Cereal Box Drug Report
This week students will be given an illegal drug to complete a project on.
Students will read the research and create a cereal box report in class.
Students will decorate a real cereal box with illustrations and information
related to a specific illegal drug that they have been reading the research
on.
You will use a piece of white or light colored paper to cover the entire box.
You will probably want to create each side before gluing or taping it to the
box. On the front of the box have the name of the drug and a drawing of
what it most commonly looks like.
For the back, right side, left side, top, and bottom you must include any 5 of
the items in the list below. Each item in the list will take one full side so you
must add color/drawings/phrases/cartoon characters/etc. to grab our
attention alongside of the information.
Information that you could add to your drug report:
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o
o
The effects the drug has on the body
How the drug is made or found (ingredients)
Warning signs that someone is using this drug
Nicknames this drug has
Additional interesting facts
Methods of use
Withdrawl
Life risks
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Crystal Meth
Bath Salts
Inhalants
Cocaine
Ecstasy
Heroin
Marijuana
LSD
PCP
Mushrooms
Cocaine
Cocaine
Street Names
 Blow
 Snow
 Nose Candy
Derived
Cocaine is a powerful stimulant drug that comes from the leaves of the South
American coca plant.
Description
Cocaine is a white powder that people either snort or dissolve and inject with
a needle.
Use
Cocaine, at first, makes people feel energetic and powerful. As these
feelings wear off, however, they quickly become depressed and edgy—and
they start really craving more to get their high back.
Dangers and Effects
Cocaine is among the most addictive drugs out there. Not only can it harm
your body, it can mess up your life to the point where all that matters is your
next fix. Being high on cocaine often results in violence, car crashes, falls,
burns, and drowning. Cocaine can also make you violent or even make you
do bizarre repetitive motions. Some users sit and repetitively draw doodles
or, in severe cases, pick at their skin over and over to try to get the bugs out
they think are underneath. People addicted to cocaine often do risky things
they later regret. They may spend all their cash on cocaine, and do any
number of other things to support their habit. In their pursuit to feed the crack
and cocaine addiction, users hurt the people around them and often end up
alone.
Cocaine
Cocaine, a drug that resembles white powder, often makes the user feel alert, confident, talkative,
and strong. Cocaine use is most prevalent among males between the ages of 18 and 25. Its effects
last for about 45 minutes. On the streets, cocaine may be diluted with cornstarch, talcum powder,
sugar, or other drugs. Because cocaine is extremely addictive, the first-time user cannot possibly
predict when loss of control will occur. Street names for cocaine are coke, snow, blow, Peruvian
marching powder, or C.
Methods of Use
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Chewed as a leaf
Smoked as a paste or freebase lumps
Snorted into mucous membranes of the nose as a powder or vapor
Applied to mucous membranes of the mouth, vagina, or rectum as a powder
Injected into the bloodstream in a water solution
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Used with heroin (called "speedball")
Used with morphine (called "whiz bang")
Dissolved in liquid and drunk
Types
Cocaine can take many forms, including powder, paste, or vapor (freebase). Coca leaves are
sometimes chewed directly. "Crack" cocaine is a popular variant that is usually smoked, producing
a fast, intense high. It is rapidly addictive. Once addicted, users have a hard time staying away from
it.
Effects on the Central Nervous System
Cocaine acts on the nervous system almost immediately. It blocks the biochemical mechanism that
regulates levels of the neurotransmitter called dopamine in the central nervous system. The end
result is increased amounts of dopamine, leading to stimulation of pleasure centers in the brain.
This mechanism accounts for both the immediate euphoric "rush" of the cocaine experience and
the reinforcing effects that lead to long-term addiction. Cocaine also causes increased levels of
another important neurotransmitter called serotonin. Other specific neurochemical effects of
cocaine use include feelings of wakefulness and increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and body
temperature.
