Transcript Drugs: What? Where? When? Why?


There are 4 major techniques or methods used in operant conditioning. They result from
combining the two major purposes of operant conditioning (increasing or decreasing the
probability that a specific behavior will occur in the future), the types of stimuli used
(positive/pleasant or negative/aversive), and the action taken (adding or removing the
stimulus).
Outcome of Conditioning



Positive
Stimulus


Negative
Stimulus
Increase Behavior
Decrease Behavior
Positive
Response Cost
Reinforcement
(remove stimulus)
(add stimulus)________________________________
Negative
Punishment
Reinforcement
(add stimulus)
(remove stimulus)
__________________________________________________________
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
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
Positive Reinforcement--the term reinforcement always indicates a process that
strengthens a behavior; the word positive has two cues associated with it. First, a positive
or pleasant stimulus is used in the process, and second, the reinforcer is added (i.e.,
"positive" as in + sign for addition). In positive reinforcement, a positive reinforcer is
added after a response and increases the frequency of the response.
Negative Reinforcement-- the term reinforcement always indicates a process that
strengthens a behavior; the word negative has two cues associated with it. First, a
negative or aversive stimulus is used in the process, and second, the reinforcer is
subtracted (i.e., "negative" as in a "-" sign for subtraction). In negative reinforcement,
after the response the negative reinforcer is removed which increases the frequency of
the response. (Note: There are two types of negative reinforcement: escape and
avoidance. In general, the learner must first learn to escape before he or she learns to
avoid.)
Response Cost--if positive reinforcement strengthens a response by adding a positive
stimulus, then response cost has to weaken a behavior by subtracting a positive stimulus.
After the response the positive reinforcer is removed which weakens the frequency of
the response.
Punishment--if negative reinforcement strengthens a behavior by subtracting a negative
stimulus, than punishment has to weaken a behavior by adding a negative stimulus.
After a response a negative or aversive stimulus is added which weakens the frequency
of the response.
Extinction--No longer reinforcing a previously reinforced response (using either positive or
negative reinforcement) results in the weakening of the frequency of the response.
The following questions can help in determining whether
operant conditioning has occurred.
 a. What behavior in the example was increased or
decreased?
 b. Was the behavior increased (if yes, the process has the
be either positive or negative reinforcement), or
decreased (if the behavior was decreased the process is
either response cost or punishment).
 c. What was the consequence / stimulus that followed the
behavior in the example?
 d. Was the consequence / stimulus added or removed? If
added the process was either positive reinforcement or
punishment. If it was subtracted, the process was either
negative reinforcement or response cost.
What are the street names/slang terms?barbs, booze (alcohol), candy, downers, forget-me pills, Mexican Valium,
phennies, R2, red birds, reds, Roche, roofies, roofinol, rope, rophies, sleeping pills, tooies, tranks, whippets
(inhalants), yellow jackets, yellows.
What are Depressants?

Depressants are substances which slow down the normal function of the central nervous system. These drugs
include barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and alcohol. Marijuana and some inhalants are also depressants.
Barbiturates are a class of drugs known as sedative-hypnotics, commonly prescribed for anxiety and insomnia.
Commercial names include Amytal, Nembutal, and Phenobarbital.
Benzodiazepines (other than Flunitrazepam) are commonly prescribed as tranquilizers. These drugs are among
the most widely prescribed medications in the US. Commercial names include Valium and Xanax.
Flunitrazepam, commercially known as Rohypnol, is a sedative associated with sexual assaults. This drug is not
sold in the US, but may be brought in from other countries. Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is illegal in the US due
to its sedative properties and frequent abuse in sexual assaults.
What do they look like?

Depressants come in many forms. Many depressants are available as pills, powders or liquids.
How are they used?

Depressants may be swallowed, injected, smoked or snorted. Depressants are commonly used to reduce
anxiety, induce sleep and lower inhibitions.
What are their short-term effects?

The use of depressants can result in a slowed pulse and breathing, slurred speech, drowsiness, lowered blood
pressure, poor concentration, fatigue and confusion, as well as impaired coordination, memory and judgment.
Rohypnol (Flunitrazepam) may cause visual and gastrointestinal disturbances, urinary retention, and temporary
memory loss.
What are their long-term effects?

