All forms of cannabis have negative physical and mental effects.
Several regularly observed physical effects of
cannabis are a substantial increase in the heart
rate, bloodshot eyes, a dry mouth and throat,
and increased appetite.
Use of cannabis may impair or reduce short-term
memory and comprehension, alter sense of time,
and reduce ability to perform tasks requiring
concentration and coordination, such as driving
a car. Motivation and cognition may be altered,
making the acquisition of new information
difficult. Marijuana can also produce paranoia
and psychosis.
Because users often inhale the unfiltered smoke
deeply and then hold it in their lungs as long
as possible, marijuana is damaging to the lungs
and pulmonary system. Marijuana smoke contains
more cancer-causing agents than tobacco smoke.
Long-term users of cannabis may develop
psychological dependence and require more of the
drug to get the same effect.
Type
What is it called?
What does it look like?
How is it used?
Marijuana
Pot, Reefer, Grass, Weed, Dope, Ganja,
Mary Jane, or Sinsemilla
Like dried parsley, with stems and/or
seeds; rolled into cigarettes
Smoked or eaten
Tetrahydrocannabinol
THC
Soft gelatin capsules
Taken orally
Hashish
Hash
Brown or black cakes or balls
Smoked or eaten
Hashish Oil
Hash Oil
Concentrated syrupy liquid varying in
color from clear to black
Smoked - mixed with tobacco
Inhalants
The immediate negative effects of inhalants include nausea,
sneezing, coughing, nosebleeds, fatigue, lack of
coordination, and loss of appetite. Solvents and
aerosol sprays also decrease the heart and
respiratory rates and impair judgment. Amyl and
butyl nitrite cause rapid pulse, headaches, and
involuntary passing of urine and feces.
Long-term use may result in hepatitis or brain
damage.
Deeply inhaling the vapors, or using large
amounts over a short time, may result in
disorientation, violent behavior,
unconsciousness, or death. High concentrations
of inhalants can cause suffocation by displacing
the oxygen in the lungs or by depressing the
central nervous system to the point that
breathing stops.
Long-term use can cause weight loss, fatigue,
electrolyte imbalance, and muscle fatigue.
Repeated sniffing of concentrated vapors over
time can permanently damage the nervous system.
Type
What is it called?
What does it look like?
How is it used?
Nitrous Oxide
Laughing gas or Whippets
Small 8-gram metal cylinder sold with a
balloon or pipe propellant for whipped
cream in aerosol spray can
Vapors inhaled
Amyl Nitrite
Poppers or Snappers
Clear yellowish liquid in
Vapors inhaled
Butyl Nitrite
Rush, Bolt, Bullet, Locker Room, and
Climax
In small bottles
Vapors inhaled
Chlorohydrocarbons
Aerosol sprays or cleaning fluids
Aerosol paint cans
Vapors inhaled
Hydrocarbons
Solvents
Cans of aerosol propellants, gasoline,
glue, paint thinner
Vapors inhaled
Cocaine
Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system. Its immediate
effects include dilated pupils and elevated
blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate,
and body temperature. Occasional use can cause a
stuffy or runny nose, while chronic use can
ulcerate the mucous membrane of the nose.
Injecting cocaine with contaminated equipment
can cause AIDS, hepatitis, and other diseases.
Preparation of freebase, which involves the use
of volatile solvents, can result in death or
injury from fire or explosion.
Crack or freebase rock is extremely addictive,
and its effects are felt within 10 seconds. The
physical effects include dilated pupils,
increased pulse rate, elevated blood pressure,
insomnia, loss of appetite, tactile
hallucinations, paranoia, and seizure. The use
of cocaine can cause death by cardiac arrest or
respiratory failure.
Type
What is it called?
What does it look like?
How is it used?
Cocaine
Coke, Snow, Nose Candy, Flake, Blow, Big
C, Lady, White, and Snowbirds
White crystalline powder
Inhaled, injected
Crack cocaine
Crack, rock, freebase
White to tan pellets or crystalline
rocks that look like soap
Smoked
Other Stimulants
Stimulants can cause increased heart and
respiratory rates, elevated blood pressure,
dilated pupils, and decreased appetite. In
addition, users may experience sweating,
headache, blurred vision, dizziness,
sleeplessness, and anxiety. Extremely high doses
can cause a rapid or irregular heartbeat,
tremors, loss of coordination, and even physical
collapse. An amphetamine injection creates a
sudden increase in blood pressure that can
result in stroke, very high fever, or heart
failure.
In addition to the physical effects, users
report feeling restless, anxious, and moody.
Higher doses intensify the effects. Persons who
use larger amounts of amphetamines over a long
period of time can develop an amphetamine
psychosis that includes hallucinations,
delusions, and paranoia. These symptoms usually
disappear when drug use ceases.