Intoxication
Cocaine acts on the nervous system almost immediately. Cocaine intoxication may cause
hallucinations and other perceptual disturbances, tachycardia, agitation, panic, paranoia, impulsive
and aggressive behavior, and poor judgment. Cardiac or respiratory distress can cause death in
some cases. Common side effects include:
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Difficulty passing urine
Dizziness
Enlarged pupils
Fast or irregular heartbeat
Headache
Increased sweating
Mood swings
Paranoia
Neutralized sense of taste
Stomach pain
Nausea and vomiting
Numbness or tingling in extremities
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Seizures or convulsions
Acute stimulant intoxication is often very similar to symptoms shown by schizophrenic or
otherwise psychotic individuals. When these symptoms subside, the user may "crash" and
experience depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and other disturbances accompanied by a
craving for more of the drug.
Life Risks
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Mixing alcohol and cocaine results in the creation of a new chemical compound called
cocaethylene, which intensifies cocaine's effects and increases the risk of sudden death
due to depressed life-support functions, such as breathing.
Long-term use of these drugs has been associated with personality changes that include
increased paranoia and aggression, especially in adolescents.
Cocaine is an illegal substance. Addicts can put themselves in dangerous situations while
attempting to buy their drugs. Obtaining, using, and especially dealing cocaine carries
significant legal penalties, including lengthy jail times.
Withdrawal
Cocaine withdrawal causes characteristic symptoms of depression that can last for years. How the
drug induces long-term depression is not known, but cocaine apparently causes changes in the
serotonin system in the central nervous system. Other withdrawal symptoms from cocaine may
involve:
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Apathy and listlessness
Oversleeping
Intense cravings for cocaine
Loss of appetite
Warning Signs
A person who is addicted to cocaine may:
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Change the circle of friends and withdraw from non-using family and friends
Borrow or steal money to buy cocaine
Become preoccupied with cocaine
Compulsively seek cocaine and dwell on the next use of it
Experience personality changes, poor judgment, and loss of interest in previously
enjoyable activities
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Behave evasively or lie about activities or whereabouts
Crack-Cocaine
Crack-Cocaine
Street Names
 Rock
 The Chunk
Derived
"Crack" is the street name given to cocaine that has been processed from
cocaine hydrochloride to a free base for smoking. The term "crack" refers to
the crackling sound heard when the mixture is smoked (heated).
Description
"Crack," or the "rock" form of cocaine, is a ready-to-use freebase. It is sold in
small, inexpensive dosage units that are smoked. Once introduced in the
mid-1980s, crack abuse spread rapidly throughout America. It is noteworthy
that the emergence of crack was accompanied by a dramatic increase in
drug abuse problems and drug- related violence.
Use
There is great risk whether cocaine is ingested by inhalation (snorting),
injection, or smoking. It appears that compulsive cocaine use may develop
even more rapidly if the substance is smoked rather than snorted. Smoking
allows extremely high doses of cocaine to reach the brain very quickly and
brings an intense and immediate high. The injecting drug user is at risk for
transmitting or acquiring HIV infection/AIDS if needles or other injection
equipment are shared.
Dangers and Effects
Smoking crack cocaine can produce a particularly aggressive paranoid
behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they often
become depressed. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of
the mucous membrane of the nose and can damage the nasal septum
enough to cause it to collapse. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of
cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
Crack Cocaine
Cocaine base, or crack, is a vapor form of cocaine that can be smoked. It reaches the brain
even faster than the injected form, with shorter and more intense effects. Due to the short,
intense nature of the smoked form, crack is extremely addictive. Street names for crack
cocaine include: rock, crackers, smoke, Bebe, bings, and French fry.
Types
Crack cocaine consists of dried shavings of cocaine combined with baking soda or ammonia
in water. A freebase form is made with ether.
Methods of Use
Crack cocaine is smoked as a vapor.
Effects on the Central Nervous System
Cocaine acts on the nervous system almost immediately. It works as a stimulant and induces
a feeling of wakefulness, high energy, and euphoria. It also increases heart rate, blood
pressure, and body temperature.
Intoxication
Cocaine intoxication may produce hallucinations and other perceptual disturbances, racing
heartbeat, agitation, panic, paranoia, impulsive and aggressive behavior, and poor judgment.
In some cases, cardiac or respiratory distress can cause death.