Prolonged or heavy abuse of depressants can result in addiction, impaired sexual function, chronic sleep
problems, respiratory depression and respiratory arrest, and death.
What are the street names/slang terms? Booze
What is Alcohol?

Alcohol is a depressant.
What does it look like?

Alcohol is used in liquid form.
How is it used?

Alcohol is drunk. Types include beer, wine, and liquor.
What are its short term effects?

When a person drinks alcohol, the alcohol is absorbed by the stomach, enters the bloodstream, and goes to all
the tissues. The effects of alcohol are dependent on a variety of factors, including a person’s size, weight, age,
and sex, as well as the amount of food and alcohol consumed. The disinhibiting effect of alcohol is one of the
main reasons it is used in so many social situations. Other effects of moderate alcohol intake include dizziness
and talkativeness; the immediate effects of a larger amount of alcohol include slurred speech, disturbed sleep,
nausea, and vomiting. Alcohol, even at low doses, significantly impairs the judgment and coordination required
to drive a car safely. Low to moderate doses of alcohol can also increase the incidence of a variety of
aggressive acts, including domestic violence and child abuse. Hangovers are another possible effect after large
amounts of alcohol are consumed; a hangover consists of headache, nausea, thirst, dizziness, and fatigue.
What are its long-term effects?

Prolonged, heavy use of alcohol can lead to addiction (alcoholism). Sudden cessation of long term, extensive
alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations and
convulsions. Long-term effects of consuming large quantities of alcohol, especially when combined with poor
nutrition, can lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and liver. In addition, mothers who
drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome. These infants may suffer
from mental retardation and other irreversible physical abnormalities. In addition, research indicates that
children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other children of becoming alcoholics.
Marijuana
What are the street names/slang terms?Aunt Mary, Boom, Chronic (Marijuana alone or with crack), Dope,
Gangster, Ganja, Grass, Hash, Herb, Kif, Mary Jane, Pot, Reefer, Sinsemilla, Skunk, Weed
What is Marijuana?

Marijuana, the most often used illegal drug in this country, is a product of the hemp plant, Cannabis
sativa. The main active chemical in marijuana, also present in other forms of cannabis, is THC (delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol). Of the roughly 400 chemicals found in the cannabis plant, THC affects the
brain the most.
What does it look like?

Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant
(Cannabis sativa).
How is it used?

Most users roll loose marijuana into a cigarette called a “joint”. Weed can be smoked in a water pipe,
called a “bong”, or mixed into food or brewed as tea. It has also appeared in cigars called “blunts”.
What are its short-term effects?

Short-term effects of marijuana include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception
(sights, sounds, time, touch), trouble with thinking and problem solving, loss of motor coordination,
increased heart rate, and anxiety. These effects are even greater when other drugs are mixed with
weed. A user may also experience dry mouth and throat.
What are its long-term effects?

Marijuana smoke contains some of the same cancer-causing compounds as tobacco, sometimes in
higher concentrations. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in
as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.
Hashish
What are the street names/slang terms? Hashish
What is Hashish?

Hashish is a cannabinoid, like marijuana. It consists of the THC-rich resinous material of
the cannabis plant, which is collected, dried, and then compressed into a variety of
forms, such as balls, cakes, or cookie-like sheets. The Middle East, North Africa, and
Pakistan/Afghanistan are the main sources of hashish. The THC content of hashish that
reached the United States, where demand is limited, averaged 6 percent in the 1990s.
What does it look like?

Hashish is a reddish-brown to black colored resinous material of the cannabis plant,
which is collected, dried, and then compressed into a variety of forms, such as balls,
cakes, or cookie-like sheets.
How is it used?

Pieces are then broken off, placed in pipes and smoked.
What are its short-term effects? What are its long-term effects?

See our marijuana drug information.
LSD
What are the street names/slang terms?
Acid, Doses, Hits, Microdot, Sugar cubes, Tabs, Trips
What is is LSD?

LSD is the most common hallucinogen and is one of the most potent mood-changing chemicals. It is
manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.
What does it look like?

LSD is usually found on “blotter” paper (paper that is perforated into small squares). The squares or “tabs” may
be colored or have images printed on them. Liquid LSD is a clear liquid, usually in a small container, tube or flask.
LSD can also be found in thin squares of gelatin.
How is it used?

LSD is taken orally. Gelatin and liquid can be put in the eyes.
What are its short-term effects?

The effects of LSD are unpredictable. They depend on the amount taken, the user’s personality, mood, and
expectations, and the surroundings in which the drug is used. The physical effects include dilated pupils, higher
body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry
mouth, and tremors. Sensations and feelings change much more dramatically than the physical signs. The user
may feel several different emotions at once or swing rapidly from one emotion to another. If taken in a large
enough dose, the drug produces delusions and visual hallucinations. The user’s sense of time and self
changes. Sensations may seem to “cross over,” giving the user the feeling of hearing colors and seeing
sounds. These changes can be frightening and can cause panic.
What are its long-term effects?

Some LSD users experience flashbacks, recurrence of certain aspects of a person’s experience even if the user
doesn’t take the drug again. A flashback occurs suddenly, often without warning, and may occur within a few
days or more than a year after LSD use. Most users of LSD voluntarily decrease or stop its use over time. LSD is not
considered to be an addicting drug because it does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior like
cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, alcohol, or nicotine.
Mushrooms
What are the street names/slang terms? Caps, Magic mushrooms, Mushrooms, Psilocybin & Psilocyn,
Shrooms.
What are Mushrooms?

Psilocybin and psilocyn are the hallucinogenic principles contained in certain mushrooms. These
“magic” mushrooms are generally grown in Mexico and Central America and have been used in
native rituals for thousands of years. Psilocybin is structurally similar to serotonin, and produces its
effects by disrupting normal functioning of the serotonin system.
What do they look like?

Dried mushrooms.
How are they used?

Mushrooms can be eaten, brewed and consumed as tea.
What are their short-term effects?
Once ingested, mushrooms generally cause feelings of nausea before the desired mental effects
appear. The high from using magic mushrooms is mild and may cause altered feelings and distorted
perceptions of touch, sight, sound and taste. Other effects can include nervousness and paranoia.
Effects can be different during each use due to varying potency, the amount ingested, and the user’s
expectations, mood, surroundings, and frame of mind. On some trips, users experience sensations that
are enjoyable. Others can include terrifying thoughts, and anxiety, fears of insanity, death, or losing
control.
What are its long-term effects?

Some magic mushroom users experience “flashbacks”, or hallucinogen persisting perception disorder
(HPPD), which are reoccurrences of hallucinations long after ingesting the drug. The causes of these
effects, which in some users occur after a single experience with the drug, are not known.
Ecstasy
What are the street names/slang terms? Adam, E, Roll, X, XTC
What is Ecstasy?

MDMA or Ecstasy (3-4-methylenedioxymethampheta-mine), is a synthetic drug with amphetamine-like and
hallucinogenic properties. It is classified as a stimulant.
What does it look like?

Ecstasy comes in a tablet form that is often branded, e.g. Playboy bunnies, Nike swoosh, CK.
How is it used?

Taken in pill form, users sometimes take Ecstasy at “raves,” clubs and other parties to keep on dancing and for
mood enhancement.
What are its short-term effects?

Users report that Ecstasy produces intensely pleasurable effects — including an enhanced sense of selfconfidence and energy. Effects include feelings of peacefulness, acceptance and empathy. Users say they
experience feelings of closeness with others and a desire to touch others. Other effects can include involuntary
teeth clenching, a loss of inhibitions, transfixion on sights and sounds, nausea, blurred vision, chills and/or
sweating. Increases in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as seizures, are also possible. The stimulant effects
of the drug enable users to dance for extended periods, which when combined with the hot crowded
conditions usually found at raves, can lead to severe dehydration and hyperthermia or dramatic increases in
body temperature. This can lead to muscle breakdown and kidney, liver and cardiovascular failure.
Cardiovascular failure has been reported in some of the Ecstasy-related fatalities.
After-effects can include sleep problems, anxiety and depression.
What are its long-term effects?

Repeated use of Ecstasy ultimately may damage the cells that produce serotonin, which has an important role
in the regulation of mood, appetite, pain, learning and memory. There already is research suggesting Ecstasy
use can disrupt or interfere with memory.
Methamphetamine
What are the street names/slang terms?Chalk, Crank, Croak, Crypto, Crystal, Fire, Glass, Meth, Tweek, White Cross
What is Methamphetamine?

Methamphetamine (Meth) is an addictive stimulant that strongly activates certain systems in the brain.
What does it look like?

