Download The Seven Categories of Drugs

The Seven Categories
of Street Drugs
Or
Why the Textbook is confusing
Why the cop is confusing
(Drug Recognition Expert Training Manual, 1993).
Legal Misidentification
The Seven Legal Categories of Street Drugs
• Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants
• Central Nervous System (CNS) Stimulants
• Hallucinogens
• Phencyclidines (PCP) [S, D, H]
• Narcotic Analgesics [D]
• Inhalants [D, S, H]
• Cannabis [H]
Central Nervous System
(CNS) Depressants
• Examples of Central Nervous System Depressants are
barbiturates, synthetic barbiturates, anti-depressants,
anti-anxiety tranquilizers, and anti-psychotic
tranquilizers. These are drugs that slow brain function,
and voluntary actions, and, with increasing dosage, have
an impact on the autonomic functions such as blood
pressure, heart rate and respiration. Impairment may
include slowed reflexes, inability to divide attention,
reduced inhibitions, impaired judgment, lack of
concentration, impaired vision and coordination, slurred
speech, incoherence, and being emotionally labile.
Central Nervous System
(CNS) Stimulants
• Examples of Central Nervous System Stimulants
include ephedrines, drugs to stay awake, cocaine,
crack cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines,
excessive caffeine, and drugs to control appetite.
These are drugs that stimulate the brain and raise
the heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and body
temperature. Impairment may include nervousness,
irritability, inability to think or concentrate clearly,
and unpredictable and bizarre behavior.
Hallucinogens
• Examples of Hallucinogens include peyote,
psilocybin, morning glory seeds, and synthetic
drugs such as LSD, MDA, STP. These are drugs that
distort reality. Effects include seeing, hearing,
smelling, tasting, or feeling something that isn't
really there or is different from the way it really is.
Impairment may include a psychotic episode, panic
and uncontrolled excitement, a feeling of terror
with an attempt to escape, flashbacks, altered body
sensations, weakness, dizziness, tingling skin, and
perceptual distortion of the five senses.
Phencyclidines (PCP)
• Examples of Phencyclidines include PCP,
ketamine, and angel dust. Persons taking PCP
can react as if they had taken a stimulant, a
depressant, a hallucinogen or any combination
of these. The impact upon an individual is
unpredictable Impairment includes delirium,
agitation, visual disturbances, increased blood
pressure, rigid muscle tone, speech difficulty,
violence, and convulsions.
Narcotic Analgesics
• Examples of Narcotic Analgesics include heroine,
natural and derivatives of opium, morphine and
derivative forms, and synthetic pain relievers.
These drugs are used to relieve pain. Tolerance is
developed quickly by the user. Larger doses will be
needed to produce the same effect. A user at a
steady dose who has developed a tolerance may
not become impaired. Impairment includes droopy
eyelids, slow raspy speech, deliberate movements,
slow respiration, inability to concentrate, vomiting,
and depressed reflexes.
Inhalants
• Examples of Inhalants include acetone, paint, glue,
cleaning fluids, aerosol spray propellants, nail polish
remover, kerosene, nitrous oxide, chloroform and
anesthetic gases. Inhalants block oxygen from reaching
the brain. The impact of inhalants may be that of
stimulants, depressants or hallucinogens, and is a mind
altering result. Impairment may include inebriation,
dizziness, numbness, bizarre thoughts, euphoria,
distorted sense of time, hallucinations, floating
sensations, grandiosity, nausea, excessive salivation,
drowsiness, weakness, lightheadedness, altered shapes
and colors, slurred speech, disorientation, and confusion.
INSTANT DEATH MAY OCCUR.
• Examples of Cannabis include marijuana, marinol
(synthetic), hashish, and hashish oil. Cannabis impairs
the attention process. Impairment may include a short
attention span, an inability to concentrate, or an inability
to perform more than one task at a time. Impairment
will exhibit itself as an inability to make more than one
small decision at a time, such as signaling in traffic while
observing other traffic. It may also include body tremors,
disorientation, impaired perception of time and space,
decreased sexual inhibition, lung damage, chronic
bronchitis, anxiety attacks, and personality changes.