NARCOTICS

The term narcotic (pronunciation: /n r k t k/, from Greek nark , benumb ) originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such ashydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely defined and typically has negative connotations. When used in a legal context in the US, a narcotic drug is simply one that is totally prohibited, or one that is used in violation of strict governmental regulation, such as heroin or morphine. From a pharmacological standpoint it is not a useful term, as is evidenced by the historically varied usage of the word.

KINDS OF DRUGS AND THEIR EFFECTS

Hash: resin from the hemp-plant ("cannabis sativa") pressed together in little cubes or slices, colour ranges from light brown to black. Weed (marihuana): dried flowering tops of the female hemp-plant, looks like dried flower-tops or (when cut:) tea-like, colour ranges from grey-green to brown-green. effects:
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dry mouth, read eyes, a slightly accelerated heart-rate limbs feel heavy coordination seems difficult your present mood is intensified effects of a normal dose are also: o carefree mood o visual and auditive perception is intensified; music and surroundings get different (for the better). o perception of time and space changes o relaxation o craving for (sweet) food o having the giggles o short-term memory is temporarily diminished o fast-paced line of thought a higher dose results in: o the above effects, but even stronger. Sometimes resulting in fear, or paranoia (bad trip). The only remedy is relaxation, a sweet drink, change of surroundings and (a) reassuring friend(s). o nausea

LSD Generic name for the hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide-25. Discovered by Dr. Albert Hofmann in 1938, LSD is one of the most potent mind-altering chemicals known. A white, odorless powder usually taken orally, its effects are highly variable and begin within one hour and generally last 8-12 hours, gradually tapering off. It has been used experimentally in the treatment of alcoholics

and psychiatric patients. (Where it showed some success.) It significantly alters perception, mood, and psychological processes, and can impair motor coordination and skills.

Morning Glory Seeds Most commercially available Morning glory seeds are treated with chemicals to thwart consumption. Seeds are also sometimes treated with Methyl mercury to prevent spoilage. Chemically treated seeds can cause severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Effects: LSD like experience lasting about 6 hours, but with less hallucinogenic effects. Nausea is common even with untreated seeds. Less anxiety, less intensity than LSD in normal doses.

Laughing Gas (Nitrous Oxide N2O) This is a medical anaesthetic with some psychedelic effects. This is most easily found in small green pressurized gas chargers used to whip cream and available in many large stores. They fit in soda syphons in exactly the same way as the usual CO2 chargers they resemble. This should never be breathed directly (it could freeze the lungs) but always from a balloon and also diluted with air. There is a warning on the box -- 'Do not inhale. Misuse can be dangerous to your health'. In fact it seem to be fairly safe. Classic effects of N2O are a very short (a few minutes) and intense trip. I found it pleasant enough but still a little disappointing - no more than a tingling body high. Other people consider laughing gas a shortcut to another dimension and speak of near-death experiences Ketamine ('Vitamin K', 'Special K') Ketamine is chemically related to PCP ('Angel Dust'). PCP, a dangerous American street drug rather than a psychedelic, is characterized by resulting in frequent bad trips, psychotic reactions and extreme violence in its users. But Ketamine appears to be much safer than PCP. It is still used in human medicine unlike PCP. Currently Ketamine ('Ketalar') is a prescription only medicine rather than a controlled drug in Britain. It is a powerful drug used as a general anaesthetic, which has some strange psychedelic effects when used at low doses (25-100mg). The usual medical form is a liquid when it is injected intramuscularly. American street users heat the liquid to obtain a white powder which is smoked or snorted. Ketamine may be ineffective when taken by mouth - although one report from Denmark claims it to be orally active at the 200mg level with the effects becoming apparent slowly. Cocaine Cocaine is a powerful central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that heightens alertness, inhibits appetite and the need for sleep, and provides intense feelings of pleasure. It is prepared from the leaf of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which grows primarily in Peru and Bolivia. Pure cocaine was first extracted and identified by the German chemist Albert Niemann in the mid19th century, and was introduced as a tonic/elixir in patent medicines to treat a wide variety of real

or imagined illnesses. Later, it was used as a local anesthetic for eye, ear, and throat surgery and continues today to have limited employment in surgery. Currently, it has no other clinical application, having been largely replaced by synthetic local anesthetics such as lidocaine. Effects The effects of any drug depend on several factors:
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the amount taken at one time the user's past drug experience the manner in which the drug is taken the circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user's psychological and emotional stability the presence of other people, the simultaneous use of alcohol or other drugs, etc.).