Methamphetamine is a crystal-like powdered substance that sometimes comes in large rock-like chunks. When
the powder flakes off the rock, the shards look like glass, which is another nickname for meth. Meth is usually
white or slightly yellow, depending on the purity.
How is it used?

Methamphetamine can be taken orally, injected, snorted, or smoked.
What are its short-term effects?

Immediately after smoking or injection, the user experiences an intense sensation, called a “rush” or “flash,” that
lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable. Snorting or swallowing meth produces
euphoria — a high, but not a rush. After the initial “rush,” there is typically a state of high agitation that in some
individuals can lead to violent behavior. Other possible immediate effects include increased wakefulness and
insomnia, decreased appetite, irritability/aggression, anxiety, nervousness, convulsions and heart attack.
What are its long-term effects?

Methamphetamine is addictive, and users can develop a tolerance quickly, needing larger amounts to get
high. In some cases, users forego food and sleep and take more meth every few hours for days, ‘binging’ until
they run out of the drug or become too disorganized to continue. Chronic use can cause paranoia,
hallucinations, repetitive behavior (such as compulsively cleaning, grooming or disassembling and assembling
objects), and delusions of parasites or insects crawling under the skin. Users can obsessively scratch their skin to
get rid of these imagined insects. Long-term use, high dosages, or both can bring on full-blown toxic psychosis
(often exhibited as violent, aggressive behavior). This violent, aggressive behavior is usually coupled with
extreme paranoia. Methamphetamine use can also cause strokes and death.
Crystal Meth
What are the street names/slang terms? Ice
What is Crystal Meth?

Crystal Meth is a very pure, smokeable form of methamphetamine. It is a powerful and extremely addictive man-made
stimulant. Its use can lead to severe physiological and psychological dependence.
What does it look like?

Clear crystal chunks, similar in appearance to actual ice or glass. Crystal Meth is odorless and colorless.
How is it used?

Crystal Meth is usually smoked, but is sometimes snorted or injected. The drug is abused because of its euphoric effects.
What are its short-term effects?

The drug’s effects are similar to those of cocaine but longer lasting. Crystal Meth can cause erratic, violent behavior among
its users. Effects include suppressed appetite, interference with sleeping behavior, mood swings and unpredictability,
tremors and convulsions, increased blood pressure, irregular heart rate. Users may also experience homicidal or suicidal
thoughts, prolonged anxiety, paranoia and insomnia. Crystal meth use by pregnant women can lead to premature birth or
birth defects, including heart defects and cleft palate.
What are its long-term effects?

Long-term effects of Crystal Meth use can include brain damage (similar to the effects of Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s
disease), coma, stroke or death. Chronic users may also develop distinct physical symptoms, as demonstrated by before
and after pictures in the Faces of Meth™ program. Signs of chronic use include weight loss, tooth decay and cracked
teeth (“Meth Mouth”), psychosis and hallucinations, sores on the body from picking at skin, and formication (an abnormal
skin sensation akin to “bugs crawling on skin”).
Cocaine/Crack
What are the street names/slang terms?Big C, Blow, Coke, Flake, Freebase, Lady, Nose Candy, Rock, Snow, Snowbirds,
White Crack
What is Cocaine?

Cocaine is a drug extracted from the leaves of the coca plant. It is a potent brain stimulant and one of the most
powerfully addictive drugs.
What does it look like?

Cocaine is distributed on the street in two main forms: cocaine hydrochloride is a white crystalline powder and
“crack” is cocaine hydrochloride that has been processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
and water into a freebase cocaine — chips, chunks or rocks.
How is it used?

Cocaine can be snorted or dissolved in water and injected. Crack can be smoked.
What are its short-term effects?

Short-term effects of cocaine/crack include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, increased
temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, insomnia, loss of appetite, feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety.
Duration of cocaine’s immediate euphoric effects, which include energy, reduced fatigue, and mental clarity,
depends on how it is used. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. However, the faster the
absorption, the shorter the high lasts. The high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking
crack cocaine may last 5 to 10 minutes. Cocaine’s effects are short lived, and once the drug leaves the brain,
the user experiences a “coke crash” that includes depression, irritability, and fatigue.
What are its long-term effects?

High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce a
particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they often
become depressed. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose.
Heroin
What are the street names/slang terms? Big H, Blacktar, Brown sugar, Dope, Horse, Junk, Muc, Skag, Smac
What is Heroin?