Acute stimulant intoxication is often very similar to symptoms shown by schizophrenic or
otherwise psychotic individuals. When these symptoms subside, the user may "crash" and
experience depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance, along with a craving for more of the
drug.
Life Risks
Long-term use of crack cocaine has been associated with personality changes, especially in
adolescents. The manufacture of crack cocaine in drug labs often results in dangerous,
accidental explosions because of a flammable compound (ethyl ether) that is used in the
process. Free-basing the drug is also dangerous due the flammability factor.
Withdrawal
Withdrawal from crack cocaine may be accompanied by many unpleasant symptoms:
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Apathy
Depression
Disorientation
Irritability
Oversleeping
Warning Signs
A person who is addicted to crack cocaine may:
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Change the circle of friends and withdraw from non-using family and friends
Borrow or steal money to buy the drug
Compulsively seek crack and dwell on the next use
Experience personality changes, poor judgment, and loss of interest in previously
enjoyable activities
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Become evasive or lie about activities or whereabouts
Ecstasy
Ecstasy is the best known of the designer drugs, because of its name
and low price. Known on the street as Ecstasy, XTC, E, or Clarity. On
the street, rave-goers have labeled Ecstasy "the love drug." News
reports document it as a killer.
Study Finds Ecstasy Especially Deadly for Young Users
Ecstasy is a stimulant like various classes of amphetamines, but the
popular club drug is more likely to kill young and otherwise healthy
users.
U.K. researchers who studied ecstasy and amphetamine related deaths
found that ecstasy-related deaths were more common among "victims
who were young, healthy, and less likely to be known as drug users."
Study author Fabrizio Schifano of the University of Hertfordshire said
that ecstasy seemed to have a higher "intrinsic toxicity," particularly
among users ages 16-24. Schifano speculated that the deaths could be
related to the fact that adolescents' brains are still developing.
Basically, it is a cross between an amphetamine and a hallucinogen
and is taken in pill form. As a stimulant, it unleashes energy and is
commonly used to help kids stay awake at a rave. Users also
experience surreal, visual distortions.
Brain damage is only one potential problem. Ecstasy or MDMA
decreases the body's ability to regulate temperature. Kids are taking
Ecstasy at raves and ending up with heat stroke.
Often kids at these drug fests get so revved up, they unwittingly mix
different drugs. Youngsters who take Ecstasy or any illicit drug given
away or peddled at giant gatherings take an immense health risk. “You
never know what’s going to be in it, “ says the Drug Enforcement
Administration’s expert on designer drugs. “We’ve seen Ecstasy pills
that are only Excedrin and others that are pure amphetamine.”
Ecstasy has a long list of known and suspected negative effects on
abusers. It pumps up the heart rate and blood pressure, so users may
become hyperactive. It can produce blurred vision, fainting, chills,
sweating, muscle tension, and disorientation due to such effects as
panic, anxiety, depression, and paranoid thinking.
Ecstasy
Ecstasy, also called MDMA, is a partial derivative of amphetamine and has effects similar
to others in the amphetamine group. It is sometimes classified as a hallucinogen. Ecstasy
has spread, especially on American college campuses and among young people all around
the country. Most individuals who use Ecstasy also use other drugs. Other names for
Ecstasy include MBDB, MDE, MDA, MDEA and 2CB.
Methods of Use
Ecstasy is usually swallowed in tablet form, but it can be injected, snorted, or smoked.
Effects on the Central Nervous System
Because Ecstasy is a stimulant, it causes increased neural activity across the central nervous
system and has diverse stimulating and arousing effects on other organ systems. Evidence
suggests that Ecstasy produces euphoric feelings through action on the neurotransmitter
called dopamine ; however, other effects, especially the more general physiological effects
of the drug, can be attributed to action on the neurotransmitters serotonin and
norepinephrine.
Intoxication
Ecstasy produces an altered reality and creates a lasting high. Chemically, Ecstasy lowers
the levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are important neurotransmitters (chemical
messengers in the central nervous system). Some researchers have noted a similarity
between long-term use of Ecstasy and the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Evidence
suggests that even a single dose of Ecstasy is neurotoxic (poisonous) to the human brain. Its
use is associated with anxiety and depression, mood swings, memory problems, and sleep
disturbance. Long-term use may depress immune system functioning. Other common side
effects of using Ecstasy include:
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Increased heart rate
Fever
Jaw clenching or teeth grinding
Nausea or vomiting
Anxiety
Appetite loss
Sweating
Life Risks
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Evidence suggests that Ecstasy is a neurotoxin, meaning that it has direct, damaging
effects on nerve cells.
Partly because of the popularity of Ecstacy, it is often in short supply, placing
pressure on unscrupulous dealers to substitute other drugs for it.
Users of Ecstacy are often at risk of dehydration, water intoxication, and heat stroke.
Ecstasy use often elevates temperature and, in addition to stimulating the body, often
leaves users out of touch with their own level of exertion. The result may be
dehydration from over-activity without enough water, or at the other extreme,
drinking enough water to cause water intoxication and, in some cases, brain damage
and death.
Withdrawal
The person coming down from Ecstasy often experiences exhaustion, irritability, paranoia,
and depression. Coming down from higher doses may cause convulsions, hallucinations,
and irrational behavior.
Heroin
Heroin
Street Names
 Tootsie Roll
 Smack
 Junk
Description
Heroin is produced from opium, which is obtained from seedpods of the
oriental poppy. In its pure form it is a white to dark brown powder. Heroin is
one of the most widely feared drugs. Another form of heroin, "black tar," has
also become increasingly available in the United States. The color and
consistency of black tar heroin results from the crude processing methods
used to illicitly manufacture the substance in Mexico. Black tar heroin may be
sticky, like roofing tar or hard like coal, and its color may vary from dark
brown to black.
Use
Most users dissolve it in water, and then use a needle to inject it directly into
a vein. Many users just snort the powder, which is just as dangerous.
Dangers and Effects
Because people, who are high on heroin, or craving the next fix, don't use
good judgment, they often share needles with other users. And sharing
needles means massive risk for HIV infection and hepatitis...two incurable
diseases, which can kill.
Heroin
Heroin is a very addictive drug of the opiate class. The body produces its own natural opiates,
called endogenous opiates, which control pain and mediate pleasure. Heroin acts on the central
nervous system in a similar way but with additional side effects. Heroin is processed from
morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the poppy plant. It is fast acting and
poses many potentially serious health risks. Because its action is so fast, heroin is particularly
addictive.
Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder. Street names for heroin include junk, bomb,
skag, Harry, and H. Street names may reflect the specific geographical area of origin (for
example, Mexican black tar).
Methods of Use
Heroin can be injected, snorted, or smoked. Historically, most heroin users have injected the
drug, but evidence suggests a recent trend towards smoking and snorting.
Effects on the Central Nervous System
Heroin is metabolized and converted to morphine in the brain, where it binds to opioid receptors
and produces a euphoric rush of pleasure called a rush. The drug has a depressant effect on the
central nervous system, slowing breathing and suppressing pain. After the initial rush, the user
often experiences a drowsy state (called being "on the nod") in which thought becomes clouded.
The drug also affects other organ systems, such as the digestive system.
Intoxication
In addition to the powerful rush of pleasure, heroin use induces:
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Drowsiness
Difficulty concentrating
Vision problems
Slowed breathing
Nausea and vomiting
Constipation
Reduced sex drive
Increased urination
Low body temperature
Sweating
Life Risks
Needle sharing when using street drugs is one of the leading ways to transmit HIV and other
diseases. Because street heroin may include impurities that do not readily dissolve, it can
obstruct blood vessels that lead to the brain, lungs, liver, or kidneys. Such obstructions can cause
infection and cell death in vital organs.
