Drugs

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Introduction

Drug Facts

• Cocaine - what else is it called
• Cocaine - what does it look like
• Cocaine - how does it affect people
• Cocaine - what are the health risks
• Ecstasy - what else is it called
• Ecstasy - what does it look like
• Ecstasy - how does it affect people
• Ecstasy - what are the health risks
• Gases, Glues and Aerosols - what else is it called
• Gases, Glues and Aerosols - what does it look like
• Gases, Glues and Aerosols - how does it affect people
• Gases, Glues and Aerosols - what are the health risks
• Cannabis - what else is it called
• Cannabis - what does it look like
• Cannabis - how does it affect people
• Cannabis - what are the health risks
• Heroin - what else is it called
• Heroin - what does it look like
• Heroin - how does it affect people
• Heroin - what are the health risks

Drugs and the Law

• Class A
• Class B
• Class C
• Solvents
• Medicines

The Risks

Emergency

• Tense & Panicky
• Drowsy
• Dehydrated
• Unconscious

Introduction

Hi welcome to the 11up drug section, we will be talking about different type of drugs and how it affects you, health risks, what it looks like etc.

We will also be explaining about the Law linked to drugs, the risks you take when you are taking drugs and what to do in an emergency e.g. if you see your friend taking drugs and they start getting ill, I will explain what to do.

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Drug Facts

Cocaine

Cocaine – what else is it called

Coke, Charlie, snow, C, crack (smokeable form of cocaine).

Cocaine – what does it look like

White powder, which is snorted or injected

Cocaine – how does it affect people?

Effects peak between 15 and 40 minutes, then diminish quickly
Sense of wellbeing, alertness, confidence, indifference to pain
Users often left craving more as the intense feelings pass quickly
Dry mouth, sweating, loss of appetite, racing pulse
Low doses may increase sexual pleasure, higher doses cause erection problems.

Cocaine – what are the health risks

• Long-term users can become dependent on the way cocaine makes them feel
• Can cause heart problems and chest pain
• Can leave users feeling tired and depressed
• Constant, frequent use can leave users restless, confused, paranoid and sleepless
• Snorting may permanently damage the inside of the nose

Ecstasy

Ecstasy – what else is it called

E, burgers, mitsi's (mitsubishi's), dolphins, rolexes. Chemical name: MDMA

Ecstasy – what does it look like

Tablets of different shapes, size and colour (often white) which are swallowed.

Ecstasy – how does it affect people

• Effects typically begin within an hour and last between three and six hours
• Users often want to dance for hours and there is a risk of overheating and dehydration if users dance energetically without taking breaks or drinking enough fluids
• Users feel alert and in tune with their surroundings
• Sound, colour and emotions seem much more intense
• Dry mouth and throat and sweating, tightened jaw and dilated pupils
• More risky for those with heart disease, high blood pressure, epilepsy
• After effects may include anxiety, depression, paranoia, tiredness and dizziness.

Ecstasy – what are the health risks

Many long term effects are uncertain and are still being researched.

• Can leave users feeling tired and depressed for days
• Periods may be heavier, irregular or stop
• Nerve damage from ecstasy use may affect memory and possibly increase chances of depression
• Possibly increases risk of getting colds and flu
• Regular users can become tolerant to ecstasy.

Gases, Glues and Aerosols

Gases, Glues and Aerosols – what else is it called

Products such as lighter gas refills, aerosols containing products such as hairspray, deodorants and air fresheners, tins or tubes of glue, some paints, thinners and correcting fluids.

Gases, Glues and Aerosols – what does it look like

• Vapour sniffed or breathed into the lungs from container, cloth, sleeve or bag
• Gas products are sometimes squirted directly into the mouth and throat.

