Can you name any illegal drugs? Cannabis LSD Solvents Ecstasy Magic mushrooms Speed Heroin Anabolic Steroids Cocaine Crack Tranquillisers Poppers

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How is it taken? what does it look like? What does each drug do? What are the side effects?

Cannabis Nicknames: grass, blow, weed, spliff, ganja, dope, hash What does it do? Makes you relaxed, friendly, giggly and chatty Side Effects Paranoia (makes you think people are talking about you) Panicky and anxious Makes you confused and more likely to have accidents Blood shot eyes Dry mouth Hungry and tired Dizzy and sick, especially when mixed with alcohol Like tobacco, causes bronchitis and lung cancer How is taken? Smoked (joint) or eaten

How is it taken? Fumes are sniffed, sprayed in the mouth What does it do? Feels like you are drunk Can give you a high and make you laugh Some people see things that aren’t really there. Side Effects Feel dizzy, sick or drowsy Lose control of balance Sniffing by putting a plastic bag on your head can cause suffocation Passing out and choking on vomit Mixing with alcohol is very dangerous Sniffing or spraying can cause instant death! 2 young people die a week It’s illegal to sell to under 18 Solvents Nicknames: Gas, glue and aerosols

Ecstacy Nicknames: E, pills, mitsibushis, rolexes How is it taken? Tablets, different shapes and colours. Swallowed What does it do? Gives you energy Feelings of closeness and love The energy buss is usually followed by a feeling of calm Side Effects Panicky and frightened feelings Feeling ‘spaced out’ which is when accidents can happen Taking E and dancing for hours causes the body to over heat and dehydrate People have died from taking 1 pill. Tired but unable to sleep causing a ‘come down’ (low feeling in the days following taking drugs Evidence supports that it causes depression and mental illness

Cocaine / Crack Nicknames: Coke, charlie, snow, c How is it taken? Can be snorted through the nose, injected or rubbed in the mouth What does it do? Gives you confidence Energy Side Effects Uptight and panicky Feeling sick Afterwards, feeling tired and depressed, upsets sleeping patterns VERY addictive Expensive Cause heart problems Damage inside of nose (photos of Daniela Westbrook ) Causes convulsions

LSD Nicknames: trips, acid, tabs, microdots How is it taken? Small paper squares with a picture (tabs) which are licked or swallowed Tablets laced with LSD What does it do? See unusual shapes. Colours brighter Things speed up or slow down These strange effects are known as a trip! Side Effects Once a trip has started it can’t be stopped Hear strange voices You may feel hot, sick or dizzy A trip can last hours and if you have a bad trip it might make you feel panicky and afraid After using LSD you may have flashbacks Using LSD a lot can make you mentally ill

Methamphetamines Nicknames: Crank, Speed, meth, junk, crystal How is it taken? smoked in either rock or powder form, "snorted" through the nose with a straw or a rolled up dollar bill, or injected directly into a vein. What does it do? speeds up the heart rate, giving users a 'rush, stay awake for extremely long periods of time (1 to 2 weeks straight), feel confident and elated, along with an increased desire to talk a lot alertness and endurance increases Side Effects After the drug wears off, there is a severe crash as the user's blood levels drop. one pill wear off 3-8 hours later, leaving you fatigued but not exhausted Extremely addictive some very violent behavior. increased strain on the heart. psychotic episodes heart disease, heart attack, and stroke

POPPERS Nicknames: Ram, Thrust, Rock Hard, Kix, TNT, Liquid Gold How is it taken? Poppers are a group of chemicals known as alkyl nitrates that include amyl nitrite, butyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite.alkyl nitrates clear or straw-coloured liquid in a small bottle or tube (and used to be sold in glass capsules which made a popping noise when opened - leading to the name.) The vapour is inhaled through the mouth or nose. What does it do? Effects are instantaneous and brief, but intense. Effects fade two to five minutes after use Light-headedness, giddiness, heat flush or heightened sensual awareness may also result. impression of time slowing down Side Effects headaches, nausea, coughing, dizziness, unconsciousness Regular use can cause skin problems around the mouth and nose If spilled, poppers can burn the skin Alkyl nitrites reduce blood pressure - breathing or heart problems Poppers can be fatal if swallowed.

Heroin Nicknames: Big H, Blacktar, Brown sugar, Dope, Horse, Junk, Mud, Skag, Smack. How is it taken? highly addictive drug derived from morphine, from the opium poppy. injected into a vein ("mainlining"), injected into a muscle, smoked in a water pipe or standard pipe, mixed in a marijuana joint or regular cigarette, inhaled as smoke through a straw, known as "chasing the dragon," snorted as powder via the nose. What does it do? "downer" or depressant that affects the brain's pleasure systems and interferes with the brain's ability to perceive pain. feeling a surge of euphoria ("rush") accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, and heavy extremities. Side effects Extremely addictive: withdrawal produces drug craving, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps ("cold turkey"), kicking movements ("kicking the habit") slowed and slurred speech, slow gait, constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, impaired night vision, vomiting, constipation. collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, cellulites, and liver disease. Pulmonary complications, including various types of pneumonia Sudden withdrawal by heavily dependent users who are in poor health can be fatal.

Discuss as a class… How much of a problem do you think drugs are among your peers, and what problems do you think occur because of drugs taken by teenagers? Do you think you have received enough education about drugs in your school so far? Do you think that cannabis should be a legal drug? Why? If any, which drugs among your age group do you think are used the most? Devise a questionnaire to research your age group, to find out the opinions on drugs in your area. The questions should asked so that you can get a yes/ no answer. This will make it easy to chart your results.