Some basic information about drugs.

2. Drugs
 A drug is a substance which may have
medicinal, intoxicating, performance
enhancing or other effects when taken
or put into a human body or the body of
another animal and is not considered a
food or exclusively a food.

3. Uses of Drugs
 Medication
 Recreational Use

4. Medication
 Drugs used in this way are also known
as “Pharmaceutical drug.”
 A medication or medicine is a drug taken
to cure and/or ameliorate any symptoms
of an illness or medical condition, or
may be used as preventive medicine
that has future benefits but does not
treat any existing or pre-existing
diseases or symptoms.

5. Recreational Use
 Recreational drugs use is the use of
psychoactive substances to have
fun, for the experience, or to enhance an
already positive experience.
 Drugs commonly considered capable of
recreational use include
alcohol, nicotine, caffeine.

6. Types of Drugs
 Cannabis
 Cocaine
 Ecstasy
 Hallucinogens
 Heroin
 Methamphetamine

7. Cannabis
 Also Known As:
Bongo/ Ganja/
Grass/ Marijuana/
Pot/ Thai sticks

8. Cannabis
What is it?
 Cannabis is a tobacco-like greenish or
brownish material made up of the dried
flowering tops and leaves of the cannabis
(hemp) plant. Cannabis resin or "hash" is
the dried black or brown secretion of the
flowering tops of the cannabis plant, which
is made into a powder or pressed into
slabs or cakes. Cannabis oil or "hash oil" is
cannabis resin in liquid form. Cannabis is
by far the most cultivated, trafficked and
abused illicit drug.

9. Cannabis
How is it taken?
 All forms of cannabis are usually smoked.
Cannabis resin and oil can also be
ingested orally or brewed in tea.
How does it affect users?
 Cannabis can make users feel relaxed and
heighten their sensory awareness.
Thus, users may experience a more vivid
sense of sight, smell, taste and hearing.

10. Cannabis
Risks/Effects:
 Short-term effects include increased
appetite and pulse rate. While high, users'
intellectual and physical abilities are
impaired. With large doses, users may
experience severely altered sensory
perceptions and slow and confused
thinking. If the dose is very large, the
effects of cannabis are similar to those of
hallucinogens, and may cause
anxiety, panic and even psychotic
episodes.

11. Cocaine
 Also Known As:
Crack/ Bazooka/
Blanche/ Cake/
Coke/ Lady/ Star
dust

12. Cocaine
What is it?
 Cocaine is a fine white or off-white powder
that acts as a powerful stimulant. In its pure
form, cocaine is extracted from the leaves
of the coca plant. On the street, it can be
diluted or "cut" with other substances to
increase the quantity. Crack is cocaine that
has been further processed with ammonia
or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and
looks like small flakes or rocks.

13. Cocaine
How is it taken?
 Cocaine is usually sniffed/snorted or
injected, whereas crack is smoked.
How does it affect users?
 Cocaine can make users feel
exhilarated and euphoric.
Furthermore, users often experience a
temporary increase in alertness and
energy levels, and a postponement of
hunger and fatigue.

14. Cocaine
Risks/Effects:
 Short-term effects include faster breathing and increases
in body temperature and heart rate. Users' behaviour can
also become bizarre, erratic and violent. Excessive doses
of cocaine may lead to
convulsions, seizures, stroke, cerebral haemorrhage or
heart failure.
 Long-term users of cocaine risk a number of health
problems, some of them depending on the ingestion
method. Sniffing cocaine severely damages nose
tissue, smoking can cause respiratory problems, whilst
injection can lead to abscesses and infectious diseases.
 Other risks, regardless of ingestion method, include
dependency, malnutrition, weight
loss, disorientation, apathy and a state similar to paranoid
psychosis.

15. Ecstasy
 Also Known As:
E/ Snackies/ New
Yorkers/ Disco
biscuits

16. Ecstasy
What is it?
 Ecstasy is a psychoactive stimulant. In
fact, the term "ecstasy" does not refer to
a single substance, but rather to a range
of substances similar in chemistry and
effects. It is usually distributed as a
tablet or pill but can also be a powder or
capsule. The tablets can be in many
different shapes and sizes.

17. Ecstasy
How is it taken?
 It is usually taken orally but can also be
snorted or injected.
How does it affect users?
 Ecstasy can heighten users' empathy
levels and induce a feeling of closeness
to people around them. It is often used
at "rave parties" to increase participants'
sociability and energy levels.

18. Ecstasy
Risks/Effects:
 In the short term, ecstasy can make the body ignore
distress signals such as dehydration, dizziness and
exhaustion, and it can also interfere with the body's
ability to regulate temperature. Furthermore, ecstasy
can severely damage internal organs such as the
liver and the kidneys, and sometimes lead to
convulsions and heart failure.
 Large doses of ecstasy also cause
restlessness, anxiety and severe visual and auditory
hallucinations.
 Longer-term ecstasy use can damage certain brain
regions, resulting in serious depression and memory
loss.

