Drug-Altered Consciousness Assignment

Understanding the human brain and how it can affect one's behavior is an important relationship in psychology. There are many debates about whether prescription drugs or illegal drugs affect the chemical make-up of the brain, which ultimately may cause a change in behavior.

Pretend you are a substance abuse educator and you have been asked to address a high school class and describe how the brain affects human behavior without the introduction of any prescription or illegal drugs. Basically, how does the brain control behavior? Since statistically, many teenagers "experiment" with "drugs," also describe how altering the chemicals of the brain could affect behavior.

A hot topic in most States is the legalization of medicinal marijuana. One student raises her hand and says that she does not understand the big deal about why marijuana cannot be legal. She asks you to identify the pros and cons to this decision as it relates to the medical rational behind the legalization of this drug.

After conducting your research, organize and prepare a 300-500 word paper using APA format (Times New Roman, font size 12, 1" margins with title and reference pages). Provide at least two (2) credible references. Wikipedia and about.com are not credible or appropriate academic references. Remember to provide in-text citations for each reference utilized.

Please review website links to assist you in your research in the "Supporting Lesson Links" folder below.

Here is an ex of how to properly cite our textbook in your References page:
Coon D., & Mitterer, J. (2010). Psychology: A Journey (With Practice Exam and Visual Guide) (4th ed.). Independence, KY: Wadsworth Publishing.

Here is an ex of how to properly cite our textbook as an in-text citation:
Withdrawal is the behavior of the body when its need is not being satisfied (Coon & Mitterer, 2010).
Or:
Coon & Mitterer (2010) define withdrawal as the behavior of the body when its need is not being satisfied.
Supporting lessons links
National Institute of Health
National Institute on Drug Abuse