Drugs and Drug Abuse
Read the following passage carefully and answer the given questions.
Use of drugs has been on the rise, especially among the youth. This is really a cause of concern as it could result in many harmful effects. Proper education and guidance would enable young people to safeguard themselves against these dangerous behaviour patterns and follow healthy lifestyles. The drugs which are commonly abused are opioids, cannabinoids and coca alkaloids. The majority of these are obtained from flowering plants. Some are obtained from fungi. Various plants, fruits and seeds having hallucinogenic properties have been used for hundreds of years in folk-medicine, religious ceremonies and rituals all over the globe. When these are taken for a purpose other than medicinal use or in amounts/frequency that impairs one's physical, physiological or psychological functions, it constitutes drug abuse. These days, some drugs are also being abused by some sports-persons.
Which one of the following plants does not have hallucinogenic properties?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Rauwolfia
Several plants have hallucinogenic properties. They have been used for hundreds of years in folk medicine and in religious ceremonies. The well-known ones are Atropa belladona and Datura. The coca plant is also on the list, because an excessive dose of cocaine, which comes from it, causes hallucinations.
(1) Atropa — A plant with hallucinogenic properties. Atropa belladona is named among the well-known hallucinogenic plants.
(2) Erythroxylum — A plant with hallucinogenic properties. It is the coca plant, the source of cocaine. Cocaine acts on the central nervous system, and an excessive dose causes hallucinations.
(3) Datura — A plant with hallucinogenic properties. It is named among the well-known hallucinogenic plants.
(4) Rauwolfia — Not a plant with hallucinogenic properties. It is a medicinal plant that yields the chemical reserpine. It is not named among the hallucinogenic plants.
Note: The passage is taken from NCERT. NTA has put lines of the NCERT text together to make it. Most CUET (UG) questions come straight from NCERT, so study the book line by line, including figures and their titles.
NCERT Extract:
Drugs and Alcohol Abuse – “… Coca alkaloid or cocaine is obtained from coca plant Erythroxylum coca, native to South America. It interferes with the transport of the neuro-transmitter dopamine. Cocaine, commonly called coke or crack is usually snorted. It has a potent stimulating action on central nervous system, producing a sense of euphoria and increased energy. Excessive dosage of cocaine causes hallucinations. Other well-known plants with hallucinogenic properties are Atropa belladona and Datura (Figure 7.11).”
Biodiversity – “… The genetic variation shown by the medicinal plant Rauwolfia vomitoria growing in different Himalayan ranges might be in terms of the potency and concentration of the active chemical (reserpine) that the plant produces.”