Drugs Information

Heroin

Heroin has the reputation of being the most dangerous and difficult to control. Most of the Heroin we see in the UK is in the form of a brown powder which comes from the mountains around the borders of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan where the opium poppy is grown. Brown Heroin is made for smoking, so caffeine powder is added during manufacture as this helps to release more of the heroin vapours when the mixture is heated. Other cuts of powders mixed in heroin usually things like paracetomol and glucose. You have no guarantee what you are smoking.

Smack
Brown
H
Gear
Skag

ILLEGAL

Tobacco

Tobacco is one of the most widely used addictive substances in this country.

NONE

LEGAL

Alcohol

Alcohol is produced by the fermentation of fruits, vegetables or grain. Beer contains about one part alcohol to twenty parts water. Spirits, like whisky or vodka, are almost half alcohol.

A lot of alcohol can lead to staggering, double vision and loss of balance, sometimes followed by unconsciousness. By far the most common danger of drinking alcohol is injury in accidents. In 1992 over 600 people were killed in alcohol-related road accidents.

To avoid damaging your health, it is a good idea to stick to some sensible limits - less than 28 units per week for men and 21 units per week for women. (One unit if the equivalent of half a pint of ordinary strength beer, lager or cider, a small glass of wine or a single pub measure of spirits.)

Sustained heavy drinking increases the risk of liver disease, (cirrhosis), various cancers, pancreatitis and ulcers. It can lead to heart and circulation disorders, even brain damage.

The effects of alcohol begin quickly and can last for several hours - or more, depending on how much you drink.

After a couple of drinks, most people feel less inhibited and more relaxed. For many people, drinking moderately can be an enjoyable and sociable experience. But it can go too far.

Amphetamines

Back in the sixties, amphetamines were widely prescribed for depression and to suppress appetite. Today, you could be sold them illegally as pills or as a powder to be sniffed. You could even be persuaded to inject them into yourself.

High doses can even give you panic attacks and your body could need a couple of days to recover fully.

With amphetamines, there is no such thing as enough. To maintain the effect, regular users have to take increasing doses. Every time they stop, they feel depressed and very hungry. Their resistance to disease is lowered, which could have serious effects on their health.

Cocaine

Cocaine is a powerful stimulant with properties similar to those of amphetamines. It is a white powder made from the leaves of the Andean coca shrub. Because of its cost it used to be considered a drug for the rich, but this is no longer the case.

The effects tend to peak quickly and lessen rapidly. The drug then has to be taken more often to maintain the high and this may lead to dependence.

Over the long term, happiness is replaced by sickness, sleeplessness and weight loss. Sniffing cocaine can also damage the membranes inside the nose which, even without all the other problems, can be particularly painful.

Ecstasy

Ecstasy comes in tablets or different coloured capsules and sometimes in liquid or powder form.

If taken in a hot atmosphere, at a rave for example, it can cause heat-stroke. In fact, there have been several deaths associated with Ecstasy.

Studies also suggest that it may damage certain brain cells, and using it for a long time could cause liver damage.

Taken in large amounts, Ecstasy can cause feelings of anxiety or confusion, even paranoia.

People who use it regularly find it difficult to sleep. Some girls find that it makes their periods heavier.

It is particularly dangerous for anyone who suffers from epileptic fits or any kind of heart condition.

LSD

LSD is a man made substance; minute quantities are impregnated into small squares of blotting paper which are then dissolved on the tongue. These squares often carry colourful designs.

Often, substances sold as LSD contain none at all.

Bad trips can lead to depression, dizziness, even panic. These are more likely if the user is anxious or in unfamiliar surroundings.

Anyone driving during an LSD trip will endanger themselves as well as other people.

A trip begins about an hour after taking LSD and fades after about twelve hours, depending on the dose.

Effects depend on the user's mood, where they are and who they are with, as well as the dose. They often include distortion of vision and hearing or a feeling of being outside the body.

Magic mushrooms

There are several types of wild mushroom which can produce dreams or visions. Of these the best known is the Liberty Cap which contains hallucinogenic chemicals.

A magic mushroom trip is rather like one on LSD. The difference is that it takes effect more quickly and does not last as long.

Although they can lead to hallucinations, magic mushrooms can also bring on feelings of nausea and stomach pains. One of the biggest dangers is that several types of mushroom found in this country are extremely dangerous and can even kill.

Cannabis

Cannabis comes from a plant known as cannabis sativa.

Hash the commonest form in this country, is resin scraped from the plant and compressed into blocks. Herbal cannabis (or Marijuana) is another. Generally, it is mixed with tobacco, rolled into a cigarette and smoked.

It can reduce the ability to carry out complicated tasks which means that it would be dangerous to drive, for example, after taking it.

Inexperienced people using high doses, or taking it when anxious or depressed, may sometimes experience panic.

Like tobacco, frequently inhaled cannabis smoke will cause bronchitis and other breathing disorders. It may also lead to lung cancer.

Cannabis is not addictive, but users come to rely on it as a way of feeling more relaxed socially.

Cannabis takes effect very quickly. If it is mixed in with a drink or food, however, it is difficult to know how much has gone into the body. This can be very distressing, especially if alcohol is involved.

Solvents

Sovents found in products like glue, lighter fluid, paint, aerosols and petrol.

When their vapour is inhaled, they produce a similar effect to alcohol. Some people increase the effect by inhaling from inside a plastic bag placed over the head.

The effects are similar to being drunk (including the hangover!). Vapours are absorbed through the lungs and quickly reach the brain. Repeated inhaling can cause loss of control.

Sniffers can be accidentally injured because they are in an unsafe place. What's more some sniff to the point of unconsciousness and then risk death by choking on their vomit.

Sniffers can suffocate if they inhale solvents by putting plastic bags over their heads.

Heavy solvent misuse can result in lasting damage to the brain. Long-term misuse of aerosols and cleaning fluids has also been known to cause lasting kidney and liver damage.

Nasty way to die

A number of people have died during their first attempts at misuse because they have squirted aerosol gases directly into their mouths, so freezing their air passages.