19. Hallucinogens
What are they?
 Hallucinogens, or "psychedelics", are
drugs that alter users' state of
consciousness and produce different
kinds of hallucinations.
 The main types of hallucinogens are d-
lysergic acid diethylamide
(LSD), hencyclidine
(PCP), hallucinogenic
amphetamines, mescaline and psilocybe
mushrooms.

20. Hallucinogens
What is it?
 LSD is a semi-synthetic drug derived from
lysergic acid, which is found in a fungus
that grows on rye and other grains.
 LSD, commonly referred to as "acid", is
one of the most potent hallucinogens. It is
usually sold on the street as small squares
of blotting paper with drops containing the
drug, but also as tablets, capsules or
occasionally in liquid form. It is a
colourless, odourless substance with a
slightly bitter taste.

21. Hallucinogens
How is it taken?
 It is usually swallowed.
How does it affect users?
 Taking LSD leads to strong changes in
thought, mood and senses in addition to
feelings of empathy and sociability.
However, the exact effects of LSD vary
depending on the mental state of the
user and the environment when taking
the drug.

22. Heroin
 Also Known As:
Smack/ Brown/ H/
Horse/ Junk/ Harry/
White lady

23. Heroin
What is it?
 Heroin is an addictive drug with
painkilling properties processed from
morphine, a naturally occurring
substance from the Asian opium poppy
plant. Pure heroin is a white powder.
Street heroin is usually brownish white
because it is diluted or "cut" with
impurities, meaning each dose is
different.

24. Heroin
How is it taken?
 It is usually injected but can also be
snorted, smoked or inhaled.
How does it affect users?
 Heroin can make users feel an initial
surge of euphoria, along with a feeling of
warmth and relaxation. Users also often
become detached from emotional or
physical distress, pain or anxiety.

25. Heroin
Risks/Effects:
 Short-term effects include constricted
pupils, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, inability to
concentrate and apathy.
 Furthermore, heroin is very addictive, and development of
tolerance and physical and psychological dependence
occurs rapidly.
 Long-term heroin use has a variety of severe health
effects. Among other things, it can cause severe weight
loss and malnutrition that can lead to damaged veins and
liver disease. It can also lead to menstrual
irregularity, sedation and chronic apathy.
 Abruptly quitting heroin use leads to moderate/severe
withdrawal symptoms such as
cramps, diarrhea, tremors, panic, running nose, chills and
sweats.

26. Methamphetamine
 Also Known As:
Crack meth/ Ice/
Crystal meth/ Tik/
Shabu/ Yaba

27. Methamphetamine
What is it?
 Methamphetamine is part of the group of
drugs called amphetamine-type
stimulants (ATS). It is a synthetic drug
that is usually manufactured in illegal
laboratories. Methamphetamine comes
as a powder, tablet or as crystals that
look like shards of glass.

28. Methamphetamine
How is it taken?
 It can be
swallowed, sniffed/snorted, smoked or
injected.
How does it affect users?
 Methamphetamine stimulates a feeling of
physical and mental well being, as well as
a surge of euphoria and exhilaration. Users
experience a temporary rise in
energy, often perceived to improve their
performance at manual or intellectual
tasks. Users also feel postponement of
hunger and fatigue.

29. Methamphetamine
Risks/Effects:
 Short-term, users can lose their appetite and start
breathing faster. Their heart rate and blood pressure
may increase and the body temperature may go up
and cause sweating. With large doses, users may
feel restless and irritable and they may experience
panic attacks.
 Excessive doses of methamphetamine can lead to
convulsions, seizures and death from respiratory
failure, stroke or heart failure.
 Long-term methamphetamine use can lead to
malnutrition, weight loss and the development of
psychological dependence. Once chronic users stop
taking methamphetamine, a long period of
sleep, and then depression, usually follows.

31. Why Drugs?
Many people use drugs for some unexplained
reasons but the most common reasons are:
 To feel relaxed
 To forget problems
 Some teens use drugs to cope with stress.
 Some end up using drugs because the whole
family is drug addicted.
 The most common reason that makes people
to use drugs is peer pressure.
 Some use drugs because of bieng
adventurous and curious.

32. Why Drugs?
In most cases drugs are used by
teenagers who have problems that they
can't deal with. Problems like:
 Some problems are natural for
instance, shyness, anger etc.
 Problems at home
 Problems in relationships
 Problems in school or working places

33. Why Drugs?
Here are some of the possible solutions than can lessen
the drug addiction in the community:
 Education, schools, awareness, campaigns, choices,
advertising
 Counseling, treatment, advice, confidential, helpline
 Communication between parents and
children, meals, non-judgmental, firm, close, open
communication
 Close family relationships: brothers, sisters, parents
 Employment, meaningful activity, activities in
evenings
 Good environment, leisure, sports, friends
 Expectations