DRUGS PHARMACOLOGY

ABD7013

SUPERVISOR:
DR. NADIA MOHD EFFENDY

TOPIC:
Individual Assignment : Written Report

TITLE :
The Factors of Hallucinogenic Drug Abuse among University and
College Youth

PREPARED BY:
Name: Noor Azleen binti Yusop
No matric: 3201347

Sem 1, Academic Session 2020/21

0
Table of Contents

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 2
2. Background ................................................................................................................ 3
3. Cause of hallucinogen drug abuse among youth at university and
college .................................................................................................................................. 4
3.1 Stress due to high commitment .................................................................... 4
3.2 Curiosity is the nature of youth ..................................................................... 5
3.3 Lack of appreciation and practice in religion ............................................ 6
3.4 Lack of self-confidence ................................................................................... 7
3.5 Influence by peers .................................................................................................. 7
4. Discussion and recommendation ......................................................................... 9
4.1 Islamic perspective on drugs abuse ............................................................ 9
4.2 Law & enforcement University and University College Act 1971
(AUKU).............................................................................................................................. 9
4.3 Roles of Counseling Antidrugs ................................................................... 10
5. Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 11
References ........................................................................................................................ 12
APPENDIX 1 ...................................................................................................................... 14
APPENDIX 2 ...................................................................................................................... 15
APPENDIX 3 ........................................................................................................................ 0

1
1. Introduction

Drug abuse is a universal issue. Most drug addicts face social, psychological
and physical problems. Drug abuse involves the inverse pattern of drug addiction
that can ultimately disrupt daily life. Drug addiction will also make a person lose self-
control. When a person is addicted or dependent on drugs physically and
psychologically, there will be an extreme desire to take or continue to abuse drugs
in any way. This will have a detrimental effect on themselves and the surrounding
people. The addictive nature experienced by drug addicts makes them unable to
perform their roles and responsibilities properly.

Hallucinogens are a diverse group of drugs that alter a person’s awareness

of their surroundings as well as their thoughts and feelings (Batchelder et.al., 2019).
All types of hallucinogens can cause hallucinations or sensations and images that
seem real though they are not. Hallucinogen drugs that are often abused are
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), Phencyclidine (PCP), Ketamine, Psilocybin 3,4-
methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) and others. In Malaysia, the rate of
hallucinogen drug abuse is relatively low compared to other types of drugs.
According to the National Anti-Drugs Agency (2018), the drug abuse statistics report
on 2014-2018 has recorded other types of drug abuse including hallucinogen just
0.5%. However, the trend of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) drug abuse
including Methylenedioxy-Methampetamine (MDMA) was the highest recorded at
64.6%. The statistics of drug abuse report on 2014-2018 table can be referred to in
Appendix 1.

MDMA is one of the most commonly used hallucinogen drugs among youths.
MDMA is also known as ecstasy and it has been used quite widely by students,
public and private sector workers as well as young people. This situation causes
youths, especially students at universities and colleges, always be at risk of drug
abuse. Users of hallucinogenic drugs were also at risk of serious harm because of
the profound alteration of perception and mood these drugs can cause actions such
as;

2
 i. Users might do things they would never do in real life, like jump out of a
window or off a roof, for instance, or they may experience profound suicidal
feelings and act on them,
ii. Using hallucinogen with other drugs (mixed with the drug), may lead to a risk
of accidental poisoning; and
iii. Users of psilocybin also run the risk of accidentally consuming poisonous
mushrooms that look like psilocybin. Taking poisonous mushrooms can
result in severe illness or possible death.

2. Background

In this era of globalization, youth at higher learning especially university and

college are an asset of the country and national development. According to Malaysia
Youth Policy (2015), youth group aged 15 to 30 years including those studying at
university and college are at the crossroads of life between childhood and adulthood.
This makes the formation of an individual's character during youth is greatly
influenced by the environment experienced during childhood and the individual's
efforts in finding the direction of life to face adulthood. The involvement of youth at
university and college in the use of hallucinogenic drugs harms themselves and their
families. At the same time, it is a loss to the country due to the waste of youth
resources that have the potential to develop the country instead of they should be
groom to become the next future leader.