Gases, Glues and Aerosols – how does it affect people

Substances vary widely as do their effects

• Users feel very happy, dizzy, giggly and dreamy, sometimes similar to being drunk
• Some users report hallucinations (seeing, hearing, feeling things which are not really there); these can be funny or frightening
• Feeling sick and vomiting may accompany heavy doses
• Squirting a pressurised substance (such as gas) into the mouth and throat causes a sudden drop in temperature which can make the tissues swell and block them; this can cause death by asphyxia (not being able to breathe)
• If the substance is sniffed from a plastic bag covering the nose and mouth there is high risk of being suffocated
• Heavy activity following sniffing can cause fatal strain on the heart.

Gases, Glues and Aerosols – what are the health risks

• Immediate dangers of death are real.
• Wide range of symptoms happen from confusion and headache to regular nose-bleeds and weight loss
• Sniffing may damage the brain, though this has not been proved
• Ongoing, regular use of the glues has been linked with permanent damage to kidney, liver and heart.

Cannabis

Cannabis – what else is it called

Marijuana, blow, weed, puff, hash, ganja, skunk, spliff,

Cannabis – what does it look like

• A solid, dark lump known as 'resin', leaves, stalks and seeds called 'grass', a sticky, dark oil - 'hash oil'.
• Can be rolled (usually with tobacco) in a spliff or joint, smoked on its own in a special pipe, or cooked and eaten in food.

Cannabis – how does it affect people

Effects start after a few minutes, and last an hour or more. Cooking the drug then eating it delays the effects, and makes them more intense (stronger) but harder to control

• Users feel relaxed, talkative and giggly
• It may bring on a craving for food (the 'munchies')
• It may affect short-term memory and reduce concentration and coordination.
• It can make users feel worried and tense
• There are no records of a fatal overdose of cannabis.

Cannabis – what are the health risks

• Users can become dependent on cannabis
• Smoking it over a long period of time may lead to respiratory (breathing) illnesses, including cancers
• It can leave users tired and lacking motivation and energy
• Use may be especially risky for people with mental illness such as schizophrenia because it can make it worse

Heroin

Heroin – what else is it called

Smack, brown, horse, gear, junk, H, jack, scag.

Heroin – what does it look like

Brownish or white powder that is smoked, snorted or dissolved and injected.

Heroin – how does it affect people

• Effects usually last an hour or so
• Powerful pain-killing effects, may be linked to feeling sick, nausea and vomiting and can cause constipation
• Small doses give the user a sense of warmth and wellbeing, doing away with worries and unhappy feelings
• Larger doses induce sedation - users feel drowsy, relaxed; very large doses induce coma
• Sometimes the heroin is so pure that it may lead to overdose which can be fatal

Heroin – what are the health risks

• Heroin is physically addictive (even when smoked)
• Tolerance develops - stopping for a period and then re-starting can turn a usual dose into an overdose
• Injecting can damage veins and dirt introduced can cause abscesses and septicaemia (poison in the blood)
• Sharing injecting equipment can spread dangerous infections like Hepatitis and HIV
• Withdrawal (seven to 10 days) from addicted use brings aches, shaking, sweating and chills, sneezing and yawning, and muscular spasms.

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Drugs and the Law

Some drugs are controlled and there may be a penalty for:

Having them without a special license

Importing (getting them from abroad)

Possession (having them for your own use) or

Supplying them (giving them to somebody else).

It is a criminal offence to possess any controlled drug (for some, a prescription is needed) and punishments are more serious for Class A drugs.

There are three classes of drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1971:

Class A

Drug types: -

• Opium
• Cocaine
• Crack
• Ecstasy
• Heroin
• LSD (acid)
• Magic mushrooms - when prepared (dried, cooked, made into tea, etc.)
• Possession: seven years prison and/or a fine.
• Possession with intent to supply: life imprisonment and/or a fine.

Class B

Drug types: -

• Amphetamines (speed)
• Barbiturates
• Codeine

Possession: five years prison and/or a fine.

Possession with intent to supply: 14 years prison and/or a fine.

Class C

• Most anabolic steroids
• Cannabis *
• Tranquillisers (including Royhpnol)
• DF 118 (painkillers)
• GBH.

Possession: two years and a fine.

