Illicit Drugs

Marijuana

• A recent government survey tells us that marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the United States.
• A survey conducted in 2005 by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) estimated 97.5 million Americans aged 12 or older tried marijuana at least once in their lifetimes, representing 40.1% of the U.S. population in that age group.
• More than 40% of America’s teens can buy marijuana within a day and 20% can get it in an hour or less.
• On an average day, 263 adolescents are admitted to treatment for marijuana dependence.

Street names: Ashes, atshitshi, Aunt Mary, baby bhang, bammy, blanket, blunt, boom, broccoli, cheeba, chronic, cripple, dagga, ganja, dinkie, ding, dow, Dona Juana (or Juanita), drope, ganja, gasper, good butt, grass, hash, herb, jolly green, Mary Jane, pot, reefer, roach, skunk, and weed.
Method: Smoking, eating, intravenous (extremely difficult), aerosol inhalation, rectal suppository, and vaporizers
Effects: Difficulty with listening, thinking, retaining knowledge, problem solving, forming concepts, and coordination. Prolonged use may cause memory loss, increased heart rate, anxiety, hallucinations, and an increased risk of cancer.

At present time, marijuana is up to 7 times stronger that it was in the 60’s and 70’s with approximately 420 chemicals. The tar content of marijuana is up to 20 times that of a cigarette. The average first age of use is 14 years old with more teens are in treatment for marijuana use than all other illegal drugs combined. Marijuana is considered the gateway drug to all other drugs and is used more than any other illegal drug.

Signs your child may be using:

• Red or bloodshot eyes
• An unnatural sense of relaxation and happiness
• A heightened sense of taste perception
• Poor memory
• Increased blood pressure and heart rate
• Red eyes
• Decreased coordination
• Difficulty concentrating
• Increased appetite
• Slowed reaction time
• Addiction (psychological)
• Panic
• Paranoia
• Persistent anxiety
• Impaired cognitive skills
• Memory difficulties
  
  

Methamphetamine

• Approximately 8% of high school seniors surveyed in 2000 had used methamphetamine at least once in their lives.
• According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 10.4 million Americans age 12 and older had tried methamphetamine at least once in their lifetimes.
• Made from common household chemicals, methamphetamine is a synthetic (or manufactured) drug.

Street names: Blade, black beauty, bling, chalk, crank, crystal, glass and ice.
Method: Swallowed, injected, snorted, or smoked.
Effects: Sensation of insects crawling under the skin, hallucinations, anxiety, aggression, irritability and restlessness, loss of appetite, insomnia, stroke or convulsions. This highly addictive drug can begin as early as 8-30 seconds after its use. Meth usage has effects on the brain and central nervous system. Withdrawal from meth is also more intense, painful, and longer-lasting than withdrawal from other drugs. Depression can result from coming off the drug.

Signs your child may be using:

• Dilated pupils
• Dry mouth
• Euphoria
• Decreased appetite
• Rapid speech
• Irritability/restlessness
• Depression
• Nasal congestion
• Insomnia
• Extreme and sudden weight loss
• Increased heart rate
• Increased blood pressure
• Increased temperature
• Lack of interest in food or sleep
• Argumentative
• Nervous
• Violent behavior
• Paranoia

Ecstasy (MDMA)

• 28% of teens know a friend or classmate who has used Ecstasy, with 17% knowing more than one user.
• 10% of teens say that they have been to a rave and Ecstasy was available at more than two-thirds of these raves.
• Among 12th graders, Ecstasy use rose from 5.6% in 1999 to 8.2% in 2000, and for the first time, 8th graders showed increased rates in their use of Ecstasy as well.
• 92% of those who begin using Ecstasy later turn to other drugs including marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine and heroin.

Street names: 69’s, Adams, b-bombs, batman’s, hug drug, and love drug.
Method: Ingested orally, snorted, suppository, or smoked.
Effects: Confusion, depression, sleep problems, severe anxiety, muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, faintness, and chills or sweating.

Some problems can occur while or soon after taking the drug, others come days or weeks after taking Ecstasy. According to the Center for Substance Abuse Research, the user experiences small rushes of exhilaration at about 20 to 40 minutes after ingestion. Sixty to 90 minutes later, the user begins to feel the peak effects of the drug. Users continue to experience effects for up to 6 hours and can feel drained or burned-out for up to 2 days later.

Often referred to as the “chemical cousin” to Meth, MDMA, known as Ecstasy, is a chemical that is usually taken orally as a capsules or tablets. It is a manmade drug that is chemically similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens. Ecstasy distorts the perception of time and the sense of touch. Taking Ecstasy causes chemical changes in the brain that affect your mood, appetite and sleep.

