Download commonly used drugs

Commonly Used Drugs
Marijuana (Cannabis)
Mushrooms
Cocaine/Crack
Ecstasy
Heroin
What is Marijuana?
• Absorbed by most tissues and organs in the
body
• Dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from
the hemp plant, Cannabis
• contains the mind-altering chemical delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol—tetro-hydrocannabinal (THC) and other related
compounds.
• As much as ten times more potent than in the
early 70’s
• Takes 1 month to leave the body
• 3 months for it to leave the body of a chronic
smoker
• not addictive but smokers may become
psychologically dependent
• Near impossible to overdose
• Average high lasts 2-3 hours. Peak in first 30
minutes.
• One joint can cause as much danger to the
lungs as smoking 5 cigarettes consecutively
How do people use Marijuana?
• People smoke marijuana in hand-rolled
cigarettes (joints)
• In pipes or water pipes (bongs).
• smoke it in blunts—emptied cigars that have
been partly or completely refilled with
marijuana.
• Users can mix marijuana in food (edibles),
such as brownies, cookies, or candy, or brew it
as a tea.
Marijuana effects the brain
THC (tetrahydrocannabinal) passes quickly from
the lungs into the bloodstream. ( yellow)
Short-term
-Marijuana over activates parts of the brain that
contain the highest number of these receptors.
“The High”
• altered senses (for example, seeing brighter
colors)
• drowsiness, lack of motivation
• changes in mood
• impaired body movement
• difficulty with thinking and problem-solving and
retaining information
• impaired memory
Long-term effects
• Affects Brain development
• Using as teenagers, the drug may reduce thinking, memory,
and learning functions.
• Effects on these abilities may last a long time or even be
permanent.
• Studies showed that people who started smoking
marijuana heavily in their teens and had an ongoing
cannabis use disorder lost an average of eight IQ points
between ages 13 and 38. The lost mental abilities did not
fully return in those who quit marijuana as adults.
• Moderate to heavy marijuana use, especially 12-17 year
olds can result in decreased or zero sperm production
Mushrooms (Shrooms)
• Known as a “trip” because it is a long and powerful
experience takes you beyond normal perception
• Usually lasts around 4-6 hours; effects felt 20min -1hr
after ingestion
• Cause hallucinogens; hear or see things that aren’t
real.
• Caused by ingredient psilocybin
• Can be eaten raw or used to make tea
• Stays in system for up to 7 and can be detected in
blood or urine
• Can experience good or bad trips
Good Trips
• Low doses can induced a tingling body feeling
and sense of euphoria and lightness
• May feel happy and giggly
• Colors seem more vibrant, music sounds richer
• Erases normal filters and screens between
conscious mind and the outside world
• Become more aware of things normally filtered
out
• Sense, think, and feel more
Bad Trips
• Spend several hours in a world that is similar to
your worst nightmare
• Nothing you can do about it
• Terrifying
• Spend several hours with the disturbing images
• Can feel anxious and afraid
• http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads/148235Mushrooms-First-Time-Bad-trip-and-out-ofcontrol
Other Facts
• Effects felt about 20 minutes to an hour after
ingestion
• First signs are a sense of euphoria and
expectation
• Effects take between 30-45 minutes to “come
up” and reach their peak
• Peak effect lasts 1-2 hours
• Can experience highs and lows during a trip
What is Cocaine?
• a fine, white, crystal powder
• powerfully addictive stimulant drug made
from the leaves of the coca plant
• Street dealers often mix it with things like
cornstarch, talcum powder, or flour to
increase profits. They may also mix it with
other drugs such as the stimulant
amphetamine.
How do people use it?
• Snort through the nose
• Rub it into gums
• Inject by dissolving in water (heroin and cocaine
mixed is called speedball)
• Smoking (freebase/crack cocaine) process in
which powder is converted into rock crystal then
heated to produce vapors
• Taken in binges/repeatedly in a short time
• Increase doses to maintain high
Short-term effects
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extreme happiness and energy
mental alertness
hypersensitivity to sight, sound, and touch
irritability
paranoia—extreme and unreasonable distrust
of others
• Aggression
• Some people find that cocaine helps them
perform simple physical and mental tasks
more quickly, although others experience the
opposite effect.
• Large amounts of cocaine can lead to bizarre,
unpredictable, and violent behavior.
Health effects
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constricted blood vessels
dilated pupils
nausea
raised body temperature and blood pressure
faster heartbeat
tremors and muscle twitches
restlessness
Long-term effects
• loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, frequent runny
nose, and problems with swallowing.
• Tooth decay
• Permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain
• High blood pressure
• Liver, kidney, and lung damage
• Respiratory failure if smoked
• Malnutrition
• Sexual Problems
• If injected higher risk of HIV/Hep C
Aftereffects “Crash”
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Depression
Slowed thinking
fatigue
increased appetite
Insomnia; lose touch with reality.
Agitation
Intense craving for more
Ecstasy (club drug)
• Also known as MDMA
• Popular nickname “Molly” slang for Molecular the
crystalline form sold in capsules.
• Lasts up to 3-6 hours
• Taken as a pill but can also be crushed and snorted
and/or put into a drink.
• Man made (does not come from a plant)
• Makers can add whatever they want to it, so the purity
and the safety of the drug is always in question
• Can become easily overheated, pass out and die of
heat stroke.
How does it effect the brain?
• 3 Brain Chemicals
- Dopamine- causes euphoria and increased
energy/ activity.
- Norepinephrine- increases heart rate and
blood pressure.
- Serotonin –affects mood, appetite, sleep,
and other functions. also triggers hormones
that affect sexual arousal and trust.
Short-term effect
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nausea
muscle cramping
involuntary teeth clenching
blurred vision
chills
sweating
Aftereffects
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irritability
impulsiveness and aggression
depression
sleep problems
anxiety
memory and attention problems
decreased appetite
decreased interest in and pleasure from sex
What is Heroin?
• An opioid drug that is synthesized from
morphine, a naturally occurring substance
extracted from the opium poppy plant.
• appears as a white or brown powder
How is it used?
• Injected, snorted, smoked
• Delivers the drug to the brain very rapidly
• Contributes to high risk of addiction- a chronic
relapsing disease caused by changes in the
brain.
• Characterized by uncontrollable drug-seeking
no matter the consequences.
How does it affect the brain?
• Enters the brain into the opioid receptors located
in the main areas of the brain and brain stem.
• Controls automatic processes critical to life, such
as blood pressure, arousal, and respiration.
• Overdoses involve suppression of breathing
which can affect the amount of oxygen to the
brain called Hyoxia.
• Hypoxia can be short and long term. Some effects
are coma and brain damage.
Short-term effects
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Euphoria “rush”
Fry mouth
Warm flushing of the skin
Heaviness of extremities
Clouded mental functioning
“On the Nod” wakeful and drowsy state
Long -Term effects
• Tolerance
• Dependence- continue to avoid withdrawals such
as restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia,
diarrhea and vomiting, cold flashes with goose
bumps.
• Deterioration of the brain; affect decision-making
abilities, the ability to regulate behavior, and
responses to stressful situations.
• Overall appearance; scabby skin, etc.
• Poor nutrition/living life style
Health Effects
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Fatal overdose
HIV/Hepatitis C
Collapsed veins
Infection of the heart
Abscesses
Constipation
Gastrointestinal cramping
Liver or kidney disease.
An epidemic…
• http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/worldnews/parents-found-dead-heroin-overdoses8981859
• http://www.wsbtv.com/news/2investigates/from-cheerleader-to-addict-theheroin-lifestyle-that-killed-a-mother-offour/450662210