Quick Facts About Drugs

Illegal or street drugs are dangerous; however, that does not mean that legal drugs are any safer to use. The only difference between legal and illegal drugs is that legal drugs are manufactured under controlled conditions and their use and sale is mandated by federal, state and local laws and ordinances.

Marijuana

• Marijuana is derived from the hemp plant, which contains an addictive ingredient called THC. Marijuana is usually smoked, but can also be sprinkled on or mixed into food.

  Smoking marijuana alters the way your brain cells work. Its short-term effects can include loss of memory and confusion, while its long-term effects can include cancer from the carcinogenic chemicals that it contains.

Cocaine

• Cocaine is a highly addictive drug that acts as a stimulant. It can be taken in many ways, including mixing the powdered form with liquid and injecting it, or inhaling the powder itself. The powder can also be cooked down to form a solid piece, called a rock, which is then smoked.

  Cocaine can cause addiction after only the first use. Additionally, you can easily overdose on cocaine because you may not know how much is in the powder or the solid form, or you may have taken too much.

Inhalants

• Inhalants can be common household products such as hairspray, cooking spray or anything else that comes in an aerosol container. Other forms of inhalants are airplane glue, nail polish remover or even correction fluid.

  Inhalants can be sprayed or poured into a bag or other container and sniffed or sniffed directly from its original container. Some people even soak a rag in the substance and sniff the rag.

  No matter how an inhalant gets inside you, it is still dangerous. Short-term effects and damage can include racing heartbeat, difficulty breathing, and dizziness or headaches. Long-term effects and damage include organ damage, seizures and choking if inhalation causes vomiting.

Methamphetamine

• Methamphetamine is another highly addictive drug that has a strong effect on the brain's systems and functions. Smoking or shooting methamphetamine, two ways of introducing it into your body, causes your brain to release dopamine. Dopamine causes the brain cells to be stimulated, which in turn causes increased mood enhancement. Its stimulating effect also causes your movements to become rapid and jerky.

  Like cocaine, you can become addicted to methamphetamine after only one use. Further, methamphetamine causes an immediate reaction, referred to as a rush, which has been described as extremely pleasurable. However, it is hard to duplicate that first rush, so methamphetamine users tend to take more and more, trying to recapture the feeling.

Alcohol and Tobacco

• These are two legal drugs, meaning they are legal for sale to those who are considered old enough to buy them. Just because they are bought and sold legally, however, does not mean you have to try them.

  Both alcohol and tobacco can be addictive, and both can cause serious health problems.