Signs your child may be using:

• Muscle tension
• Heightened senses
• Hallucinations
• Euphoria
• Empathy for others/emotional warmth
• Anxiety or paranoia
• Involuntary teeth or jaw clenching
• Nausea
• Extreme relaxation
• Severe dehydration (especially when mixed with alcohol)
• Heat exhaustion
• Increased body temperature up to 108 degrees (especially when dancing)
• Increased blood pressure, breathing rate, and heart rate
• Faintness
• Chills or sweating
• Blurred vision or nystagmus - rapid quivering of the pupils (while the user is feeling peak effects)
• Confusion
• Depression
• Sleep problems
• Drug craving
• Severe anxiety
• Paranoia
• Possible depletion of serotonin and memory
  
  

GHB (Gamma – Hydroxybutyrate)

• GHB has reportedly been used in cases of date rape. Because GHB is odorless and tasteless, it can be slipped into someone's drink without detection.
• Anyone who possesses manufactures or distributes GHB could face a prison term of up to 20 years.
• The substances used to make GHB are commonly used as floor stripping solvents and drain cleaners.
• GHB is a Schedule I substance in the U.S., meaning it has a high potential for abuse, has no currently accepted medical use, and lacks safe-use guidelines. This is the most restricted drug schedule.

Street names: Candy raver, cherry meth, fantasy, G, Georgia Home Boy, liquid ecstasy, liquid G, liquid X, and mils.
Method: Ingested orally (liquid, powder).
Effects: Ecstasy relaxes and(or) sedates the body, and makes the user look as if they are drunk. In high doses it can slow breathing and heart rate to dangerous levels, may cause coma or death.

GHB can be either an odorless, colorless liquid or a white powder. Both forms can be mixed with almost any beverage making it extremely difficult to detect. Because of this, people have become victims of date rape after unsuspectingly ingesting GHB slipped into their drinks by an attacker. The effects of GHB – especially when 'combined with alcohol' – can induce blackouts and memory loss that allow sexual predators to more easily facilitate sexual encounters (Centers for Substance Abuse Research). Ecstasy begins to work after 10 to 20 minutes of ingestion and may last for up to 4 hours. The drug also leaves the body’s system fairly fast.

Signs your child/friend may be using or involuntarily drugged:

• Euphoria and decreased inhibitions (low doses)
• Extensive muscle relaxation
• Disorientation
• Sleepiness and lethargy
• Confusion
• Loss of coordination and balance
• Heart rate and respiration lower
• Impaired learning and memory
  
  

Heroin

• Current estimates suggest that nearly 600,000 people need treatment for heroin addiction.
• Children as young as 13 have been found involved in heroin abuse.
• Most heroin addicts report having been introduced to heroin by someone they trusted.
• Heroin overdoses have caused more deaths than traffic accidents in the past several years.

Street names: A-bomb, Aunt Hazel, Bart Simpson, Big H, Big Harry, and black beauty.
Methods: Injected intravenously, smoked, sniffed or snorted -- heroin is a highly addictive drug regardless of the route of administration.
Effects: Warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, heavy feeling in the extremities, nausea, vomiting, severe itching, clouded mental functions, infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis (from the use of needles), collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses at the site of injection, liver or kidney disease. Overdose is a daily possibility.

Heroin (diacetylmorphine) is a highly addictive Schedule I drug in the US, and a heavily abused and extremely potent opiate. It is processed from morphine. Pure heroin, which is a bitter-tasting white powder, is rarely sold on the streets. Most that is sold is a powder varying in color from white to dark brown. The differences in color are due to impurities in the manufacturing process and/or the presence of other drugs or additives such as powdered milk or quinine. Another form of heroin known as "black tar" is available mostly in the western and southwestern United States (Center for Substance Abuse Research). It is a "downer" that affects the brains pleasure systems and interferes with the brains ability to perceive pain. Heroin is the most widely abused illicit narcotic in the United States. Physical tolerance builds up is fast.

Purity levels vary; too much pure heroin can result in respiratory arrest and death.

Signs your child may be using:

• Shortness of breath
• Dry mouth
• Small pupils
• Sudden changes in behavior or actions
• Disorientation
• Cycles of hyper alertness followed by naps
• Droopy appearance
• Deceptive behavior
• Oversleeping
• Slurred, garbled, incoherent speech
• Drop in school performance
• Decreased attention to hygiene and physical appearance
• Loss of motivation
• Stealing
• Hostile behavior toward loved ones
• Low self-esteem
• Rapid and sudden weight loss
• Runny nose that is not explained by illness
• Need track marks on arms
• Infections or abscesses at injection sites
• Loss of menstrual cycle (female)
• Cuts, bruises or scabs from skin picking
  
  

Cocaine

• Approximately 36.8 million Americans ages 12 and older had tried cocaine at least once in their lifetimes.
• 19.5% of eighth graders, 28.2% of tenth graders, and 38.9% of twelfth graders surveyed in 2008 reported that powder cocaine was "fairly easy" or "very easy" to obtain (Whitehouse Drug Policy, 2008).
• In 2009, 4.8 million Americans age 12 and older had abused cocaine in any form and 1.0 million had abused crack at least once in the year prior to being surveyed (National Survey on Drug Use and Health).
• 90% of people who have used cocaine started with alcohol or marijuana before trying cocaine.

