Alcohol

Alcohol

Drug Type:

Depressant

Facts for Parents:

25% of 8th graders have admitted to being intoxicated at least once.

Other Names:

Beer, wine, liquor, cooler, malt liquor, booze

How Consumed:

Orally 

Effects:

Addiction (alcoholism), dizziness, nausea, vomiting, hangovers, slurred speech, disturbed sleep, impaired motor skills, violent behavior, fetal alcohol syndrome, respiratory depression and death (high doses).

Of course, we are all aware of the effects, smell and look of alcohol, but ,for parents, be cognizant of alcohol you might have stored in your home and always know where your kids are going and if parents will be there. Don't take your kids word for it. Confirm it with the other parents.

Michigan has one of the highest rates of alcoholism in the nation and studies have shown that rates of alcoholism decrease when the initial use of alcohol is delayed.

Amphetamines

Amphetamines

Drug Type:

Stimulant

Facts for Parents:

Chronic use can induce psychosis with symptoms similar to schizophrenia.

Other Names:

Speed, uppers, ups, hearts, black beauties, pep pills, capilots, bumble bees, Benzedrine, Dexedrine, footballs, biphetamine

How Consumed:

Orally, injected, snorted, or smoked

Effects:

Addiction, irritability, anxiety, increased blood pressure, paranoia, psychosis, depression, aggression, convulsions, dilated pupils, dizziness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, malnutrition. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if injected.

Stimulant use has been increasing among US teens since 1991. In 1997, stimulants had been used in the past year by 8.1 % of eighth graders, 12.1% of tenth graders, and 10.2% of twelfth graders. Stimulants had been used in the past month by 3.8% of eighth graders, 5.1% of tenth graders, and 4.8% of twelfth graders.

According to the 1996 National Household Survey, among US youth aged 12 to 17, 2.2% had used stimulants in their lifetime, 1.5% had used in the past year, and .5% had used stimulants in the past month. Current use [in the past month] among teenagers is very near the same rate as that for young adults aged 18-25.

Methamphetamines

Methamphetamines

Drug Type:

Stimulant

Facts for Parents:

Some users avoid sleep 3 to 15 days.

Other Names:

Speed, meth, crank, crystal, ice, fire, croak, crypto, white cross, glass. "Ice" is the street name for the smokeable form.

How Consumed:

Orally, injected, snorted, or smoked

Effects:

Addiction, irritability, aggression, hypothermia, stroke, paranoia, psychosis, convulsions, heart and blood vessel toxicity, hallucinations, arrhythmia, formication (the sensation of insects creeping on or under your skin).

Ecstasy

Ecstacy

Drug Type:

Stimulants

Facts for Parents:

Ecstasy is popular at all-night underground parties (called raves) and is the most common designer drug.

Other Names:

XTC, Adam, MDMA

How Consumed:

Orally

Effects:

Psychiatric disturbances, including panic, anxiety, depression, and paranoia. Muscle tension, nausea, blurred vision, sweating, increased heart rate, tremors, hallucinations, fainting, chills, sleep problems, and reduced appetite

Ritalin

Ritalin

Drug Type:

Stimulant

Facts for Parents:

Some children buy or steal from their classmates

Other Names:

Speed, west coast

How Consumed:

Tablet is crushed, and the powder is snorted or injected.

Effects:

Loss of appetite, fevers, convulsions, and severe headaches. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infections. Paranoia, hallucinations, excessive repetition of movements and meaningless tasks, tremors, muscle twitching.

Herbal Ecstasy/Ephedrine

Herbal Ecstasy/Ephedrine

Drug Type:

Herbal Ecstasy, Cloud 9, Rave Energy, Ultimate, Xphoria, and X

Facts for Parents:

The active ingredients in Herbal Ecstasy are caffeine and ephedrine.

How Consumed:

Orally

Effects:

Increased heart rate and blood pressure. Seizures, heart attacks, stroke, and death.

Herbal Ecstasy and variations of the name Ectasy have been marketed towards college students and juveniles as a safe forum of ecstasy. However, these products contain the herb ephedra, also known as Ma-Huang, a botanical source of ephedrine alkaloids which can have dangerous effects on the nervous system and heart.

Many stimulants advertised and sold near the checkout counters of Michigan gas stations contain this drug. 

Designer Drugs

Designer Drugs

Drug Type:

Stimulants

Facts for Parents:

Changing the molecular structure of an existing drug or drugs to create a new substance creates Designer drugs.

Other Names:

Synthetic heroin, goodfella

How Consumed:

Injected, sniffed, or smoked.

Effects:

Instant respiratory paralysis. Potency creates strong possibility for overdose, many of the same effects as heroin.

Cocaine

Cocaine

Drug Type:

Stimulant

Facts for Parents:

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. Heavy use may produce paranoia, hallucinations, aggression, insomnia, and depression.

Other Names:

Coke, snow, nose candy, flake, blow, big C, lady, white, snowbirds.

How Consumed:

Snorted or dissolved in water and injected.

Effects:

Addiction, pupil dilation, elevated blood pressure and heart rate. Increased respiratory rate, seizures, heart attack, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, increased body temperature, death from overdose.

Crack

Crack Cocaine

Drug Type:

Stimulant

Facts for Parents:

A cheaper form of cocaine that may be more addicting.

Other Names:

Rock, freebase

Effects:

Same as cocaine

Although crack use is typically associated with "hard-core" drug users, these statistics show how it's terrible affect has been seen in very young Michigan youths. 

