How many categories of psychoactive substances are identified?

How many categories of psychoactive substances are identified?

• A. Five
• B. Six
• C. Seven
• D. Eight

Answer: (C)

Psychoactive substances are grouped by their dominant effect on the brain and behavior, which helps explain their risks and how they’re used or treated. There are seven broad categories in the standard framework: stimulants, which raise alertness and energy; depressants, which slow brain activity and can calm or sedate; opioids, which provide pain relief and often produce euphoria; hallucinogens, which alter perception and thinking; cannabis, with its own distinct pharmacology and effects; inhalants, which produce rapid effects when volatile substances are inhaled; and dissociatives, which create a sense of detachment or altered reality. This seven-category model is why the count is seven, reflecting the major pharmacological groupings educators use to classify psychoactive substances.

Psychoactive substances are grouped by their dominant effect on the brain and behavior, which helps explain their risks and how they’re used or treated. There are seven broad categories in the standard framework: stimulants, which raise alertness and energy; depressants, which slow brain activity and can calm or sedate; opioids, which provide pain relief and often produce euphoria; hallucinogens, which alter perception and thinking; cannabis, with its own distinct pharmacology and effects; inhalants, which produce rapid effects when volatile substances are inhaled; and dissociatives, which create a sense of detachment or altered reality. This seven-category model is why the count is seven, reflecting the major pharmacological groupings educators use to classify psychoactive substances.