Type
What is it called?
What does it look like?
How is it used?
Amphetamines
Speed, Uppers, Ups, Black beauties, Pep
pills, Copilots, Bumblebees, Hearts,
Benzedrine, Dexedrine, Footballs, and
Biphetamine
Capsules, pills, tablets
Taken orally, injected, inhaled
Methamphetamines
Crank, Crystal meth, Crystal methadrine,
and Speed
White powder, pills, rock that resembles
a block of paraffin
Taken orally, injected, inhaled
Additional Stimulants
Ritalin, Cylert, Preludin, Didrex,
Pre-State, Voranil, Sandrex, and Plegine
Pills or capsules
Taken orally, injected
Depressants
The effects of depressants are in many ways
similar to the effects of alcohol. Small amounts
can produce calmness and very relaxed muscles,
but larger doses can cause slurred speech,
staggering gait, and altered perception. Very
large doses can cause respiratory depression,
coma, and death. The combination of depressants
and alcohol can multiply the effects of the
drugs, increasing the risks.
Regular use of depressants over time can result
in physical and psychological addiction. People
who suddenly stop taking large doses can
experience withdrawal symptoms, including
anxiety, insomnia, tremors, delirium,
convulsions, and death. Babies born to mothers
who abuse depressants may also be physically
dependent on the drugs and show withdrawal
symptoms shortly after they are born. Birth
defects and behavioral problems also may result.
Type
What is it called?
What does it look like?
How is it used?
Barbiturates
Downers, Barbs, Blue Devils, Red Devils,
Yellow Jacket, Yellows, Nembutal,
Tuinals, Seconal, and Amytal
Red, yellow, blue, or red and blue
capsules
Taken orally
Methaqualone
Qualudes, Ludes, Sopors
Tablets
Taken orally
Tranquilizers
Valium, Librium, Miltown, Serax, Equanil,
Miltown, and Tranxene
Tablets or capsules
Taken orally
Hallucinogen
Phencyclidine (PCP) interrupts the functions of
the neocortex, the section of the brain that
controls the intellect and keeps instincts in
check. Because the drug blocks pain receptors,
violent PCP episodes may result in
self-inflicted injuries. The effects of PCP
vary, but users frequently report a sense of
distance and estrangement. Time and body
movements are slowed down. Muscular coordination
worsens and senses are dulled. Speech is blocked
and incoherent. In later stages of chronic use,
users often exhibit paranoid and violent
behavior and experience hallucinations. Large
doses may produce convulsions and coma, as well
as heart and lung failure.
Lysergic acid (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin
cause illusions and hallucinations. The physical
effects may include dilated pupils, elevated
body temperature, increased heart rate and blood
pressure, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, and
tremors. The user may experience panic,
confusion, suspicion, anxiety, and loss of
control.
What does it look like - Liquid, white
crystalline powder, pills, capsules
Taken orally, injected, smoked (sprayed
on joints or cigarettes)
Lysergic acid diethylamide
LSD, Acid, Microdot, White lightning,
Blue heaven, and Sugar Cubes
Colored tablets, blotter paper, clear
liquid, thin squares of gelatin
Taken orally, licked off paper, gelatin,
and liquid can be put in the eyes.
Mescaline and Peyote
Mesc, Buttons, and Cactus
Hard brown discs, tablets, capsules
Discs - chewed, swallowed, or smoked or
Tablets and capsules - taken orally
Psilocybin
Magic Mushrooms, 'shrooms
Fresh or dried mushrooms
Chewed or swallowed
Narcotics
Narcotics initially produce a feeling of
euphoria that often is followed by drowsiness,
nausea, and vomiting. Users may also experience
constricted pupils, watery eyes, and itching. An
overdose may produce slow and shallow breathing,
clammy skin, convulsions, coma, and possible
death.
Tolerance to narcotics develops rapidly and
dependence is likely. The use of contaminated
syringes may result in disease such as AIDS,
endocarditic, and hepatitis. Addiction in
pregnant women can lead to premature, stillborn,
or addicted infants who experience severe
withdrawal symptoms.
Type
What is it called?
What does it look like?
How is it used?