According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 8.6 million Americans aged 12 or older reported trying crack cocaine at least once during their lifetimes, representing 3.5% of the population aged 12 or older. Additional 2006 NSDUH data indicate that approximately 1.5 million (0.6%) reported past year crack cocaine use and 702,000 (0.3%) reported past month crack cocaine use.

The 2006 NSDUH results also indicate that there were 245,000 persons aged 12 or older who had used crack cocaine for the first time within the past 12 months

Heroin

Heroin

Drug Type:

Opiates

Facts for Parents:

Heroin users quickly develop a tolerance to the drug and need more and more of it to get the same effects, or even to feel well.

Other Names:

Smack, horse, mud, brown, sugar, junk, black tar, big H, dope.

Effects:

Addiction. Slurred speech, slow gait, constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, impaired night vision, nodding off, respiratory depression or failure, dry itching skin, and skin infections. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if injected.

Unfortunately, Michigan has seen a dramatic rise in the use of Heroin and specifically Heroin use among high school and college age young people.

A recent article from the New York Times states, "While use of illicit drugs over all by 8th, 10th and 12th graders is down in recent years, according to annual surveys by University of Michigan researchers, heroin use has remained steady with just under 1 percent of the students saying they had used it in the past year. And federal officials say heroin use is rising among one crucial demographic: young adults in suburban and rural communities..."

PCP

PCP

Drug Type:

Hallucinogens

Facts for Parents:

Marijuana joints can be dipped into PCP without the smoker's knowledge.

Other Names:

Angel dust, ozone, rocket fuel, peace pill, elephant tranquilizer, dust.

How Consumed:

Snorted, smoked, orally, or injected.

Effects:

Hallucinations. Out-of-body experiences, impaired motor coordination, inability to feel physical pain, respiratory attack, disorientation, fear, panic, aggressive behavior. Increased risk of exposure to HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if injected. Death.

LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethyl amide)

Drug Type:

Hallucinogen

Facts for Parents:

LSD is the most common hallucinogen. LSD tabs are often decorated with colorful designs or cartoon characters.

Other Names:

Acid, microdot, tabs, doses, trips, hits, sugar cubes.

How Consumed:

Tabs taken orally or gelatin/liquid put in eyes.

Effects:

Elevated body temperature and blood pressure, suppressed appetite, sleeplessness, tremors, chronic recurring hallucinations.

Mushrooms

Drug Type:

Hallucinogens

Facts for Parents:

Many mushroom users purchase hallucinogenic mushroom spores via mail order.

Other Names:

Shrooms, caps, magic mushrooms.

How Consumed:

Eaten or brewed and drunk in tea.

Effects:

Increased blood pressure, sweating, nausea, hallucinations.

Inhalants

Inhalant

Facts for Parents:

Hundreds of legal household products can be sniffed or huffed to get high. All inhalants can be toxic. Other Names: Laughing gas, whippets, aerosol sprays, cleaning fluids, solvents.

How Consumed:

Vapors are inhaled

Effects:

Headache, muscle weakness, abdominal pain, severe mood swings and violent behavior, nausea, nose bleeds; liver, lung, and kidney damage; dangerous chemical imbalances in the body, lack of coordination, fatigue, loss of appetite, decreases in heart and respiratory rates, hepatitis, or peripheral neuropathy from long-term use.

Marijuana

Marijuana

Facts for Parents:

The average age of first use is 14. Can be smoked using homemade pipes and bongs made from soda cans or plastic beverage containers.

Other Names:

Weed, pot, reefer, grass, dope, ganja, Mary Jane, sinsemilla, herb, Aunt Mary, skunk, boom, kif, gangster, chronic, 420.

How Consumed:

Smoked or eaten.

Effects:

Bloodshot eyes, dry mouth, impaired or reduced comprehension, altered sense of time, reduced ability to perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination --such as driving a car, paranoia, intense anxiety attacks, altered cognition, making acquisition of new information difficult; impairments in learning, memory, perception, and judgment; difficulty speaking, listening effectively, thinking, retaining knowledge, problem solving.

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug. According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 97.8 million Americans aged 12 or older tried marijuana at least once in their lifetimes, representing 39.8% of the U.S. population in that age group. The number of past year marijuana users in 2006 was approximately 25.4 million (10.3% of the population aged 12 or older) and the number of past month marijuana users was 14.8 million (6.0%).

Among 12-17 year olds surveyed as part of the 2006 NSDUH, 6.7% reported past month marijuana use. Additional NSDUH results indicate that 16.3% of 18-25 year olds and 4.2% of those aged 26 or older reported past month use of marijuana. The 2006 NSDUH results also indicate that there were 2.1 million persons aged 12 or older who had used marijuana for the first time within the past 12 months. This estimate is similar to estimates from past NSDUH surveys dating back to 2002.

Steroids

Steroids

Facts for Parents:

Steroid users subject themselves to more than 70 % potentially harmful side effects.

Other Names:

Rhoids, juice

How Consumed:

Orally or injected into muscle

Effects:

Liver cancer Sterility, masculine traits in women and feminine traits in men, aggression, depression, acne, mood swings.

Fortunately, the use of steroids and other performance enhancing drugs such as human growth hormone have decreased in the wake of media coverage of high profile athletes being charged criminally and facing league sanctions for their use. 

Also, many high school sports leagues in Michigan are now performing random drug testing to help prevent steroid use among high school athletes.

The danger of these drugs is that they can be purchased over the internet with their potency and quality unknown and unchecked. 

Tobacco

Cigarettes

Facts for Parents:

1 in 5 12th graders is a daily smoker. How Consumed: Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco (chew, dip, and snuff).

Effects:

Addiction, heart disease, cancer of the lung, larynx, esophagus, bladder, pancreas, kidney, and mouth. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight.