|
Common Drugs and Their Side-Effects
PCP (Phencyclidine)
PCP (phencyclidine) was developed in the 1950s as an
intravenous anesthetic. Use of PCP in humans was discontinued
in 1965, because it was found that patients often became
agitated, delusional, and irrational while recovering
from its anesthetic effects. PCP is illegally manufactured
in laboratories and is sold on the street by such names
as "angel dust," "ozone," "wack," and "rocket fuel."
"Killer joints"and "crystal supergrass" are names that
refer to PCP combined with marijuana. The variety of
street names for PCP reflects its bizarre and volatile
effects.
PCP is a white crystalline
powder that is readily soluble in water or alcohol.
It has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. PCP can
be mixed easily with dyes and turns up on the illicit
drug market in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored
powders. It is normally used in one of three ways: snorted,
smoked, or eaten. For smoking, PCP is often applied
to a leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano,
or marijuana.
COC (Cocaine)
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug of abuse. Once
having tried cocaine, an individual cannot predict or
control the extent to which he or she will continue
to use the drug.
The major routes of administration
of cocaine are sniffing or snorting, injecting, and
smoking (including free-base and crack cocaine). Snorting
is the process of inhaling cocaine powder through the
nose where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through
the nasal tissues. Injecting is the act of using 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.
"Crack" is the street name
given to cocaine that has been processed from cocaine
hydrochloride to a free base for smoking. Rather than
requiring the more volatile method of processing cocaine
using ether, crack cocaine is processed with ammonia
or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water and heated
to remove the hydrochloride, thus producing a form of
cocaine that can be smoked. The term "crack" refers
to the crackling sound heard when the mixture is smoked
(heated), presumably from the sodium bicarbonate.
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.
mAMP (Methamphetamine)
Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant drug that
strongly activates certain systems in the brain. Methamphetamine
is closely related chemically to amphetamine, but the
central nervous system effects of methamphetamine are
greater. Both drugs have some medical uses, primarily
in the treatment of obesity, but their therapeutic use
is limited.
Methamphetamine is made in illegal
laboratories and has a high potential for abuse and
dependence. Street methamphetamine is referred to by
many names, such as "speed," "meth," and "chalk." Methamphetamine
hydrochloride, clear chunky crystals resembling ice,
which can be inhaled by smoking, is referred to as "ice,"
"crystal," and "glass."
OPI (Opiates
/ Heroin)
Heroin is a highly addictive drug, and its use is a
serious problem in America. Recent studies suggest a
shift from injecting heroin to snorting or smoking because
of increased purity and the misconception that these
forms of use will not lead to addiction.
Heroin is processed from morphine,
a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seedpod
of the Asian poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as
a white or brown powder. Street names for heroin include
"smack," "H," "skag," and "junk." Other names may refer
to types of heroin produced in a specific geographical
area, such as "Mexican black tar."
Heroin abuse is associated with
serious health conditions, including fatal overdose,
spontaneous abortion, collapsed veins, and infectious
diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol/Marijuana)
Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded
flowers and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa.
There are over 200 slang terms for marijuana including
"pot," "herb," "weed," "boom," "Mary Jane," "gangster,"
and "chronic." It is usually smoked as a cigarette (called
a joint or a nail) or in a pipe or bong. In recent years,
marijuana has appeared in blunts, which are cigars that
have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana,
often in combination with another drug, such as crack.
Some users also mix marijuana into foods or use it to
brew tea.
The main active chemical in
marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). In
1988, it was discovered that the membranes of certain
nerve cells contain protein receptors that bind THC.
Once securely in place, THC kicks off a series of cellular
reactions that ultimately lead to the high that users
experience when they smoke marijuana. The short term
effects of marijuana use include problems with memory
and learning; distorted perception; difficulty in thinking
and problem-solving; loss of coordination; and increased
heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks.
|