Heroin use is often associated with other serious health conditions, including:
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Fatal overdose
Spontaneous abortion
Collapsed veins
Infection of heart valves and lining
Infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, from sharing needles
Liver disease
Warning Signs
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Paraphernalia, including syringes, bent spoons, eye droppers, rubber tubes, and eye
droppers
Lethargy or drowsiness
Constricted pupils that don't respond to light
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Redness around nostrils from sniffing
Needle tracks or scars on inner arms or elsewhere
Personality changes (especially with increased recklessness, fearlessness), poor
judgment, loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities
Scabs or lesions at injection sites
Evasive behavior and lying about activities
Withdrawal
Withdrawal symptoms can include:
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Drug craving
Restlessness
Generalized pain
Insomnia
Diarrhea and vomiting
Cold flashes
Erratic movements
Withdrawal can occur within hours of the last use, but symptoms may be at their worst between
48 and 72 hours after the last use and then taper off over several days. Severe withdrawal among
heavy users is occasionally fatal, but heroin withdrawal is less dangerous than withdrawal from
other drugs such as alcohol or barbiturate.
Marijuana
Marijuana
Street Names
 Weed
 Grass
 Chronic
Description
Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of
the hemp plant Cannabis sativa.
Use
It can be eaten in certain foods or smoked. Marijuana is usually smoked in
the form of loosely rolled cigarettes called "joints" or hollowed out commercial
cigars called "blunts."
Dangers and Effects
Smoking marijuana may impair short-term memory while people are using
the drug. This happens because all forms of marijuana contain THC (delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana, which alters
the way the brain works.
Marijuana is produced from the leaves and flowers of the hemp plant. The main active ingredient
in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), but it can contain over 400 other chemicals.
The brain makes a chemical called anandamide, which is similar to marijuana.
In the United States, buying, growing, or possessing cannabis is illegal except by legal
provisions of some states that allow limited cultivation and use of marijuana for medical
purposes. Possessing hemp (the roots, stalks, or stems of the cannabis plant, which can be made
into cloth or paper) is legal but, because cultivating hemp without also producing marijuana is
impossible, no hemp is commercially produced in the United States without a special license
from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
Marijuana is also known as: cannabis sativa, grass, hashish, hashish oil, joint, roach, Mary Jane,
Acapulco gold, bhang, ganja, grass, hemp, jive, Maui wowie, Panama red, Panama gold, pot
reefer, ragweed, sativa, tea, Thai sticks, hash, hash oil, honey oil, weed oil.
Methods of Use
Marijuana is usually smoked in a cigarette or cigar, but it may be used in any number of ways:
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Joints (marijuana cigarettes)
Bongs (water pipes that filter the marijuana smoke)
Pipes (similar to tobacco pipes)
One-hits (a small metal pipe that allows a single "draw" of marijuana smoke)
Effects on the Central Nervous System
THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana, binds to membranes of nerve cells in the central
nervous system that have protein receptors. After binding to nerve cells, THC initiates a
chemical reaction that produces the various effects of marijuana use. One of the effects is
suppression of memory and learning centers (called the hippocampus) in the brain.
Intoxication
Getting "stoned" on marijuana makes many users feel relaxed and talkative. Other pleasurable
sensations sought by marijuana users include mood lift, relaxation, and altered senses and state
of consciousness (while high, users report feeling more philosophical, aware, or enlightened).
The main effects usually plateau for about half an hour after use and then taper off, but evidence
suggests that some effects may last for days or weeks after use.
Marijuana use may also cause increased appetite, dry mouth, slowness, and difficulty thinking
logically or linearly. The more negative side effects of marijuana intoxication include:
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Nausea
Short-term memory loss
Racing heartbeat
Agitation, anxiety
Dizziness
Confusion
Paranoia
Life Risks
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Marijuana smokers may develop many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco
smokers do, including chronic cough with phlegm and chronic bronchitis. Long-term use
of smoked marijuana may injure or destroy lung tissue. Marijuana smokers inhale many
times more carbon monoxide and tar than do tobacco smokers, possibly because
marijuana joints are usually unfiltered.
Marijuana increases blood pressure and heart rate, especially when combined with
cocaine.
Use of marijuana may impair important cognitive functions such as attention, memory,
and learning. Research on marijuana use among young people shows lower achievement
than among non-users.
A mother may pass THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, to her children through
breast milk. Additionally, some children of women who use marijuana have low birth
weight.
