How to check if someone is on drugs?

Learn about drugs

Marijuana (THC)
Marijuana (Tetrahydrocannabinol,THC) is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. There are over 200 terms for marijuana including Pot, Herb, Weed, Boom, Mary Jane, Gangster, Chronic, Dak, Grass, Hash and Skunk. It is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint) or in a pipe or bong. Some users also mix marijuana into foods or use it to brew tea.

If someone is high on marijuana, they might seem dizzy and have trouble walking, act silly and giggly for no reason, have very red bloodshot eyes, have a hard time remembering things that have just happened and when the early effects fade, a few hours later, the user can become very sleepy.

Methamphetamine (MET)
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. Methamphetamine is made in illegal laboratories and has a high potential for abuse and addiction. Methamphetamine is referred to by many names, such as Speed, Meth, Chalk, P, Pure and Burn. Methamphetamine hydrochloride comes in the form of clear chunky crystals resembling ice, which can be inhaled by smoking, is referred to as Ice, Crystal, Glass, and Tina.

Immediately after smoking or intravenous injection, the methamphetamine user experiences an intense sensation, called a rush or flash, that lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable. Oral or intranasal use produces euphoria—a high, but not a rush. Users may become addicted quickly, and use it with increasing frequency and increasing doses.

Cocaine (COC)
Cocaine is a powerful addictive drug of abuse. Having tried cocaine, an individual cannot predict or control the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug. Cocaine is generally sold as a fine, white, crystalline powder, known as Coke, C, Snow, Flake, Blow and Charlie. Street dealers generally dilute cocaine with inert substances such as cornstarch, talcum powder, and/or sugar, or with active drugs such as procaine (a chemically-related local anaesthetic) or with other stimulants such as amphetamines.

Cocaine’s effects appear almost immediately after a single dose, and disappears within a few minutes or hours. Taken in small amounts, cocaine usually makes the user feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert, especially to the sensations of sight, sound, and touch. It can also temporarily decrease the need for food and sleep. Some users find that the drug helps them to perform simple physical and intellectual tasks more quickly, while others can experience the opposite effect.

Amphetamine (AMP)
Amphetamines are a whole family of related drugs—each with its own recipe—and are taken in different ways. They can be in the form of powder, tablets, capsules, crystals or red liquid. Amphetamines can come as a white through to a brown powder, sometimes even orange and dark purple. They have a strong smell and bitter taste.

Amphetamine tablets vary in colour, and can be a cocktail of drugs, binding agents, caffeine and sugar. Common names for amphetamines are Speed, Up, Fast, Louee, Goey, Whiz, Pep pills, Uppers. Crystal methamphetamine is also known as Ice, Shabu, Crystal meth, or Glass.

People use amphetamines for different reasons. Some use the drugs to help stay awake for long periods of time, to improve performance in sport or at work, or to boost their self-confidence. Amphetamines can reduce tiredness and increase endurance. Amphetamines are most commonly swallowed, injected or smoked. They are also “snorted”, or sniffed, through the nose. Some people insert them anally.

Opiates (OPI)
Opiates are addictive drugs. Recent studies suggest a shift from injecting heroin to snorting or smoking because of increased purity and the misconception that these forms are safer. 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.

The short-term effects of opiate abuse appear soon after a single dose and disappear in a few hours. After an injection of heroin, the user reports feeling a surge of euphoria (“rush”) accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, and heavy extremities. Following this initial euphoria, the user goes “on the nod,” an alternately wakeful and drowsy state. Mental functioning becomes clouded due to the depression of the central nervous system.

MDMA
MDMA (3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a synthetic, psychoactive drug chemically similar to the stimulant methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline. Street names for MDMA include Ecstasy, Adam, XTC, Hug, Beans, Love drug, E and Eckies. MDMA is an illegal drug that acts as both a stimulant and psychedelic, producing an energizing effect, as well as distortions in time and perception and enhanced enjoyment from tactile experiences.

MDMA exerts its primary effects in the brain on neurons that use the chemical serotonin to communicate with other neurons. The serotonin system plays an important role in regulating mood, aggression, sexual activity, sleep, and sensitivity to pain.

 

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