The higher learning phase is a time that allows students to explore new
things, gain independence and develop of sense of autonomy. Many of these youth
find that this opportunity in their lives allows for freedom of choice. With a new
environment, lifestyle, circle of friends and added pressures they may find
themselves susceptible to making choices that may result in negative
consequences. The youths aged 19 - 39 years are the highest group recorded drug
abuse from 2014-2018 with 69.3% (National Anti-Drug Agency, 2018). The 2014-
2018 drug abuse statistics graph according to age group can be referenced in
Appendix 2.

3
 3. Cause of hallucinogen drug abuse among youth at university
and college

According to Malaysia Youth Policy (2015) has, there were eight Malaysian
youth characters has been outlined. One of the youth characters is ready to be
approached. Malaysian youths are ready to be exposed to new knowledge, expand
communication networks and do things outside the daily routine including in social
activities. Socializing with peers and entertainment is one form of social activity in
youth at universities and colleges. Social activities affect mental health, health care
behavior and physical health. However, some youths are less able to adapt to social
activities because they are not able to control and defend themselves to the point of
engaging in unhealthy social symptoms such as abuse of drugs. According to
National Anti-Drugs Agency (2020), from January to June 2020 show that youths are
64.8% of the 95,505 addicts detained. Statistics also show that of the total data
addicts detained, 5% are students at universities and colleges. The 2020 drug abuse
statistics can be referred to in Appendix 3. Drug abuse among college students can
be attributed to several factors, including:

3.1 Stress due to high commitment

Firstly, youth at university and college use hallucinogen drugs

because of stress due to high commitment. National Institute on Drug Abuse
USA, (2020) stated that youth using hallucinogenic drugs for more social or
recreational purposes, including to have fun, help them deal with stress, or
enable them to enter into what they perceive as a more enlightened sense of
thinking or being.As students are facing the high demands of coursework,
part-time jobs, internships, social obligations and more, many turn to drugs
as a way to cope. Stress can be a motivator, but it can also produce negative
feelings. As a result, they find it difficult to control their emotions when faced
with life's problems and stress from family and friends. Most teenagers do
not know how to handle the emotions of anger, happiness, suffering, or love
that surround their daily lives. Unfortunately, this condition may increase the
possibility that a student will use drugs.

4
 When people are under stress, the brain releases cortisol, the stress
hormone (Bernstein, 2016). Over time and under chronic stress, parts of the
brain that are related to memory or learning are negatively affected by the
presence of cortisol. Interestingly, some of these areas of the brain are the
same parts impacted by drug use and addiction (Bergland, 2014). According
to National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2014), the human brain is still
developing until age 25, and stress can damage parts of the brain that can
make them more vulnerable to drug addiction, in the same way as early
initiation of drug use.

For most of these youth, they may take hallucinogenic drugs simply
to escape life's troubles or to relieve boredom. Classic or psychedelic
hallucinogens are thought to produce their perception-altering effects by
acting on neural circuits in the brain that uses the neurotransmitter serotonin
(Lee, 2012). Specifically, some of their most prominent effects that occur in
the prefrontal cortex are involved in mood, cognition, and perception as well
as other regions important in regulating arousal and physiological responses
to stress and panic. This youth found that hallucinogen can provide a good
effect on their mood and it heals them from stress due to their life
commitment.

3.2 Curiosity is the nature of youth

The second factor for the youth at university and college tend to use
hallucinogen drugs is curiosity. Youth is a stage when a person is faced with
a series of formation and development of self-identity. To meet the challenge,
youths tend to be curious and if they can’t control themselves, it can cause
them to engage in risky and dangerous behavior.

These youth’ are exploring many new aspects of their lives in

personal and professional realms. The youth phase is the beginning stage
for university and college youth to live freely and separately from the parents.
For some youths, they feel grown-up when they try risky things like taking
drugs. Hallucinogen drugs such as psylocybin and LSD has been ranked as

5
the least harmful drug (Pollan, 2018). For the youth as students, it become
best choice to do experimentation with hallucinogen drugs since it perceives
little risk compared to other drugs. In addition, hallucinogen drugs did not
cause physical addiction, however it can produce tolerance, so some users
who take the drug repeatedly must take higher doses to achieve the same
effect (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2019).

On the other hand, youth also want to experience the challenge of the
drug. By taking drugs, they had satisfied their level of curiosity and felt that
they are one step forward in life. Hallucinogen drugs rapidly changing
feelings and mood alterations. Using this drug makes them feel euphoric,
depressed, violent, anxious, afraid and more, and all within a short period.
Yusof et.al (2011) had cited that hallucinogen drugs distorted sense of reality,
at the same time moment, direction, and distance may all become jumbled.
The pleasures they feel while taking drugs are also identified as trips.
Tripping may seem enticing to some, but it can potentially put the person in
a dangerous situation, psychologically or perhaps physically. The curiosity
factor can lead youth to get involved in risky activities such as taking drugs
especially in form of hallucinogen.

3.3 Lack of appreciation and practice in religion

The next factor is the lack of appreciation and practice in religion. The
involvement of university and college youth in the use of hallucinogen drugs
is due to the lack of spiritual practices such as performing prayers. Youths
who are less practice in the religious foundation may decrease their value in
spiritual. The application of religious elements is proven to be able to treat
human inner health. There were several studies on the effectiveness of a
religious approach that can prevent youth from substance abuse. According
to Good (2006), religious values play a role in the endorsement of affirmative
adjustment in adolescents and help them reject risky behaviors there is also
finding a study that Individuals who pledge to a religious belief have a lower
rate of substance abuse and dependence (Edlund et al., 2010). Marsiglia,
(2005) on her study found that religion and spirituality have been shown to

6
have constructive drug-related outcomes such as influencing values and
controlling maladaptive behaviors. Religiously minded individuals are less
likely to use tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs. Another finding is, the great
preponderance of Muslims who follow their religion strongly are ascetic and
abstain from alcohol and drug use (Badri, 2009).

3.4 Lack of self-confidence

Another factor that leads youth at university and college to use

hallucinogen drugs is to overcome their low self-confidence. Some youths,
who always feel shame and have a lack of confidence think that they’ll do
things under the influence of alcohol or drugs that they might not otherwise.
This is part of the appeal of hallucinogen drugs even for relatively self-
confident. When they were under influence of hallucinogen drugs, they dare
to dance, sing and do certain dangerous acts such as intimate and casual
sex.
Hallucinogen drug provides tripping, and usually, people who
consume this drug are aware that these hallucinations are the effects of a
drug, and can be reassured that what they are seeing is part of the trip. Peter
(2004) on his documentary had found that ingesting hallucinogenic drugs can
cause users to see images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real
but do not exist. Experiences are often unpredictable and may vary with the
amount ingested and the user’s personality, mood, expectations, and
surroundings. For example, writers, poets, and artists have used
hallucinogens and other drugs through the decades to find creative
inspiration and help them to perform confidently in front of the public. Due to
this effect, youth feel that hallucinogen drugs can be a tool for them to
increase self-confidence.

3.5 Influence by peers

The last point is peer factors have influence youth at university and
college to use hallucinogen drugs. These youth who are surrounded by many
of kind of people and some of them are attracted to get along with friend

7
sporting friends. This kind of youth also wants to be accepted and want to
have a sense of belonging to a specific group. According to National Anti-
Drugs Agency (2020), 55% of detained drugs abuser were mentioned that
peers is the main factor for them to take drugs. In addition Reed & Rountree,
(1997) on the studies on factor of drug abuse among adolescent had
discovered 60 to 70 percent of the repondents were influence by peers.

Dealers know this and they generate a large profit by marketing this
drug through the spread of word of mouth among youth. Hallucinogens such
as ecstasy popular as an escaped drug, are often used by the youth who feel
misunderstood about the effect. Other factors that may be contributing to the
widespread of ecstasy among youth at university and college is its
accessibility, an environment that promotes ease of drug use. For example,
ecstasy is a stimulant and hallucinogenic drug and produces both types of
effects, making it a popular party drug.

NIDA (2019) has mentioned that in the 1990s, ecstasy became

increasingly popular among young people at universities in the USA. The
spread of ecstasy is very fast. In Malaysia, the emergence of new types of
psychoactive drugs or New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) including
ecstasy is a major threat to the problem of drug addiction today. According
to the Ministry of Home Affairs as of December 2017, the emergence of NPS
was reported in 111 countries and in 2009, only 340 types of NPS were found
but increased to 803 types of NPS in 2017, an increase of 136 percent
(Shahrul Annuar & Sulaiman, 2019). Youth turn to use hallucinogen drugs
because they see it as a short-term and a shortcut to happiness. They will
repeat to use it and prolong use may lead them to become addicted. Peer
pressure has strongly become a factor for youth to try hallucinogen drugs at
university and college.

