COCAINE
Cocaine is an organic substance taken from the mashed and processed leaves of the coca plant and processed with sulfuric acid into a white crystalline powder that can then become modified into various forms of use. Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug that is snorted, sniffed, injected, or smoked. Crack is cocaine that has been processed from hydrochloride to a free base for smoking.
Street Names: Coke, Snow, Flake, Blow
What Effects Does Cocaine Have on the Body?
Drastic increasing of heart rate; Decreased blood flow to the brain and muscles; Increase blood pressure and temperature; Increase amount of blood sugar; Digestion slows down; and Causes the cardiovascular system to overwork
When used in high or frequent doses all of the effects mentioned above can lead to irregular heartbeat, heart attack, lung disease, convulsions, irreversible brain damage, coma, and death. The usage of cocaine can lead to other medical problems over time. They include: AIDS; Bronchitis; Hepatitis; Bleeding cartilage in the nose; Blurred vision; Dizziness; Tremors; Loss of coordination; and Heightened risks of miscarriage and infant defects.
Cocaine does not only have an effect on the body, but also on the wallet. A habit of this nature can cost an addict thousands of dollars a WEEK to maintain. Also treatment for cocaine addiction can be costly and last a long time due to the lasting craving and withdrawal symptoms.
ECSTASY
Its real name is 3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and it belongs to the family of drugs known as entactogens. Psychiatrists once used ecstasy as a therapeutic tool, but it was made illegal in 1985. Ecstasy is a drug that acts as both a stimulant and a hallucinogen. It is taken orally as a capsule or tablet.
Street Names: XTC, X, Adam, Hug, Beans, Love Drug
What Effects Does Ecstasy Have on the Body?
Short-term effects include feelings of mental stimulation; emotional warmth; enhanced sensory perception; and increased physical energy. Adverse health effects can include nausea; chills; sweating; teeth clenching; muscle cramping; and blurred vision.
According to the 2005 Monitoring the Future survey, 3.0% of 12th graders, 2.6% of 10th graders, and 1.7% of 8th graders had used Ecstasy in the past year. (NIDA Infofacts: High School and Youth Trends)
HEROIN
Heroin was first produced from morphine in 1874. In 1889, the Bayer Company began commercial production of it as a painkiller. Heroin was widely used as such for many years. However, in 1914 the U.S. government began to see the dangers of heroin and the highly addictive potential and made it illegal. In its pure form heroin is a white powder substance. However, on the street the color will vary from white to dark brown.
Street Names: Smack, H, Ska, Junk
What Effects Does Heroin Have on the Body?
Short-term use: Euphoria; Drowsiness; Respiratory depression; Constricted pupils; HIV/AIDS and hepatitis; Nausea; Spontaneous abortion; and Collapsed veins. Long-term use: Infection of the hear lining and valves; Abscesses; Liver disease; Clogging of arteries; Pulmonary complications including pneumonia; and Infection or death in patches of cells in the heart, brain, and kidneys.
NIDA's 2005 Monitoring the Future study showed that 1.5% of 10th and 12th graders had used heroin at least once. (NIDA Infofacts: High School and Youth Trends)
INHALANTS
Inhalants are products huffed or sniffed to get a high. Products most often abused include: explosive solvents and gases, aerosols, and anesthetic gases. Inhalant users inhale vapors into the body by huffing, sniffing, and bagging.
Street Names: Whippets, Poppers, Snappers
What Effects Do Inhalants Have on the Body?
Short-Term Effects: Severe headaches; Weight loss; Irregular heartbeats; Tissue damage and suffocation; Mood Swings; and Violent Behaviors. Long-Term Effects: Brain, liver, and kidney damage; Kidney failure; Dementia; Memory Loss; Lowered IQ; and Severe Depression
Inhalants are often among the first drugs that young kids use. In NIDA's 2005 Monitoring the Future study, 17.1% of 8th graders, 13.1% of 10th graders, and 11.4% of 12th graders said they had abused inhalants at least once. (NIDA Infofacts: High School and Youth Trends)
LYSERGIC ACID DIETHYLAMIDE
LSD is the most potent hallucinogen known to man. It is produced from lysergic acid, found on a grain fungus. LSD is manufactured in three main forms. It can be sold in tablet form called microdots, on sugar cubes put into thin squares of gelatin called window panes, or soaked into thin pieces of paper referred to as blotter paper. In most case LSD is taken orally; however, when in gelatin or liquid form some users put it in their eyes.
Street Names: Acid, Blotter
What Are The Effects of LSD?
Increased body temperature; Dilated pupils; Loss of appetite; Increased heart rate and blood pressure; Increase sweating; Sleeplessness; Tremors; and Dry mouth. Users either feel numerous emotions at once or jump rapidly from one emotion to another. The concept of time and self changes. Delusions and visual hallucinations may occur depending upon dosage size.
METHAMPHETAMINE
Methamphetamine is a stimulant that strongly affects systems of the brain and central nervous system. This drug is sometimes used to treat obesity. Methamphetamine is taken a number of ways. Users experience a rush lasting only a few minutes.
Street Names: Speed, Meth, Chalk, Ice, Crystal, Glass
What are the effects of Methamphetamine?
Increased physical activity; Decreased appetite; Increased respiration; Hypothermia; Irritability; Insomnia; Confusion; Anxiety; Convulsions; Aggressiveness; Increases heart rate and blood pressure; Irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain, which may result in stroke; Extreme anorexia; and Cardiovascular collapse and death.
PHENCYCLIDINE
PCP, a disassociate anesthetic, was developed in the 1950s to be used as an IV anesthetic. PCP was never approved for human uses because of problems during clinical studies, including intensely negative psychological effects.
Street Names: Angel Dust, Ozone, Weed, Rocket Fuel
What are the Effects of PCP?
PCP interferes with 2 neurotransmitters in the brain causing users’ perception of pain, memory, learning, and state of euphoria to be abnormal. Individuals who use PCP experience a separation from reality, hallucinations, fear, and suicidal thoughts. Effects of PCP are unpredictable and although they usually last for several hours some users experience effects of PCP for days. PCP affects the body in a number of ways including: Shallow rapid breathing; Increase blood pressure and heart rate; Blurred vision; Decreased awareness of pain; |
