Medicine and Illegal Drugs Click to add subtitle

Stimulants- Any drug that increases the body’s activity. Stimulants cause heart rate and breathing to speed up. User feels awake & alert (possibly for days) Types: caffeine, cocaine, crack cocaine, & methamphetamine.

Cocaine & Crack Cocaine

Cocaine – Powerful drug (stimulant) made from the coca plant. Cocaine comes in a white powder and inhaled through the nose.

Crack Cocaine (ROCK) – Cocaine that is altered or cooked into a different form, which can be smoked. Effects are more intense and do not last as long as cocaine.

Both cocaine and crack cocaine cause intense euphoria- physical and mental sense of well-being (exaggerated state of mind). Due to the short lived effects of both drugs people must use the drug often to make the effects last. High lasts about 10-15 minutes followed by physical illness and depression. Addiction can lead to overdose which results in heart attacks or strokes (brain damage or death)

Prolonged cocaine snorting can cause scabs to form on your mucus membranes, damage your nasal septum and eventually make your nose collapse

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine A stimulant that is synthetic and comes in a rock form. Street Names: Meth, Crystal, Crystal Meth Ways that it is used: smoked, injected, or inhaled. Effects will last for hours and is extremely addictive. Short term-effects: euphoria, decreased appetite, increased body temperature. Permanent kidney damage, liver damage, brain damage, death.

Meth Video Effects of Meth Use

Meth users pick at their skin and rot their teeth.

Depressants

Depressants- Any drug that decreases activity in the body. - Also known as sedatives. Heart Rate & Breathing slows down Blood Pressure drops Mild relaxation Deep sleep Very addictive

Types of depressants: Tranquilizers – mild depressants that help treat anxiety. Barbiturates – makes you drowsy and sleepy. Also used to treat seizures Hypnotics – very powerful depressants, causes sleep Overdose can cause coma, death and brain damage. Interacts strongly with alcohol causing severe effects.

Rohypnol An extremely powerful hypnotic depressant.

Rohypnol: Small white tablets, lasts for 8 hours Street names: roofies, roach, rope Effects: sleepiness, slurred speech, impaired judgment, difficulty walking, loss of muscle control, and BLACKOUT. Effects are increased when mixed with alcohol. Blackout – is the inability to remember anything that happened while under the drugs effects. Known as the “date rape drug”

Dried flowers & leaves of the Cannabis plant. Marijuana Dried flowers & leaves of the Cannabis plant.

Marijuana: Most abused drug. Known as the “Gate Way Drug” Street names: Grass, weed, pot, dope, Mary Jane, green, bud, and reefer. Most of the time it is smoked, but it can be mixed with food and eaten. THC – (tetrahydrocannabinol) chemical substance in marijuana. Levels of THC may vary based on the plant.

Long Term Effects of Marijuana Decreases ability to think and concentrate Decreases desire and energy. “Lethargic” Because it is smoked marijuana use can have similar effects as smoking cigarettes. Chronic bronchitis Respiratory problems Circulatory problems

Opiates Any drug that is produced from the milk of the opium poppy plant (grows in Europe & Asia)

Opiates Extremely addictive (quickly addictive) STRONG HIGH Develops a strong tolerance Hardest addiction to break Intense (painful) withdrawals symptoms: cramps, vomiting, muscle pain, shaking, chills, panic attacks.

Types of Opiates Prescription Opiates: Used to treat pain, coughs, and intestinal problems. These can be abused leading to addiction with failure of following a doctors instructions. Roxy's

Types of Opiates Heroin: The most powerful and addictive opiate. Made from Morphine. Inhaled through nose, smoked, or injected (most popular way to take it is to inject it).

Effects of Heroin: Euphoria, sleepiness, warm feeling in the skin, shallow breathing, and nausea. Infections of the heart, liver disease, and lung disease Using dirty needles can lead to diseases such as hepatitis or HIV.