(Chpt 26) Illegal Drugs
• Substance abuse- unnecessary or improper use of chemical substances for non-medical purposes.
– Illegal Drugs-street drugs
– Synthetic Drugs- chemical substances produced artificially in a laboratory
– Illicit Drugs- any substance that is illegal or otherwise not permitted
– Gateway Drugs-drugs that often lead to other serious and dangerous drug use
Trends in Teen Drug Use
• Using drugs now more than ever before
• Between 1993 and 1998 12-17 year old drug usage doubled.
• 11% of Americans 12 and older use drugs
• More teens are trying heroin than ever before
• In 1998, 9% of teens used marijuana
• Most teens consider marijuana as a safe drug
Dangers of Substance Abuse
• All drugs have side effects- reactions to medicine other than the one intended
• Anyone who abuses the medication is at risk for an overdose-a strong or even fatal reaction to taking a
large amount of the drug
• When injections are involved, HIV can be spread through needles.
• People that experiment with drugs also loose control easy which may lead to more sexual encounters,
STD’s or STI’s or even pregnancy.
• Build up a tolerance to the drug
• Physiological Dependence
• Body develops a chemical need for the drug
• Withdrawal
• Psychological dependence
• A person believes a drug is needed in order to feel good or function normally
• Addiction
Types of Psychoactive Drugs
• Stimulants
• Depressants
• Narcotics
• Hallucinogens
– The only drug that has no medical use
Stimulantsdrugs that speed up the central nervous system
• Amphetamines
• Stay awake and alert, loose weight, increase sports performance, creates a high and then a
big crash
• Used to treat nasal congestion and narcolepsy in ’30’s. Used to treat ADD and ADHD
today. (War, Truckers)
• Methamphetamines
• Used to treat obesity, increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased
appetite, increased respiration, hyperthermia, and euphoria.
• Aka. Speed, Meth, Crystal, Crank, Tweak, Ice, Glass, Uppers
• Can get hooked after first use
• Cocaine/Crack (aka. Coke, Snow, Blow,Lines
• Tissue damage in the nose, holes in the naval septum, malnutrition, extremely addictive
and deadly
• increased heart and respiratory rates, elevated blood pressure, dilated pupils, decreased
appetite, excessive activity, talkativeness, argumentative behavior
Depressantsdrugs that slow down the central nervous system
• Barbiturates
• The primary differences among many of these products are how fast they produce an
effect and how long those effects last. Barbiturates are classified as ultra-short, short,
intermediate, and long-acting.
• Anesthesia, Induce sleepiness, rarely used for medical use, combined with alcohol they
can be fatal
• Tranquilizers
• Reduce muscular activity, coordination, and attention span
• Methaqualone
• Reduces anxiety and to help with insomnia
• In the United States, the marketing of methaqualone pharmaceutical products stopped in
1984
• Excessive use leads to tolerance, dependence, and withdrawal symptoms similar to those
of barbiturates
• Xanax, Valium, Libriu
Narcoticsdrugs derived from the opium plant that have a sedative effect
• Morphine
• Reduces severe pain, appetite suppressant
• Morphine is one of the most effective drugs known for the relief of severe pain and
remains the standard against which new analgesics are measured
• Codeine
• Codeine is medically prescribed for the relief of moderate pain and cough suppression.
Compared to morphine, codeine produces less analgesia, sedation, and respiratory
depression, and is usually taken orally
• Heroin
• Drug is used a lot more than the typical use a coupl eof decades ago. (Traditionally the
purity of heroin in a "bag" has ranged from one to ten percent. More recently, heroin
purity has ranged from one to ninety-eight percent, with a national average of thirty-five
percent.)
Hallucinogens-drugs that alter moods, thoughts and sense
perception, including vision, hearing, smell and touch
• Ecstasy - produces profoundly positive feelings, empathy for others, elimination of anxiety, and extreme
relaxation
• PCP (phencyclidine)
• PCP was investigated as an anesthetic, but due to its severe side effects, its development
for human use was discontinued
• More power form of LSD
• LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
• It was developed initially as a circulatory and respiratory stimulant. However, no
extraordinary benefits of the compound were identified and its study was discontinued. In
the 1940's, interest in the drug was revived when it was thought to be a possible treatment
for schizophrenia
• Mescaline (Peyote)
• alter a persons' state of mind and mood and cause you to see, hear, or feel things that
aren't actually real
• Effects can lasts up to 12 hours
Other Dangerous Drugs
• Cannabis Derivatives
– Aka Pot, dope, grass, weed, Mary Jane, chronic, reefer, ganja, kaya, doobie, keef.
•
– Come from the hemp plant, hallucinogen, stimulant and depressant, alters your senses,
coordination and reaction time
Inhalants
– Glue, spray paint, white out, gasoline
– Depress the central nervous system
– Effects are similar to alcohol