Possession with intent to supply: 14 years and/or a fine

Solvents

There are no laws against possessing or using solvents, but in some areas by-laws allow police to take sniffers in public to 'a place of safety'. In Scotland, they can be taken into care

Retailers are not permitted to sell solvents to anyone under 18 if they have reason to believe they will be used for purposes of intoxication. (The Intoxicating Substances Supply Act 1985 covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland has broadly similar arrangements under common law)

It is illegal to sell lighter fuel to under 18s (Consumer Protection Act 1999).

Medicines

Medicines are controlled by the Medicines Agency, whose powers cover the manufacture and supply of medicines through licensed outlets: chemists, corner shops, etc. Possession of some medicines, (eg Temazepam) which are prescription-only, is illegal under the Misuse of Drugs Act if no prescription is held. Other prescription-only medicines (eg anabolic steroids) are not controlled in this way.

If a drug is illegal, there is always a risk that you will be caught and punished.
This may bring a record that stays with you into later life affecting jobs or travel. School, punishments may be severe - you may be excluded permanently.

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The Risks

There are risks to taking illegal drugs:

You never know what's in them. They are unlikely to be pure and they could be mixed with something dangerous
You can never tell how strong they are. An accidental overdose could lead to unconsciousness or even death
Using certain drugs, such as inhaling glues, gases and solvents can be very risky because they can cause swelling in the throat that leads to suffocation
Mixing different drugs, or mixing drugs with alcohol, can be very dangerous
Sharing needles when injecting drugs puts you at risk of infections such as HIV and Hepatitis
It is a criminal offence to possess drugs or supply them to others. With a criminal record, you might find travelling abroad or getting a job difficult
Some jobs require a police search and some firms keep records of people who have been convicted in court
Some people can become dependent on drugs and need them to feel normal. This can be expensive and affect your relationships, work, health and other areas of your life.
Some of the risks depend on what drug is used, how it is used and how you feel when you use it. For instance, it is always more risky to inject drugs, and if you feel down many drugs will make you feel even worse

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Emergency

People can react unpredictably to drugs. The effects can depend on the person's mood, the situation, and the quantity taken.

It's important to know what to do if someone reacts badly to drink or drugs by becoming:

Tense and Panicky

Drugs such as amphetamines (speed), cannabis, ecstasy, LSD and magic mushrooms can sometimes make the user feel tense and panicky

If this happens you should: -

Calm the person down

• Speak in a normal voice and try not to show that you are worried
• Explain that the feelings will go away
• Settle the person down in a quiet dim room
• If breathing very quickly, make the person take long slow breaths to calm down

Drowsy

People who have taken heroin, tranquillisers, gases, glues or aerosols can feel very drowsy.

If this happens you should: -

• Calm the person down and speak in a low quiet voice, Don't panic yourself
• Don't scare them or make them do too much
• DO NOT give them coffee to wake them up
• If they continue to be drowsy place them in the recovery position
• Call an ambulance if they don't become more alert

Dehydrated

Some people become dehydrated from taking certain drugs because the drugs affect the body's temperature control and causes overheating

The warning signs include cramps, fainting, headache or sudden tiredness

If this happens you should: -

• Move them to a cooler, quieter area
• Remove extra clothing to try and cool them down
• Encourage them to sip fluids such as water, fruit juice or Isotonic sports drinks (about a pint every hour) DO NOT give them alcohol
• If they continue to feel dehydrated call an ambulance, but try to make sure someone stays with them

Unconscious

An overdose of most drugs will lead to unconsciousness

• If this happens you should: -
• Dial 999 straightaway and ask for an ambulance
• Place the person in the recovery position so that they don't choke if they vomit
• Check breathing and be prepared to do mouth to mouth resuscitation
• Keep them warm but not too hot. If the person has taken ecstasy and you think they have overheated, make sure they have plenty of cool, fresh air and remove any extra clothing such as hats or gloves
• Stay with the person at all times or ensure that someone else does. If you have to leave to call an ambulance go straight back.
• If you know what drug has been taken, tell the ambulance crew. If you find the drugs and don't know what they are - give them to the ambulance crew.

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