse.