Understanding Drug Classifications and Their Impact

Posted on Jun 8, 2025 in Medicine & Health

Sociological Classification: Legal drugs: alcohol, tobacco, caffeine. Drugs with possible illegal use: hypnotics, tranquilizers, amphetamines, inhalants. Illegal drugs: opiates, cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens. Dangerousness Sorted by WHO: 4 groups:

  • Group 1: opium and its derivatives.
  • Group 2: tranquilizers and alcohol.
  • Group 3: cocaine and amphetamines.
  • Group 4: LSD, cannabis, etc.

More dangerous: those that produce physical dependence, create dependence faster, and have the greatest toxicity. Less dangerous: those that only create psychic dependence, develop dependence more slowly, and have less toxicity. Psychopathological Match: CNS Depressants: opiates, alcohol, tranquilizers, hypnotics. CNS Stimulants: stimulants for adults: amphetamines, cocaine; minor stimulants: nicotine, caffeine. CNS Jammers: hallucinogens, cannabis, inhalants, designer drugs. According to their effect: CNS Depressants: opium derivatives (morphine, heroin, etc.), barbiturates, hypnotics, sedatives, tranquilizers, alcohol. Stimulants: cocaine, amphetamine derivatives, caffeine, tobacco. Hallucinogens: LSD, mescaline, magic mushrooms, cannabis and derivatives. Volatile substances and inhalants: ether, glues, solvents. Drug addiction can generate tolerance, dependence, and abuse, as noted by Col de Velasco in 1986. CNS Depressants:

  • A. Hypnotics: urea derivatives (barbiturates, bromural, Adaline, Sedormid, Ectulurea), carbonic acid derivatives, piperidinediones, alcohols, quinalozinones, sulfonamides, benzodiazepines.
  • B. Hypnoanalgesics: natural (morphine and codeine), semisynthetic, synthetic.
  • C. General anesthetics: ether, trichlorethylene, chloroform.
  • D. Relaxants: diols, benzodiazepines.
  • E. Inhalation solvents: toluene, hexane, ethyl acetate, acetone, carbon tetrachloride, tetracloroethylene.


CNS Stimulants:

  • Local anesthetics: cocaine.
  • Amines: amphetamine, methamphetamine, Ritalin, pipradol, predulin, pervitin, mephentermine, prolintane, anorectics.
  • Methylxanthines: caffeine, theobromine, theophylline.

Hallucinogens and Psychotomimetics:

  • Indole Derivatives: tryptamine derivatives (alpha-methyltryptamine, NN-dimethyltryptamine, NN-diethyltryptamine, psilocin, bufotenin, psilocybin).
  • Harmala derivatives: banisterine or harmine, harmaline, yohimbine, adrenochrome, adrenolutine.
  • Lysergic acid derivatives: LSD-25 or lysergic ergine or lisergamide.
  • Indole complexes: ibogaine, voacanga, voacamine.
  • Sympathomimetic amines: dimethoxyamphetamine, DOM, DOET, MDA, MMDA, norpseudoephedrine, cathine, mescaline, alpha-methylmescaline.

Isoquinoline derivatives: bulbocapnine, anhalonine, peyote, isocorydine. Piperidine derivatives: atropine, scopolamine, Ditrén. Miscellaneous: cannabis sativa, synhexyl or parahexyl, Myristica fragrans, safrole, asarone, kava-kava, Amanita muscaria, propanol, narcotic antagonists, cromolyn sodium, amantadine, ketamine.

Drug Consumption in Spain: In Spain, in the late ’60s and early ’70s, hashish was introduced by Spanish military participants from Morocco and countercultural movements in France, along with LSD as a facilitator for young academics trying to change the social reality of the dictatorship. We are currently facing a socio-health problem due to the use of two legal addictive substances, tobacco and alcohol, which have become the most dangerous drugs across various social strata, demonstrating a clear and direct relationship with disease and death. However, within the legal framework, cannabis consumption is clearly on the rise, while cocaine remains a distant concern.