The legalization of cocaine in any field would only make it easier to get, and therefore raise levels of illicit use. Cocaine should continue to be a fully illegal substance. 2a. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines are usually administered at first in smaller dosages. Whether their use is legal or illegal, users usually begin with smaller amounts due the heavy risk of overdose. Because they are sedatives, there is always an increased risk of overdose with really no way to help oneself. These low doses eventually become less than what the user needs in order to maintain a certain level of intoxication. Therefore, the user then begins to slower bump up dosages in order to reach that previous level of intoxication. This then leads to higher and higher doses. Because this process takes so much time, the user may not even know he or she has become addicted to the substance. They may begin to exhibit physical and psychological signs of addiction before they even know there is any sort of problem. Therefore this makes barbiturate and benzodiazepine addiction not only hard to diagnose, but also incredibly hard to treat as well.

2b. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines, and all sedative-hypnotic drugs for that matter, rely on the chemical GABA, or gamma aminobutyric acid, in order to produce the sedated affects of the drug. Once the GABA is bonded to these receptors, it ionizes the brain in order to lower functioning. This chemical bonds with receptors in the brain which then depress central nervous system functioning. Barbiturates are then known to cause lethargy, sleepiness, and even anesthetic-like states. They were also previously used at one point as a prescribed sleep aid. However, these were...

There are several major concerns regarding the use and abuse of barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Because of their physical dependence shown in long-term users, many are extremely concerned with how long these types of drugs are prescribed to individuals, as well as the dosage amount. One could be prescribed a drug like this for an innocent reason, and without proper care or guidance on the use of the drug, can become a full fledged drug addict. There are then concerns regarding the drug and its use in the social atmosphere. These substances are not like heroin, which is associated mainly with lower classes and inner cities; this drug can affect anyone. Anyone in any social class, no matter how prestigious they may be, could potentially fall victim to addiction without proper medical care and explanation of how these drugs should and should not be used. One could be prescribed a substance such as a benzodiazepine due to a completely legitimate reason, but may end up addicted and using the drug illicitly, (Ksir, 2007). Therefore, there is major concern because its abuse is not limited or sectored off into certain areas which can be easily ignored by the majority of people in the United States. This is a problem that goes beyond class lines, which scares many who would not normally associate a friend or loved one as a drug addict.