Opiates Opium, codeine, morphine, heroin The opioids include both natural opiates - that is, drugs from the opium poppy - and opiate-related synthetic drugs, such as meperidine and methadone. The opiates are found in a gummy substance extracted from the seed pod of the Asian poppy, Papaver somniferum. Opium is produced from this substance, and codeine and morphine are derived from opium. Other drugs, such as heroin, are processed from morphine or codeine. Opiates have been used both medically and non-medically for centuries. A tincture of opium called laudanum has been widely used since the 16th century as a remedy for "nerves" or to stop coughing and diarrhea. Effects The effects of any drug depend on several factors:
y y y y

the amount taken at one time the user's past drug experience the manner in which the drug is taken the circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user's psychological and emotional stability, the presence of other people, simultaneous use of alcohol or other drugs, etc.).

Amphetamines Amphetamines and amphetamine-related drugs are central nervous system stimulants whose actions resemble those of adrenaline, one of the body's natural hormones. The most important of these stimulants are the original drug, amphetamine, and its close chemical relations,

methamphetamine and dextroamphetamine. Only the latter, under the trade name Dexedrine, is legally manufactured today. Everything else is synthesized in illicit "basement" laboratories.Amphetamine was first introduced in the 1930s as a remedy for nasal congestion. Later, all three drugs were found to be effective in treating such other conditions as hyperactivity in children and narcolepsy (uncontrollable sleeping fits). Although they were also prescribed to control obesity and depression, their use for these disorders has been discontinued because patients became quickly and seriously dependent. The amphetamines have long been taken for their stimulant and euphoric effects. When they were easily available, truck drivers, students, and athletes were among those who used them extensively to prolong their normal periods of wakefulness and endurance. Effects The effects of any drug depend on several factors:
y y y y

the amount taken at one time the user's past drug experience the manner in which the drug is taken the circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user's psychological and emotional stability, the presence of other people, the simultaneous use of alcohol or other drugs, etc.)

PCP PCP (phencyclidine) was first used in the 1950s as an anesthetic for surgery. But because it produced such highly undesirable side effects as convulsions during operations and post-operative hallucinations, its use was quickly discontinued. In the 1960s it was marketed again, this time to veterinarians strictly as an animal anesthetic and tranquillizer. It was at this time that San Francisco's drug subculture discovered the drug and nicknamed it the "peace pill" - possibly hence the name PCP. (Scientifically, PCP is an abbreviation for the drug's chemical name, phenylcyclohexylpiperidine.) On the street it also became known as angel dust, crystal, hog, or horse tranquillizer. PCP is no longer used by veterinarians and is produced today only in illicit laboratories. A synthetic drug (chemically unrelated to LSD or mescaline), PCP is a white crystalline powder, readily soluble in water or alcohol. On the street, it is sold in the form of pills, capsules, or powder Effects The effects of any drug depend on several factors:
y y y y

the amount taken at one time the user's past drug experience the manner in which the drug is taken the circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user's emotions and activities, the presence of other people, the simultaneous use of alcohol or other drugs, etc.).

Barbiturates Barbiturates are powerful depressants that slow down the central nervous system (CNS). Classified as sedative/hypnotics, they include amobarbital (e.g. Amytal), pen obarbital (e.g. Nembutal), phenobarbital (e.g. Luminal), secobarbital (e.g. Seconal), and the combination amobarbitalsecobarbital (e.g. Tuinal). (Note that where a drug name is capitalized, it is a registered trade name of the manufacturer.) . Barbiturates and other sedative/hypnotics are medically prescribed to treat sleeplessness, anxiety, and tension, and to help prevent or mitigate epileptic seizures. Certain barbiturates are also used to induce anesthesia for short surgical procedures or at the beginning of longer ones.

Effects The effects of any drug depend on several factors:

y y y y

the amount taken at one time the user's past drug experience the manner in which the drug is taken the circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user's psychological and emotional stability, the presence of other people, the simultaneous use of alcohol or other drugs, etc.).

