Effects of drugs
Read the following passage carefully and answer the given questions.
Surveys and statistics show that the use of drugs and alcohol has been on the rise, especially among the youth. This is really a cause of concern as it could result in many harmful effects. The immediate adverse effects of drugs and alcohol abuse are manifested in the form of reckless behaviour, vandalism and violence. Excessive doses of drugs may lead to coma and death due to respiratory failure, heart failure or cerebral hemorrhage. 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. Opioids are the drugs, which bind to specific opioid receptors present in our central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. Drugs which are normally used as medicines to help patients cope with mental illnesses like depression and insomnia, are often abused. Morphine is a very effective sedative and painkiller, and is very useful in patients who have undergone surgery. Several 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. Curiosity, need for adventure and excitement, and experimentation, constitute common causes, which motivate youngsters towards drug and alcohol use.
The common name of a white, odourless, bitter crystalline, chemical compound, diacetylmorphine is:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Smack
Heroin, commonly called smack, is chemically diacetylmorphine. It is a white, odourless, bitter crystalline compound. It is made by acetylation of morphine, which is taken from the latex of the poppy plant Papaver somniferum. Heroin is an opioid and a depressant: it slows down the functions of the body.
(1) Charas — Incorrect. Charas is a cannabinoid made from the cannabis plant, not from morphine.
(2) Ganja — Incorrect. Ganja is also a cannabinoid product of the cannabis plant.
(3) Hashish — Incorrect. Hashish too comes from the cannabis plant.
(4) Smack — Correct. Smack is the common name of heroin (diacetylmorphine).
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 – “Opioids are the drugs, which bind to specific opioid receptors present in our central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. Heroin (Figure 7.7), commonly called smack is chemically diacetylmorphine which is a white, odourless, bitter crystalline compound. This is obtained by acetylation of morphine (Figure 7.7), which is extracted from the latex of poppy plant Papaver somniferum (Figure 7.8).”