8
4. Discussion and recommendation

4.1 Islamic perspective on drugs abuse

The rulings and prohibitions of drug-taking are illegal in Islam based

on dalil referring to alcohol. In the Qur'an much mentions the ban on alcohol
and dalil about this ban on the ban on the evidence (the Qur'an and the
Hadith) because it is a substance that can make the person taking it
intoxicated and eliminate common sense. The real evidence is that Allah
s.w.t said, "And do not intentionally throw yourself into the dangers of
destruction", (Qur'an, 2: 195).

Nature is the original creation that God has created in human beings.
In terms of pragmatism, a person professes a religion is due to its function.
For most people, religion serves as the protector of the happiness of life.
Most religions in the world suggest goodness. The teachings of the religion
itself have outlined a code of ethics that must be followed by its adherents.
So it is said that religion serves as the control of the people. Qur’an also had
mentioned that “Indeed, all things We created with predestination”. (Qur’an,
54:49).

4.2 Law & enforcement University and University College Act 1971
(AUKU)

In Malaysia, the government has provided for the Universities and

Colleges Act 1971, under subsection 20, which prohibits students of higher
education institutions from engaging in drug abuse. The subsection has
stated as below:

Section 20. Drugs and poisons.

(1) No student shall have in his possession or under his care or
control any drug or poison,
(2) No student shall give, supply, provide or offer or intend to give,
supply, provide or offer any drug or poison to any person.

9
 (3) No student shall eat by mouth or suck or inhale, or insert into his
body by injection or in any other manner, any drug or poison.
(4) Nothing in this rule shall be deemed to prohibit a student from
undergoing any treatment by or under the prescription of a
medical practitioner registered under the Medical Act 1971 [Act
50].
(5) Any student found under the influence of any drug or poison is
committing a disciplinary offense.
(6) The Vice-Chancellor may require a student suspected of drug
addiction to undergo a urine test.
(7) If a student refuses to surrender himself to undergo the test
referred to in subrule (6), he is committing a disciplinary offense.

It is the responsibility of every youth in university and college to

ensure that they are always free from drug use and comply with the
provisions of the law throughout the study period.

4.3 Roles of Counseling Antidrugs

As a counselor, several tasks can be implemented in helping youth

at university and college to prevent them from drug abuse or help them to
stop using if they already started. Counselors need to talk with the youth to
help them understand the dangers of prescription stimulant abuse and how
they can better handle the pressure they may feel to abuse this medicine.
The approach that can be used in the talk are:

i. Offer empathy and compassion to your teens and let them know
you understand the pressure and stress they may be going
through.
ii. Acknowledge that everyone struggles sometimes, but taking
prescription stimulants is not a useful or healthy way to cope.
iii. Remind them that you are there for support and guidance and
that it’s important to you that they are healthy and happy and
make safe choices.

10
5. Conclusion

When hallucinogens are used among youth at universities and college

students, there is a high likelihood that other substances are involved that can result
in irreversible and fatal side effects. The youth who were under the influence of
hallucinogens may be more prone to making poor choices, such as driving while
experiencing mind-altering effects, which can lead to tragic accidents. Youth at
universities and colleges may engage in the use of hallucinogens simply because
they want to release stress, high level of curiosity, lack religious practice,
appreciation and also influence what their peers are doing. Whatever the reason
may be, the use of hallucinogens can only lead to more serious consequences,
including physical and psychological dependence, severe depression, flashbacks,
and the occurrence of other mental illnesses.

To make the youth more responsible in their life, the knowledge of fardhu ain
(religion) with the formation of morals should be the element of education as the
main subject that is obligatory to be learned and practiced by all youth especially the
Muslim. The five pillars of Islam benefits the health perspective in helping the
increase of spiritual and physical. Accordint to the Quran, Allah Almighty says,
“Everything good that happens to you (O mankind) is from God. Everything evil that
happens to you is from your actions.” (Qur’an,4:79). If analyzed from a health
perspective, this sentence of Quran points towards the fact that Allah Almighty has
given the best to mankind in the form of all the natural things, however, it’s the human
tampering with the resources that causes a decline in health. Human spirituality must
be maintained and developing. Strong spirituality can form a strong and effective
drug-fighter. Therefore, there is a need for religion to form an effective preventive
approach through spiritual strength. The level of religious beliefs, especially among
the early youth in Malaysia is still low. Although religion is something significant for
Malaysian youth, religious beliefs must be proven by its practice. Therefore, the
spiritual and religious aspects of Malaysian youths need to be strengthened and
become part of the national youth social challenges that need to be prioritized in the
future.

