Unit 8:The War on Drugs 毒品戰爭

I. Unit Questions (Handout B Class/ A Class) PPT

1. What are supply and demand供給和需求 and how does this work in the illegal and legal drug trade?
2. Are over-the-counter drugs safe?
3. How do different countries handle addiction and controlling drugs?
4. Does Taiwan have a drug abuse problem?

II. Introduction
A. Common Illegal (Street) Drugs

• Highly addictive上癮的
• Easy to overdose 服藥過量 dose: v.服藥、n.一劑

1. Ketamine K他命 / 氯胺酮.“Special K” is an animal tranquilizer鎮靜劑. Users experience a “full-body buzz” a state of relaxation. The high lasts less than an hour. Users go into a trance昏睡狀態 called the “K-hole”. It’s addictive and overdose is possible.
2. Cocaine 古柯鹼
   “Coke” is a powerfully addictive上癮的 stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca 古柯plant native 原生的 to South America.
3. Marijuana 大麻
   Most commonly used drug from dried leaves of the Cannabis 大麻plant. The active ingredient 原料 is THC四氫大麻酚. It is usually smoked.
4. Ecstasy (MDMA)搖頭丸.
   The “love pill” is an hallucinogen迷幻劑 that makes the user experience a state 狀態 of ecstasy狂喜 for 8-10 hours.
5. Amphetamine 安非他命/苯丙胺
   “Speed” is a powerful stimulant 興奮劑. Used for medical (ie ADHD注意力不足過動症
   ) and recreational 娛樂的purposes目的.
6. Crystal meth 冰毒/甲基苯丙胺“Methamphetamine”
7. Opium 鴉片.Dried part of poppy flower 罌粟花used for both medicine and street drugs like heroin.
8. Heroin 海洛英 An illegal opioid 鴉片that’s very addictive and used recreationally.

B. Class Conversations: Survey 3 Classmates

Introduction Reading: Drugs in Thailand (level 2)
Vocabulary: seize, bust, traffic, marijuana, amphetamine, ketamine, crystal meth, ecstasy

1.  Do you think alcohol is a drug?
2.  Do you know of any alcoholics?
3. Is alcohol addictive? What about tea, coffee, and chocolate?
4. Is there any difference between "soft" drugs such as marijuana and "hard" drugs like crack, heroin, cocaine etc?
5. Who is worse for society, a peaceful drug addict or a violent non-addict?Why?

III. Readings
A. Legal Drugs
1. What do you know about drugs?

• What are some dangerous drugs?
• What drugs do you think are useful?
• Have you ever used a prescription drug without a prescription?

Reading 1: Over the Counter Medicine Effects 非處方藥 
Vocabulary:

1. OTC 非處方藥
2. Side effects 副作用
3. Dementia 失智/癡呆
4. Tablet 藥片
5. Syrup 糖漿 ie. cough syrup, chocolate syrup...

EXTRA: Binge Drinking

B. The Global Movement of Marijuana Legalization 大麻合法化運動

• Do you think marijuana should be legal or illegal? Support your opinion with facts.
• Why does Taiwan have such a stigma against recreational or medicinal marijuana use?

Introduction:

 In America 25 states have legalized marijuana and many more will do so this year (2017). The pro-pot movement was not launched in the United States. It has been spreading globally, as far back as 1976, with countries like the Netherlands and Portugal experimenting with decriminalization. In Portugal, the possession of all drugs was decriminalized in 2001. In 2016, Uruguay and Canada legalized and regulated weed, helping to remove the stigma around the use of the plant. In 2017 Germany legalized recreational marijuana, as well as Ireland, Australia and Chile. Do you think Taiwan will ever follow their example?

Reading 2:Study Says Alcohol More Harmful Than Marijuana

A major new study研究 into drugs, published發表 in the British medical journal（醫療期刊 The Lancet刺胳針, has concluded總結 that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than many highly illegal drugs. They are listed in the top 10 most dangerous substances物質 in the study. Researchers believe British law should classify alcohol and tobacco the same as hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Head researcher Professor David Nutt of Britain's Bristol University suggested a new classification 分類of harmful substances. He said it needed to be based on the actual(real) risks (dangers) posed造成 to society. Professor Nutt said the new system was necessary in Britain as the existing one was out of date過時的: "The current drug system is ill thought-out 未深思的 and arbitrary武斷的,” he said. He added there was no scientific basis for excluding排除 alcohol and tobacco as serious drugs.

Professor Nutt and his colleagues (coworker) used three factors to find out how harmful a drug is: the physical身體的 harm to the user, how addictive the drug is, and the impact it has on society. The researchers were experts in drug addiction, lawyers and police officers with scientific or medical backgrounds背景 and doctors. All of them agreed on the dangers of alcohol and tobacco. They ranked 分級/排名 alcohol as the fifth and tobacco as the ninth most harmful drugs. Professor Nutt and his colleagues (coworker) used three factors to find out how harmful a drug is: the physical身體的 harm to the user, how addictive the drug is, and the impact it has on society. The researchers were experts in drug addiction, lawyers and police officers with scientific or medical backgrounds背景 and doctors. All of them agreed on the dangers of alcohol and tobacco. They ranked 分級/排名 alcohol as the fifth and tobacco as the ninth most harmful drugs.

Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/nov/02/david-nutt-dangerous-drug-list

C. Medical Marijuana 藥用大麻

1. CBD Oil 大麻二酚
Uses of CBD oil:

1. Chronic pain　慢性/長期疼痛
2. Relieve 緩解 Cancer related symptoms 症狀
3. Childhood epilepsy癲癇
4. Anxiety焦慮/Depression憂鬱
5. Inflammation 發炎
6. Stress
7. Schizophrenia 思覺失調症(精神分裂症)
8. Pets

Reading 3:Arrested Because of Cannabis Oil (B Class) 
Reading 4:Marijuana in the USA (B Class)

EXTRA:
Uruguay to Legalize (B Class)
Medical Marijuana for Pets (B Class)
Nevada Makes Marijuana Legal


C. The War on Drugs

• Should there be punishments for dealing drugs?
• Should there be punishments for using drugs?
• Should drug dealers get the death penalty?

Planes With Drugs (B Class)
Police Take A Lot of Drugs (B Class)
War on Drugs in Mexico (B Class)
Drone with Drugs (B Class)
Duerete is Like Hitler (B class) or Duterte vows to kill 3 million drug addicts and likens himself to Hitler 杜特蒂誓殺300萬毒蟲，並自比為希特勒

D. Addiction

• Are some people more easily addicted to drugs than others? or Do some people have addictive personalities?
• What else can people become addicted to?
• What drugs are addicting?
• Why are some drugs more addicting than others?
• Why do some people get addicted when others do not?
• What happens in the brain of a person that causes addiction?
• If you are addicted to drugs, what should you do?

Reading: Addiction May Be in Our Genes

E. Taiwan

1. Classification
2. Use and Addictions

NPP and LSD (April 2018)

Resources:
http://iteslj.org/questions/drugs.html
http://www.esldiscussions.com/d/drugs.html
http://teflpedia.com/Drugs_conversation_questions
http://www.geocities.ws/eslken/Legalizeit.pdf
https://fee.org/articles/marijuana-legalization-quietly-goes-global/
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/29/health/global-marijuana-cannabis-laws/index.html
https://international.thenewslens.com/article/42433
http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201705310013.aspx
http://www.narconon-news.org/drug-rehab/taiwan.html
http://www.havocscope.com/taiwan-drug-abuse/