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The basics on how all the drugs you've heard about since you were a kid affect you.
Amphetamines | Cocaine | Heroin | LSD | Mariuana | Methamphetamines | PCP | Steroids
| Street Names |
Speed, uppers, bennies, dexies |
| What it is |
A stimulant in tablet or pill form |
| How it's taken |
They’re inhaled, injected or swallowed |
| Short-Term Effects |
Increased heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature; increased talkativeness; reduced appetite; visual and auditory hallucinations |
| Long-Term Effects |
Addiction; because they suppress your appetite, they can result in malnutrition; can cause paranoid psychosis |
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| Street Names |
Coke, blow, nose candy |
| What it is |
A white powder stimulant extracted from the leaves of the coca plant |
| How it's taken |
It’s snorted or dissolved in water and injected |
| Short-Term Effects |
It increases energy; makes the heart beat faster; and makes you feel mentally “clear” for the duration of the high, which is anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Afterwards, the user can feel fatigue and insomnia from increased heart rate |
| Long-Term Effects |
Addiction; destruction of the nasal passages (if snorted); lung damage (if smoked); paranoia; aggression; depression; heart attack; and death |
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| Street Names |
Acid, sugar cubes, trips |
| What it is |
A hallucinogen that comes in colored tablets, blotter paper, clear liquid, or squares of gelatin |
| How it's taken |
It’s taken orally; droplets of the gelatin or liquid can be taken through the eyes |
| Short-Term Effects |
Depends on the amount taken and the user’s mood; increased heart rate and blood pressure; feeling different emotions all at once or in quick succession; can produce delusions and hallucinations— user may “cross over” and “hear” colors and “see” sounds, which can cause the user to panic |
| Long-Term Effects |
Flashbacks of the experience days or even years after LSD use |
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| Street Names |
Pot, weed, herb, ganja |
| What it is |
The dried leaves of the cannabis plant, which contains THC- the chemical that alters perception |
| How it's taken |
Smoked in a cigarette (“joint”) in a water pipe (“bong”) and in cigars (“blunt”); baked into brownies; brewed into tea |
| Short-Term Effects |
Gives a feeling of relaxation and can make regular things seem funny; can also invoke paranoid feelings |
| Long-Term Effects |
Can cause memory loss, shortened attention span, “apathetic” syndrome, weight gain, breathing problems, colds, heart palpitations, gynecomastia (guys growing breasts) and smoking- related cancers |
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| Street Names |
Crystal meth, crank, glass, ice |
| What it is |
An addictive stimulant, it’s a crystal-like powder that’s usually white or yellow depending on the purity; can also come in rock form |
| How it's taken |
Injected, snorted, smoked, or swallowed |
| Short-Term Effects |
Increased activity level; suppressed appetite; a rush or “flash” feeling of well-being when smoked or injected; a high when snorted or swallowed |
| Long-Term Effects |
Tolerance comes quickly and user needs more meth to get the same high, forcing user to go on binges that last for days. Long-term users experience depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression, insomnia, hallucinations (especially “bugs under the skin”), delusions, sometimes suicidal or homicidal thoughts |
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| Street Names |
Angel dust |
| What it is |
An anesthetic drug that’s a tan-to-brown powder or gummy substance. It’s often added to other drugs such as pot, LSD, or methamphetamine and is taken inadvertently with those drugs. It also comes in tablets or capsules |
| How it's taken |
Injected, snorted, smoked, or swallowed |
| Short-Term Effects |
Feelings similar to alcohol intoxication; hallucinations; anxiety; disorientation; paranoia; and violent behavior |
| Long-Term Effects |
Memory loss; weight loss; depression; and loss of motor skills |
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| Street Names |
Juice, rhoids |
| What it is |
Manufactured testosterone-like drugs |
| How it's taken |
Swallowed in tablets or liquid; or injected. Users take them in patterns called “cycling”, which means they take them over a specific period of time, stop, then start taking them again instead of continuously using them |
| Short-Term Effects |
Increases muscle mass, strength, and endurance, but can also cause liver tumors, jaundice, water retention, high blood pressure; some users show bad judgment because the drugs make them feel invincible |
| Long-Term Effects |
Hypertension; high cholesterol; stunted growth; heart damage; women experience irreversible deepening of the voice and masculinization of genitalia; men experience shrinking of testicles and impotence |
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