Heroin is a highly addictive drug derived from morphine, which is obtained from the opium poppy. It is a “downer”
or depressant that affects the brain’s pleasure systems and interferes with the brain’s ability to perceive pain.
What does it look like?

White to dark brown powder or tar-like substance.
How is it used?

Heroin can be used in a variety of ways, depending on user
preference and the purity of the drug. Heroin can be 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 are its short-term effects?

The short-term effects of heroin abuse appear soon after a single dose and disappear in a few hours. After an
injection of eroin, 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. Other effects included slowed and slurred speech, slow gait, constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, impaired
night vision, vomiting, constipation.
What are its long-term effects?

Long-term effects of heroin appear after repeated use for some period of time. Chronic users may develop
collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, cellulites, and liver disease. Pulmonary
complications, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health condition of the abuser, as
well as from heroin’s depressing effects on respiration. In addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroin may
have additives that do not really dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver,
kidneys, or brain. This can cause infection or even death of small patches of cells in vital organs. With regular heroin
use, tolerance develops. This means the abuser must use more heroin to achieve the same intensity or effect.

As higher doses are used over time, physical dependence and addiction develop. With physical dependence, the
body has adapted to the presence of the drug and withdrawal symptoms may occur if use is reduced or stopped.
Withdrawal, which in regular abusers may occur as early as a few hours after the last administration, produces drug
craving, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps (“cold
turkey”), kicking movements (“kicking the habit”), and other symptoms. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between
48 and 72 hours after the last does and subside after about a week. Sudden withdrawal by heavily dependent users
who are in poor health can be fatal.
OxyContin
What is OxyContin?

OxyContin is the brand name for oxycodone hydrochloride, an opioid (narcotic) analgesic (pain
reliever).OxyContin is a controlled-release oral formulation of oxycodone hydrochloride. It is available
by prescription only and is used to treat moderate to severe pain when around-the-clock pain relief is
needed for an extended period of time. It works by changing the way the brain and nervous system
respond to pain.
What does it look like?

OxyContin is available in tablet form in 8 doses: 10 mg 15 mg 20 mg 30 mg 40 mg 60 mg* 80 mg* 160
mg*.
How is it used?

As pain medication, OxyContin is taken every 12 hours because the tablets contain a controlled, timerelease formulation of the medication. Most pain medications must be taken every three to six hours.
OxyContin abusers remove the sustained-release coating to get a rapid release of the medication,
causing a rush of euphoria similar to heroin.
What are its short-term effects?

The most serious risk associated with opioids, including OxyContin, is respiratory depression — slowed
breathing. Common opioid side effects are constipation, nausea, sedation, dizziness, vomiting,
headache, dry mouth, sweating, mood changes, flushing, loss of appetite, and weakness. Taking a
large single dose of an opioid could cause severe respiratory depression — slowed or difficulty
breathing that can lead to death.
What are its long-term effects?

Chronic use of opioids can result in tolerance for the drugs, which means that users must take higher
doses to achieve the same initial effects. Long-term use also can lead to physical dependence and
addiction — the body adapts to the presence of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is
reduced or stopped. Taken exactly as prescribed, opioids can be used to manage pain effectively.
Prescription Pain Relievers
What are the street names/slang terms? Codeine, OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin
What are Prescription Pain Relievers?

These are opioids, or narcotics.
What do they look like?

Tablets and capsules.
How are they used?

Medically, they are prescribed as analgesics, to treat pain. When abused, they are swallowed or injected.
What are their short-term effects?

Relief from pain. In some people, prescription pain relievers also cause euphoria or feelings of well being by affecting the brain regions
that mediate pleasure. This is why they are abused. Other effects include drowsiness, constipation and slowed breathing. Taking a large
single dose of prescription pain relievers can cause severe respiratory depression that can lead to death. Use of prescription pain relievers
with other substances that depress the central nervous system, such as alcohol, antihistamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, or general
anesthetics, increases the risk of life-threatening respiratory depression.
What are their long-term effects?

Taken exactly as prescribed, pain relievers can manage pain effectively. But chronic use or abuse of opioids can result in physical
dependence and addiction. Dependence means that the body adapts to the presence of the drug, and withdrawal symptoms occur if
use is reduced or stopped. Symptoms of withdrawal include: restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, and cold
flashes with goose bumps (“cold turkey”). Tolerance to the drugs’ effects also occurs with long-term use, so users must take higher doses
to achieve the same or similar effects as experienced initially. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disorder characterized by compulsive drug
seeking and use.
Prescription Sedatives Tranquilizers
What are the street names/slang terms? Mebaral, Quaaludes, Xanax and Valium (benzodiazepines), Nembutal
What are Prescription Sedatives Tranquilizers?

Prescription medications that act as central nervous system depressants. Barbiturates are prescription sedatives
or “sleeping pills” and benzodiazepines are prescription “tranquilizers.
What does it look like?

Multi-colored tablets and capsules; some can be in liquid form.
How are they used?

Medically, barbiturates are prescribed for acute anxiety, tension and sleep disorders. Benzodiazepines are
prescribed for anxiety, acute stress reactions, and panic attacks. When abused, they are swallowed or injected.
What are their short-term effects?

Prescription sedatives and tranquilizers can cause euphoria. They also slow normal brain function, which may
result in slurred speech, shallow breathing, sluggishness, fatigue, disorientation and lack of coordination or
dilated pupils. During the first few days of taking a prescribed sedative or tranquilizer, a person usually feels
sleepy and uncoordinated, but as the body becomes accustomed to the effects of the drug, these feelings
begin to disappear. Higher doses cause impairment of memory, judgment and coordination, irritability,
paranoid and suicidal ideation. Some people experience a paradoxical reaction to these drugs and can
become agitated or aggressive. Using Prescription sedatives and tranquilizers with other substances —
particularly alcohol — can slow breathing, or slow both the heart and respiration, and possibly lead to death.
What are their long-term effects?

Continued use can lead to physical dependence and — when use is reduced or stopped abruptly —
withdrawal symptoms may occur. Because all Prescription sedatives and tranquilizers work by slowing the brain’s
activity, when an individual stops taking them, there can be a rebound effect, possibly leading to seizures and
other harmful consequences. Tolerance to the drug’s effects can also occur, meaning that larger doses are
needed to achieve similar effects as those experienced initially. This may lead users to take higher doses and risk
the occurrence of an overdose. Addiction can also occur, meaning that users continue to take these drugs
despite their harmful consequences.
Prescription Stimulants
What are Prescription Stimulants?

A class of drugs that enhance brain activity. Prescription stimulants were used historically to treat
asthma, obesity, neurological disorders, and a variety of other ailments, before their potential for
abuse and addiction became apparent.
What do they look like?

Tablets and capsules.
How are they used?

Medically, they are now prescribed for only a few health conditions, including narcolepsy, attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder and short-term treatment of obesity. They are swallowed and may be
injected when abused.
What are their short-term effects?

Stimulants increase the amount of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain, which increases blood
pressure and heart rate, constricts blood vessels, increases blood glucose, and increases breathing.
Effects can feel like an increase alertness, attention, and energy along with a sense of euphoria. There
is also the potential for cardiovascular failure (heart attack) or lethal seizures.
What are their long-term effects?

Stimulants can be addictive in that individuals begin to use them compulsively. Taking high doses of
some stimulants repeatedly over a short time can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia. Additionally,
taking high doses of a stimulant may result in dangerously high body temperatures and an irregular
heartbeat. There is also the potential for cardiovascular failure (heart attack) or lethal seizures.
GHB
What is GHB?

GHB is predominantly a central nervous system depressant.
What does it look like?

GHB (Gamma hydroxybutyrate) can be produced in clear liquid, white powder, tablet, and capsule forms. It is colorless and
odorless. GHB has a salty taste; however it is often diluted in liquids and virtually undetectable. GHB is often manufactured in
homes with recipes and kits found and purchased on the Internet. GHB is made from a combination of gamma butyrolactone
(GBL) and sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. These substances are more commonly used as floor stripping solvents and
drain cleaners.
How is it used?

In powder form, measuring a dose is fairly straightforward. In liquid form, GHB comes in a wide variety of concentrations with a
single dose ranging from a few drops to a full glass. Body builders have been known to abuse GHB to stimulate muscle growth. The
drug is also commonly abused as a recreational drug, particularly among partygoers on the club scene.
What are its short-term effects?

At lower doses, GHB can relieve anxiety and produce relaxation. Combining use with other drugs such as alcohol can result in
nausea, loss of muscle control and difficulty breathing. GHB may also produce withdrawal effects, including insomnia, anxiety,
tremors, and sweating.
What are its long-term effects?