11
References

Andrew Batchelder, Charlene Rodrigues, Ziad Alrifai & Adrian G. Staanley. (2019).
Farmakologikal klinikal pantas, formula pelajar. Pernerbit USIM

Badri, M. (2009). The Aids crisis: An Islamic perspective. In E. Farid & C. Sarah
(Eds.), Islam and aids between scorn, pity, and justice (pp. 28–42). Oxford:
Oneworld Publications.

Bertram G. Katzung. (2018). Basic & clinical pharmacology, fourteenth edition. Mc

Graw Hill Education

Christopher Bergland, (2014). Chronic stress can damage brain structure and
connectivity. Psychology Today. Retrieve from
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-athletes-
way/201402/chronic-stress-can-damage-brain-structure-and-connectivity

Edlund, M. J., Harris, K. M., Koenig, H. G., Han, X., Sullivan, G., & Mattox, R. (2010).
Religiosity and decreased risk of substance use disorders: Is the effect
mediated by social support or mental health status? Social Psychiatry and
Psychiatric Epidemiology. 45(8), 827–836.

Good, M. (2006). The role of spirituality versus religiosity in adolescent psychosocial

adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 35(1), 39–53.

Jennings, Peter. (2004, April 01). Ecstasy Rising, ABC television documentary.

Kamisah Yusof, Norliza Muhammad, Nur Azlina Mohd. Fahami, Qodriyah Mohd
Saad , Ahmad Nazrun Shuid, Azman Abdullah & Norazlina Mohamed.
(2011). Farmakologi dadah disalahguna. Penerbit USIM

Marsiglia, F. F., Kulis, S., Nieri, T., & Parsai, M. (2005). God forbid! Substance use
among religious and non-religious youth. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.
75(4), 585-598.

Micheal Pollan (2018, May 3). The new science of psychedelics. The Wall Street
Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-science-of-
psychedelics-1525360091

Ministry of Youth & Sport. (2015). National Youth Policy. Putrajaya

National Anti-Drugs Agency (2017). National Drug Policy. Selangor . Ministry of

Home Affairs. doi: https://www.adk.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/Ringkasan-
Dasar-Dadah-Negara_rcsb_compressed.pdf

National Anti-Drugs Agency, (2018). Maklumat dadah 2018. Ministry of Home

Affairs.Selangor.

12
National Anti-Drugs Agency (2020). Statistik Dadah. Retrieved from
https://www.adk.gov.my/orang-awam/statistik-dadah/

NIDA. (2019, April 22). Hallucinogens drug facts. Retrieved from

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/hallucinogens

NIDA. (2020, June 1). Why do people take hallucinogenic or dissociative drugs?.
Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-
reports/hallucinogens-dissociative-drugs/why-do-people-take-hallucinogens

Rebecca Bernstein (2016, July 26). The mind and mental health: How stress affects
the brain. Health and human services. Touro University Worldwide. Retrived
from https://www.tuw.edu/health/how-stress-affects-the-brain/

Reed, M., & Rountree, P. (1997). Peer pressure and adolescent substance Use. Journal
of Quantitative Criminology, 13(2), 143-180. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23366028

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2014). Results from
the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National
Findings, NSDUH Series H-48, HHS Publication.

Suhaila Shahrul Annuar dan Noor Atiqah Sulaiman. (2019, Februari 22). 3.2 juta
keluarga tinggal di kawasan berisiko tinggi salah guna dadah. Berita Harian.
Retried from
https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2019/02/533947/32-juta-
keluarga-tinggal-di-kawasan-berisiko-tinggi-salah-guna-dadah

Tafsir Pimpinan Ar-Rahman kepada Pengertian Al-Quran: (30 Juz).

University and University College Act 1971. Malaysia

Zulkhairi Ahmad & Profesor Dr. Mahmood Nazar Mohamed (2007). Keberkesanan
program kaunseling rawatan dan pemulihan dadah dari perspektif penghuni
Pusat Serenti. Jurnal Antidadah. 2:2 (13-38). doi:
https://www.adk.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2-2.pdf

13
APPENDIX 1

The statistics of drug abuse report on 2014-2018 according to types of drugs.

14
APPENDIX 2

The statistics of drug abuse report on 2014-2018 according to types of drugs.age

group

15
APPENDIX 3

The statistics of drug abuse report on 2020