Drug Abuse
Some people start using drugs to relieve a medical condition and then continue to use it after their medical use is over. Some use it for plasure and to escape reality.
Drug addiction is defined as the continued compulsive use of drugs despite adverse health or social consequences.
Drug abuse means any use of mind-altering drug or the inappropiate use of medication.
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changes caused by drug addiction
The are neurotxic. It kills neurons in the part that of the brain that helps create memory. When those neurons die then the capacity of lerning decrese.
Animals as research models
Certain drugs like opoids and alcohol can cause strong physical reactions in the body when drug use stops.
Tolerance
It develops when a person needs increase doses of a drug to achive the same "high" that was prevously achive with a lower dose
Why?
Withdrawl: Each drugs has a different withdrawl, for example can cause seizures and even death. Withdrawl from other drugs like cocaine, does not lead to strong physicl reactions but it may make the person feel depressed or lethargic.
The questions that scientists are asking cannot be answered in a living human, or would be inappropiate to give a person the drugs
Human testing is either impossible or unethical
Medical uses of drugs
Morphine (pain reliver)/ Marijuana (ease pain in AIDS and cancer patientes)
Benefits
It has contributed progress in scientific and medical knowledge
More complete understanding of human and animal health depends on the use of the living animals
Important info.
Procedures that may cause more than monumentary or slight pain should be performed with appropiate sedation, analgesia or anesthesia
Procedures should minimize discomfort, distress and pain to the animals
Investigators must be appropiately quualified and trained for conducting procedures on living animals
An Institutional Animal Care and Use Comitee (IACUC) oversees all animal use in each institution where animal research is conducted. The IACUC mus give aproval to research plans.
The transportation, care and use of animals should be in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act and other applicable federal laws, guidelines and policies.