Tranquillizers and sleeping pills Tranquillizers are depressant drugs that slow down the central nervous system (CNS), and thus are similar to such other CNS depressants as alcohol and barbiturates. The term "major tranquillizer" was formerly applied to drugs used to treat severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia. However, these drugs are now more commonly called neuroleptics; their action specifically relieves the symptoms of mental illness, and they are rarely misused for other purposes. This paper therefore deals with the anti-anxiety agents, or anxiolytics (formerly called "minor" tranquillizers). Anti-anxiety agents share many similarities with barbiturates; both are classified as sedative/hypnotics. These newer agents were introduced under the term "tranquillizer" because, it was claimed, they provided a calming effect without sleepiness. Today, tranquillizers have largely replaced barbiturates in the treatment of both anxiety and insomnia because they are safer and more effective. The degree of sleepiness induced depends on the dosage. Tranquillizers are also used as sedatives before some surgical and medical procedures, and they are sometimes used medically during alcohol withdrawal. Effects The effects of any drug depend on several factors:
y y y

the amount taken at one time the user's past drug experience the manner in which the drug is taken

the circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user's psychological and emotional stability, the presence of other people, the simultaneous use of alcohol or other drugs, etc.).

Tobacco Tobacco smoke components Tobacco smoke is made up of thousands of components, the main ones being nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide. Nicotine is the addictive agent in tobacco, tar can cause cancers and bronchial disorders, and carbon monoxide contributes to heart disease. Nicotine is a powerful mood-altering substance which reaches the brain quickly when you smoke a cigarette.

Alcohol Alcohol is often not thought of as a drug - largely because its use is common for both religious and social purposes in most parts of the world. It is an addictive drug, however, and compulsive drinking in excess has become one of modern society's most serious problems. Beverage alcohol (scientifically known as ethyl alcohol, or ethanol) is produced by fermenting or distilling various fruits, vegetables, or grains. Ethyl alcohol itself is a clear, colorless liquid. Alcoholic beverages get their distinctive colors from the diluents, additives, and by-products of fermentation. Beer is fermented to contain about 5% alcohol by volume (or 3.5% in light beer). Most wine is fermented to have between 10% and 14% alcohol content; however, such fortified wines as sherry, port, and vermouth contain between 14% and 20%. Distilled spirits (whisky, vodka, rum, gin) are first fermented, then distilled to raise the alcohol content. The concentration of alcohol in spirits is 40% by volume. Some liqueurs may be stronger. The effects of drinking do not depend on the type of alcoholic beverage - but rather on the amount of alcohol consumed on a specific occasion. Effects The effects of any drug depend on several factors: the amount taken at one time the user's past drug experience the manner in which the drug is taken the circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user's psychological and emotional stability, the presence of other people, the concurrent use of other drugs, etc.).

caffeine Caffeine is the world's most popular drug. The white, bitter-tasting, crystalline substance was first isolated from coffee in 1820. Both words, caffeine and coffee, are derived from the Arabic word qahweh (pronounced "kahveh" in Turkish). The origins of the words reflect the spread of the beverage into Europe via Arabia and Turkey from north-east Africa, where coffee trees were cultivated in the

6th century. Coffee began to be popular in Europe in the 17th century. By the 18th century plantations had been established in Indonesia and the West Indies. The caffeine content of coffee beans varies according to the species of the coffee plant. Beans from Coffee arabica, grown mostly in Central and South America, contain about 1.1% caffeine. Beans from Coffee robusta, grown mostly in Indonesia and Africa, contain about 2.2% caffeine. Caffeine also occurs in cacao pods and hence in cocoa and chocolate products; in kola nuts, used in the preparation of cola drinks; and in the ilex plant, from whose leaves the popular South American beverage yerba mate is prepared.

Effects of using illegal drugs in general:

1. Feeling of highness- users have this feeling of highness which relieves their problems in life. 2. Physical change users tend to change their appearance. Either they look older or they look thin. 3. Moody behavior- users have different mood depending on their trip. Youth are unaware that they are being eaten by their systems. They only care on what they feel now and not what they will feel afterwards.