Illegal drugs

Hashish

Illegal or controlled drugs are drugs which have been controlled by the government - and they may be illegal in certain situations (a person is not allowed to have them). A drug is any chemical which affects the way the human body works. A psychoactive drug is a drug that affects the brain. Some controlled drugs you are allowed to have if you have permission (called a "prescription") from a doctor. Other drugs are completely illegal - meaning you are never allowed to have them. Alcohol, caffeine (coffee), nicotine (tobacco), aspirin and acetaminophen/paracetamol (Tylenol) are all drugs.

Types of psychoactive drugs and their effects

There are many types of psychoactive drugs. Even inside these four types there are more types. For instance there is is two groups of drugs called benzodiazepines and opiates. Both of these groups are different to each other, but both groups are depressants as well. Some drugs such as ketamine have elements of two categories (hallucinogens and depressants). Every drug is different, so it is important to know the effects of each individual drug, not just the general group it belongs in.

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens change the way people see, hear, feel or think. People might see things which are not there, or they might see things differently to the way they normally do. The way things sound might change, or they might hear things which are not there. People might feel strange emotions or think strange thoughts. There are three main groups of hallucinogens called psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants and each group has different effects.

Stimulants

Stimulants are drugs which speed up the central nervous system. People using stimulants may feel happy and excited, and will probably feel as though they have more energy, concentration or motivation to do things. Stimulants often make it difficult for people to sleep.

Depressants

Depressants are drugs which slow down the central nervous system. People using depressants may feel happy and content, as well as sleepy and relaxed. Depressants slow down breathing and may make it hard to speak or move properly in large enough doses.

Anti-psychotics

Anti psychotics are drugs which balance people's moods or stop hallucinations. Many anti-psychotics are legal prescription drugs such as anti-depressants (which are used to help to stop people feeling depressed).

Why people use drugs

People might use drugs as medicine if they are sick and the drugs help make them better. People might also use drugs for recreational purposes (to have fun). Some people use drugs to make them better at working, or help them stay awake (usually in these cases it is stimulants being used) such as amphetamines or caffeine.

Some people use drugs for spiritual or religious reasons - for instance some Christians use wine (alcohol) as part of their religious ceremonies, and members of the Native American Church use Peyote (a type of cactus that contains a drug called mescaline). Some Hindu people use cannabis (a plant that contains two main drugs called THC and CBD) as part of their religious rites.

Drugs and the law

The law is different depending on what country you are in. In some countries, some drugs might be legal (you are allowed to have them) in one country. In another country it might be different. For instance, in Ecuador, cannabis is legal to have, but in the United States of America it is not legal to have cannabis. In the United Arab Emirates no one is allowed to have alcohol, but in the United States adults are allowed to have alcohol. Some drugs are only legal if you have permission (called a "prescription" or "recommendation") from a doctor to have them as medicine. If a person is caught by the police with controlled drugs they are not allowed to have, they may be taken to court and get fined (they have to pay money to the government), or even go to jail. It is important to know what the law says about drugs in your country or state/region.

Health effects of drugs

Drugs can have many different effects on a person's health. Some drugs such as tobacco (a plant that contains a drug called nicotine) and alcohol directly cause hundreds of thousands of people to die every year. Other drugs such as cannabis or psilocybin mushrooms (sometimes called "magic mushrooms") cause no deaths. However even if a drug doesn't cause any deaths directly, there are other health effects to be aware of. Someone who has taken a drug and is experiencing it's effects is sometimes known as "intoxicated" people. People who are intoxicated may do things they otherwise would not do, and they may be unable to safely drive or operate machinery. If an intoxicated person does drive a car/vehicle or operate machinery it may cause accidents, depending on how much of the drug they have had and how affected they are.

Overdosing is when a person takes too much of a drug at once and it becomes very dangerous for their health - they might even die. Some drugs (such as heroin, alcohol and aspirin) are easy to overdose on, while others are nearly impossible to overdose on (LSD, cannabis). Many drugs can cause long term health effects separate from just their short term effects, for instance smoking tobacco causes cancer, and using alcohol can eventually cause liver damage.

Many drugs are used as medicine to help make sick people better. For instance cannabis and opiates (like morphine and heroin) are analgesics (pain killers). Nitrous oxide and ketamine are used as anaesthetics to put people and animals to sleep during a surgical operation. Methamphetamine can even be legally prescribed by a doctor in some countries, such as the United States.

Using two specific drugs together can sometimes cause positive or negative reactions (including life-threatening ones). Generally it is best to ask a medical professional such as a doctor before combining two drugs together.

Addiction and dependence

Addiction is when a person takes a drug constantly because they think they need it and find it very hard to stop. Dependence is when a person's body adapts to a drug and starts craving the drug all the time - if a dependent person stops taking that drug, they may feel very sick or rarely even die without medical help. Addiction and dependence can happen separately to each other, and people can be come addicted to things that are not drugs (such as gambling, sex or just about any activity). Addiction and dependence can sometimes make it very hard for a person to live a normal life, depending on the situation they are in. Some drugs are known to be very addictive (they often cause addiction: such as alcohol, heroin, tobacco, methamphetamine and cocaine) whereas other drugs are known to be only a little bit bit addictive (such as cannabis and caffeine) or not addictive at all (such as LSD and Psilocybin mushrooms).

Using drugs

There are many different ways of using drugs. Different drugs can be used in different ways, depending on the drug. Some drugs are available in different forms and each form can only be used a certain way - for instance crack cocaine (cocaine in a base form) works much better when smoked or vaporized, and powder cocaine (cocaine in a salt form) is usually snorted. Drugs can be taken:

• Orally - this means they are put into the mouth and swallowed, for instance a pill.
• Smoked - this means the drug is burned and then the smoke that comes out is breathed in by the user, for instance through a pipe, bong, cigar or cigarette.
• Insuflated - this means the drug is snorted up a person's nose and goes directly into their lungs.
• Vaporized - this means a drug is heated up until it turns into a vapour, then the vapour is breathed in.
• Sub lingually - this means the drug is absorbed through the vein under a person's tongue.
• Bucally - this means the drug is absorbed through a person's cheek.
• Intra-venous - also called IV - this means a drug is injected into a person's veins using a needle.
• Rectally - this means the drug is put into someone's anus and absorbed there - usually via something called a suppository.
• A few drugs, such as LSD, can even be absorbed through a person's skin.

Orally is the slowest method of using a drug as it must be digested in the stomach first. Injecting a drug (IV) is the fastest and the most likely to lead to an overdose. It is important to always use clean needles when injecting - injecting with used or dirty needles can spread infections such as Hepatitis C or HIV. Depending on the drug, smoking can lead to cancer (for instance smoking tobacco causes cancer, but smoking cannabis does not). Smoking can also sometimes lead to emphysema (a disease of the lungs), depending on what is being smoked. Insuflating a drug can lead to ear, nose and throat conditions depending on the drug being used.