Warning Signs
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Marijuana paraphernalia, including rolling papers, roach clips, bongs, fluorescent or highenergy discharge lamps (for indoor marijuana gardens), and heat-resistant pipes. Bongs
may be constructed of homemade materials like mason jars and glass pipettes.
Personality changes including inappropriate laughter and paranoia, poor judgment, loss of
interest in previously enjoyed activities.
Impairment of memory, concentration, and learning
Evasive behavior, lying about activities
Withdrawal
Withdrawal symptoms may occur after chronic use and may last a few weeks after individuals
stop using. Effects may include:
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Anxiety
Reduced pleasurable experiences
Headaches
Difficulty sleeping
Desire to smoke pot
LSD Tablets
LSD-Tablets
Street Names
 Acid
 Blotter
 Windowpane
Description
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is the most potent hallucinogen known to
science. LSD is usually sold in the form of impregnated paper (blotter acid),
typically imprinted with colorful graphic designs. It has also been
encountered in tablets (microdots), thin squares of gelatin (window panes), in
sugar cubes and, rarely, in liquid form.
Use
LSD usually comes in the form of a small, saturated piece of paper (a blotter)
that users place on the tongue, where it infuses into the blood stream.
Dangers and Effects
In the hallucinatory state, the user may suffer impaired depth and time
perception, accompanied by distorted perception of the size and shape of
objects, movements, color; sound, touch, and the users own body image.
During this period, the users' ability to perceive objects through the senses is
distorted: they may describe "hearing colors" and "seeing sounds." The
ability to make sensible judgments and see common dangers is impaired,
making the user susceptible to personal injury. After an LSD "trip," the user
may suffer acute anxiety or depression for a variable period of time.
Flashbacks have been reported days or even months after taking the last
dose.
Street names for LSD, which is a hallucinogen, include acid, twenty-five, Sid, Bart Simpsons,
barrels, tabs, blotter, heavenly blue, L, liquid, Liquid A, microdots, mind detergent, orange
cubes, hits, paper acid, sugar, sugar lumps, sunshine, ticket, wedding bells, and windowpane.
LSD is available in tablets or pills or, more commonly, soaked on small squares of paper called
tabs or blotters. The blotters are often printed with images or designs, and a specific supply of
LSD may be called by the design that appears on the blotter papers, such as "Bart Simpsons" or
"Blue Unicorns."
Methods of Use
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Snorted
Injected into the bloodstream (mainlining), muscles, or under skin (skin popping)
Smoked
Swallowed
Applied to membrane surfaces
Cooked in foods
Chewed
Types
Hallucinogens include LSD, peyote, mescaline (which is the active component of peyote),
psilocybin, DMA, DOM, DMT, 2C-B, 2C-T7, and Ayahuasca
Effects on the Central Nervous System
The way that LSD and other hallucinogens affect the central nervous system is not clearly
understood, but LSD molecules are structurally similar to the neurotransmitter called serotonin
and seem to have an affect on the serotonin system. Serotonin helps regulate important body
functions such as sensation, sleep, attention, and mood. Hallucinogenic effects on the serotonin
system may help explain how the drugs alter those body functions.
Intoxication
Hallucinogens produce hallucinatory experiences ranging from visual distortions and illusions to
multiple hallucinations and even severe panic (during "bad trips"). Effects last from hours to
days. Some of the effects of hallucinogen intoxication may last for months, such as the visual
"trailing" effect in which moving objects seem to leave visual traces behind. Flashbacks, or
spontaneous reoccurrence of hallucinatory effects, may continue to occur long after the drug was
used.
Some individuals may experience spontaneous recurrence of the hallucinations experienced
during use. These can occur even during drug-free periods, up to several months following the
use.
Physical symptoms include enlarged pupils, blurred vision, tachycardia, and poor coordination.
Life Risks
Individuals who use hallucinogens may become delirious or psychotic. Depressive disorders
often occur following the use of these substances. In a few individuals, a single, extremely
frightening experience can cause severe long-term problems with a dramatic decrease in their
ability to function normally.
Withdrawal
Effects of withdrawal from hallucinogens have not been clearly established because these drugs
do not seem to be physically addictive. They may, however, be psychologically addictive
because users feel emotionally dependent on taking them.