As the dose increases, the sedative effects may result in sleep and eventual coma or death. Other effects include difficulty
thinking, hallucinations, slurred speech, headaches and amnesia. GHB has reportedly been used in cases of date rape. Because
GHB is odorless and tasteless, it can be slipped into someone’s drink without detection .
Rohypnol
What are the street names/slang terms? Date rape drug, La roche, R2, Rib, Roach, Roofenol, Roofies, Rope, Rophies, Ruffies
What is Rohypnol?

Rohypnol is the brand name for a drug called Flunitrazepam, which is a powerful sedative that depresses the central nervous
system. Rohypnol is not legally available for prescription in the United States, but is legal in 60 countries worldwide for treatment of
insomnia.
What does it look like?

A small white tablet with no taste or odor when dissolved in a drink.
How is it used?

Rohypnol is swallowed as a pill, dissolved in a drink, or snorted. Roofies are frequently used in combination with alcohol and other
drugs. They are sometimes taken to enhance a heroin high, or to mellow or ease the experience of coming down from a cocaine
or crack high. Used with alcohol, roofies produce disinhibition and amnesia.
What are its short-term effects?

The drug creates a sleepy, relaxed, and drunk feeling that lasts 2 to 8 hours. Other effects may include blackouts, with a compete
loss of memory, dizziness and disorientation, nausea, difficulty with motor movements and speaking.
What are its long-term effects?

Rohypnol can produce physical and psychological dependence.
Ketamine
What is Ketamine?

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic developed in 1963 to replace PCP and currently
used in human anesthesia and veterinary medicine. Much of the ketamine sold on the
street has been diverted from veterinarians’ offices. Ketamine’s chemical structure and
mechanism of action are similar to those of PCP.
What does it look like?

Although it is manufactured as an injectable liquid, in illicit use ketamine is generally
evaporated to form a powder.
How is it used?

Snorted or swallowed.
Ketamine is odorless and tasteless, so it can be added to beverages without being
detected, and it induces amnesia. Because of these properties, the drug is sometimes
given to unsuspecting victims and used in the commission of sexual assaults referred to
as “drug rape.
What are its short-term effects?

Ketamine can cause dream-like states and hallucinations. Users report sensations
ranging from a pleasant feeling of floating to being separated from their bodies. Some
ketamine experiences involve a terrifying feeling of almost complete sensory
detachment that is likened to a near-death experience. These experiences, similar to a
“bad trip” on LSD, are called the “K-hole.” Low-dose intoxication from ketamine results in
impaired attention, learning ability, and memory .In high doses, ketamine can cause
delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure, depression, and
potentially fatal respiratory problems.
Inhalants
What are Inhalants?

Inhalants are ordinary household products that are inhaled or sniffed by children to get high. There are
hundreds of household products on the market today that can be misused as inhalants.
What do they look like?

Examples of products kids abuse to get high include model airplane glue, nail polish remover, cleaning
fluids, hair spray, gasoline, the propellant in aerosol whipped cream, spray paint, fabric protector, air
conditioner fluid (freon), cooking spray and correction fluid.
How are they used?

These products are sniffed, snorted, bagged (fumes inhaled from a plastic bag), or “huffed” (inhalantsoaked rag, sock, or roll of toilet paper in the mouth) to achieve a high. Inhalants are also sniffed
directly from the container.
What are their short-term effects?

Within seconds of inhalation, the user experiences intoxication along with other effects similar to those
produced by alcohol. Alcohol-like effects may include slurred speech, an inability to coordinate
movements, dizziness, confusion and delirium. Nausea and vomiting are other common side effects. In
addition, users may experience lightheadedness, hallucinations, and delusions.
What are their long-term effects?

Compulsive use and a mild withdrawal syndrome can occur with long-term inhalant abuse. Additional
symptoms exhibited by long-term inhalant abusers include weight loss, muscle weakness,
disorientation, inattentiveness, lack of coordination, irritability, and depression.
After heavy use of inhalants, abusers may feel drowsy for several hours and experience a lingering
headache. Because intoxication lasts only a few minutes, abusers frequently seek to prolong their high
by continuing to inhale repeatedly over the course of several hours. By doing this, abusers can suffer
loss of consciousness and death.