Heroin
Smack, Horse, Mud, Brown sugar, Junk,
Black tar, and Big H
White to dark-brown powder or tar-like
substance
Injected, smoked, or inhaled
Codeine
Empirin compound with codeine, Tylenol
with codeine, Codeine in cough medicine
Dark liquid varying in thickness,
capsules, tablets
Taken orally, injected
Morphine
Pectoral syrup
White crystals, hypodermic tablets, or
inject able solutions
Taken orally, injected, or smoked
Opium
Paregoric, Dover's Powder, Parepectolin
Dark brown chunks, powder
Smoked, eaten, or injected
Meperidine
Pethidine, Demerol, Mepergan
White powder, solution, tablets
Taken orally, injected
Other narcotics
Percocet, Percodan, Tussionex, Fentanyl,
Darvon, Talwin, and Lomotil
Tablets or capsules
Taken orally, injected
Designer Drugs
Illegal drugs are defined in the terms of their
chemical formulas. To circumvent these legal
restrictions, underground chemists modify the
molecular structure of certain illegal drugs to
produce analogs known as designer drugs. These
drugs can be several hundred times stronger than
the drugs they are designed to imitate.
The narcotic analogs can cause symptoms such as
those seen in Parkinson's disease:
uncontrollable tremors, drooling, impaired
speech, paralysis, and irreversible brain
damage. Analogs of amphetamines and
methamphetamines cause nausea, blurred vision,
chills or sweating, and faintness. Psychological
effects include anxiety, depression, and
paranoia. As little as one dose can cause brain
damage. The analogs of phencyclidine cause
illusions, hallucinations, and impaired
perception.
Type
What is it called?
What does it look like?
How is it used?
Analog of Fentanyl (Narcotic)
Synthetic heroin, China white
White powder
Inhaled, injected
Analog of Meperidine (Narcotic)
MPTP (New heroin), MPPP, synthetic
heroin
White powder
Inhaled, injected
Analog of Amphetamines or
Methamphetamines (Hallucinogens)
Steroids
Anabolic steroids are a group of powerful
compounds closely related to the male sex
hormone testosterone. Developed in the 1930's,
steroids are seldom prescribed by physicians
today. Current legitimate medical uses are
limited to certain kinds of anemia, severe
burns, and some types of breast cancer.
Taken in combination with a program of
muscle-building exercise and diet, steroids may
contribute to increases in body weight and
muscular strength. Steroid users subject
themselves to more than 70 side effects ranging
in severity from liver cancer to acne and
including psychological as well as physical
reactions. The liver and cardiovascular systems
are most seriously affected by steroid use. In
males, use can cause withered testicles,
sterility, and impotence. In females,
irreversible masculine traits can develop along
with breast reduction and sterility.
Psychological effects in both sexes include very
aggressive behavior known as "roid rage" and
depression. While some side effects appear
quickly, others, such as heart attacks and
strokes, may not show up for years.
Signs of steroid use include quick weight and
muscle gains (when used in a weight training
program); aggressiveness and combativeness;
jaundice; purple or red spots on the body;
swelling of feet and lower legs; trembling;
unexplained darkening of the skin; and
persistent unpleasant breath odor.
Alcohol
Alcohol consumption causes a number of changes
in behavior. Even low doses significantly impair
the judgment and coordination required to drive
a car safely. Low to moderate doses of alcohol
can increase the incidence of a variety of
aggressive acts, including spouse and child
abuse. Moderate to high doses of alcohol cause
marked impairments in higher mental functions,
severely altering a person's ability to learn
and remember information. Very high doses cause
respiratory depression and death.
Continued use of alcohol can lead to dependence.
Sudden cessation of alcohol intake is likely to
produce withdrawal symptoms, including severe
anxiety, tremors, hallucinations, and
convulsions. Long-term effects of consuming
large quantities of alcohol, especially when
combined with poor nutrition, can lead to
permanent damage to vital organs such as the
brain and the liver. In addition, mothers who
drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to
infants with fetal alcohol syndrome. These
infants may suffer from mental retardation and
other irreversible physical abnormalities. In
addition, research indicates that children of
alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other
children of becoming alcoholics.
Tobacco
The smoking of tobacco products is the chief
avoidable cause of death in our society. Smokers
are more likely than nonsmokers to contract
heart disease - some 170,000 die each year from
smoking-related coronary heart disease. Lung,
larynx, esophageal, bladder, pancreatic, and
kidney cancers also strike smokers at increased
rates. Some 30 percent of cancer deaths (130,000
per year) are linked to smoking. Chronic,
obstructive lung diseases such as emphysema and
chronic bronchitis are 10 times more likely to
occur among smokers than among nonsmokers.
Smoking during pregnancy also poses serious
risks. Spontaneous abortion, pre-term birth, low
birth weights, and fetal and infant deaths are
all more likely to occur when the pregnant woman
is a smoker.
Cigarette smoke contains some 4,000 chemicals,
several of which are known carcinogens. Perhaps
the most dangerous substance in tobacco smoke is
nicotine. Nicotine is the substance that
reinforces and strengthens the desire to smoke.
Because nicotine is highly addictive, addicts
find it very difficult to stop smoking. Of 1,000
typical smokers, fewer than 20 percent succeed
in stopping on the first try.