Street names: Blow, Charlie, coke, flake, happy trails, Johnny, nose candy, powder, rock, snow, Snow White, sugar, toot, and yeyo (Spanish).
Methods: Injected intravenously, sniffed/snorted, ingested orally, rubbed on user’s gums, and smoked.

Effects: Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant. Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted blood vessels and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Users may also experience feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. Cocaine is especially addictive because it alters the brain's sense of reward and punishment.

Cocaine is the most potent stimulant of natural origin. The immediate, intense cocaine high lasts about 15 to 30 minutes when snorting while effects from smoking last approximately 5 to 10 minutes; residual effects can continue for 1 to 2 hours. When snorted, cocaine powder is inhaled through the nose where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. When injected, the user uses a needle to release the drug directly into the bloodstream. Smoking involves inhaling cocaine vapor or smoke into the lungs where absorption into the bloodstream is as rapid as by injection. Each of these methods of administration poses great risks to the user -- even one use can cause overdose or death.

Signs your child may be using:

• Constricted blood vessels
• Dilated pupils
• Increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure
• Increased energy and alertness; hyperstimulation
• Euphoria
• Decreased appetite
• Impotence
• Restlessness and insomnia
• Irritability and mood disturbances
• Anxiety and paranoia
• Increase in possibilities of risky behavior; more willing to try new
• things
• Headaches
• Convulsions and seizures
• Heart disease and heart attack
• Stroke
• Lung damage and disease (respiratory failure and difficulty breathing)
• Damage to the nasal septum (snorting)
• Auditory and tactile hallucinations (“coke bugs”)
  
  

Prescription/OTC

• 1 in 5 teens has abused a prescription (Rx) pain medication.
• 1 in 5 report abusing prescription stimulants.
• 1 in 10 has abused cough medication.
• On an average day, 2,466 adolescents abuse a prescription pain medication (without a prescription).

Street names: 40, 80, Big boys, blue, chill pills, cotton, french-fries, kicker, pilz, poly drug, oxy, Skittles, tranqs, and trail mix.
Method: Ingested orally.
Effects: Opioids can produce drowsiness, constipation and, depending on amount taken, can depress breathing, Central nervous system depressants slow down brain function; if combined with other medications that cause drowsiness or with alcohol, heart rate and respiration can slow down to dangerous levels. Taken in high doses or repeatedly, stimulants can cause anxiety, paranoia, high body temperatures, irregular heartbeat, or seizures (National Institute on Drug Abuse).

The misconception of prescription drugs is that they are safer than illicit drugs. When abused, they can be as addictive and dangerous as illegal drugs. Prescription drugs should only be taken by the prescribed individual and are taken exactly as directed by a medical professional.
Prescription drugs account for the second most commonly abused category of drugs, behind marijuana and ahead of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other drugs.

Pharming (pronounced "farming") is the act of looting the parents’ medicine cabinets for prescription drugs. Similarly, “Pharm parties” are where teens bring prescription drugs from home, mix them together into a big bowl (trail mix), and grab a handful as they enter the “party.” Not surprisingly, pharm parties are usually arranged while parents are out.

“Poly Drug” is the act of taking several prescription drugs throughout the day to produce different reactions (i.e. uppers and downers).

What do they look like?
OTC’s can be broken down into 4 types:

1. Pain relievers
2. Stimulants
3. Sedatives
4. Tranquilizers

Opioids include:

• Hydrocodone
• Oxycodone
• Oxymorphone
• Propoxyphene
• Hydromorphone
• Meperidine
• Diphenoxylate

Central nervous system depressants include:

• Pentobarbital sodium
• Diazepam
• Alprazolam

Stimulants include:

• Dextroamphetamine
• Methylphenidate
• Amphetamines
  Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Signs your child may be abusing:
Opioids painkillers:

• Constipation
• Depression
• Low blood pressure
• Decreased breathing rate
• Confusion
• Sweating
• Poor coordination

Sedatives and anti-anxiety medication:

• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Unsteady walking
• Poor judgment
• Involuntary and rapid movement of the eyes
• Dizziness

Stimulants:

• Weight loss
• Agitation
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• High blood pressure
• Irregular heartbeat
• Restlessness
• Impulsive behavior

Other signs include:

• Deceptive behavior
• Taking higher doses of medication than prescribed
• Excessive mood swings or hostility
• Increase or decrease in sleep
• Poor decision making
• Appearing to be high, unusually energetic or sedated
• Seeking prescriptions from more than one doctor
  Source: Mayo Clinic.

Inhalants

• 1 in 5 students in America has used an inhalant to get high by the time he or she reaches the 8th grade.
• Huffing is the 3rd most abused substance by teenagers and is an increasing problem in today's society.
• More than 22.9 million Americans have experimented with inhalants at some point in their lives.
• 22% of inhalant abusers who died of Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome had no history of previous inhalant abuse—they were first-time users.

Street names: Buzz bomb, highball poppers, hippie crack, huff, laughing gas, locker room, Satan’s secret, shoot the breeze, snappers, snotballs, Texas shoe shine, thrust, toilet water, toncho, and whippets.
Method: Ingested orally/huffed/inhaled – they are either ingested via liquids that vaporize at room temperatures; sprays like spray paint, deodorant and hair sprays; gases including medical anesthetics (i.e. ether, chloroform, and nitrous oxide).
Effects: Most inhalants act directly on the nervous system to produce mind-altering effects. Within seconds, the user experiences intoxication and other effects similar to those from alcohol. The chronic use of inhalants has been associated with a number of serious health problems. Sniffing glue and paint thinner causes kidney problems. Sniffing toluene and other solvents causes liver damage. Inhalant abuse has also resulted in memory impairment and diminished intelligence.
Source: Foundation for a Drug-Free World

Inhalants are used with the intent of breathing gas or vapors with the purpose of reaching a high. Inhalants are not classified as drugs, but rather as poisons. They deprive oxygen to the brain.

“Sudden Sniffing Death” is the terms used when a person’s heart rate increases so erratically that it results in cardiac arrest and death. It can happen the 1st or 100th time.

Inhalants fall into 4 categories:

1. Volatile Solvents – Liquids that vaporize when exposed to air at room temperature. They are found in numerous household cleaning products and industrial items.
2. Aerosols – Sprays that contain solvents and propellants. They include spray-paint and various other types of sprays.
3. Gases - Medical anesthetic gases include ether, chloroform, and nitrous oxide ("laughing gas" or "whippets"), the most abused of these gases.
4. Nitrites - Do not act directly on the central nervous system like most other inhalants; they primarily act to dilate blood vessels and relax the muscles. The two most commonly abused nitrites are amyl and butyl nitrite. "Poppers" or "snappers" are slang terms for small bottles of nitrites.
   Source: Center for Substance Abuse Research.

Signs your child may be using:

• Slurred speech
• Drunk, dizzy or dazed appearance
• Inability to coordinate movement
• Hallucinations and delusions
• Hostility
• Apathy
• Impaired judgment
• Unconsciousness
• Severe headaches
• Rashes around the nose and mouth
• Rapid heartbeat
• Muscle weakness
• Disorientation
• Lack of coordination
• Irritability
• Depression
• Serious and sometimes irreversible damage to the heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and brain
• Memory impairment, diminished intelligence
• Hearing loss
• Bone marrow damage
• Paint or stains on the body or clothing
• Hidden rags, cloths, or empty containers
• Spots or sores around the mouth or nose
• Red or runny eyes and nose
• Chemical odor on the breath
• Loss of appetite
• Excitability
• Failing grades, learning problems, excessive absences
  Sources: Center for Substance Abuse Research and Foundation for a Drug-Free World.

Bromo-DragonFLY (Bromo-benzodifuranyl-isopropylamine)

• New drug trend to hit US markets.
• Explicitly illegal only in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, although it may be considered a controlled substance analogue under US laws.
• About 300x the potency of mescaline or 1/5 the potency of LSD.
• Very little is known about pharmacological characteristics of Bromo-DragonFLY.

Street names: B-Fly.
Method: Mainly sold in the form of “blotter” (small paper squares), similar to the distribution method of LSD. Also known to be sold in powder, liquid and tablets.
Effects: Described as “a ride to the moon” because it “lasts too long and leaves you drained.” Physical side effects such as temperature fluctuations and sweating.

Bromo-DragonFLY is said to have an extremely long duration of action up to several days. This duration is much longer of action than LSD and can last for up to 2–3 days following a single large dose, with a slow onset of action that can take up to 6 hours before the effects are felt. The drug is often taken in combination with several other types of drugs and alcohol.

Reports of at least 5 deaths believed to have resulted from Bromo-DragonFLY reported in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the US.

Signs your child may be using:

• Hallucinations
• Seizures
• Extreme temperature fluctuations and sweating

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