CANNABIS
10. Cannabis is a plant whose by-products include Marijuana, hashish and hashish oil. Street names include: pot, weed, grass, dope, MaryJane, hash, weed oil, honey oil or ganja.
9. THC is short for “delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol”. THC is responsible for the “high” that changes a person’s mood and perception. The “high” may only last a few hours, but the chemical is stored in fat cells in your body, and can be detected in your system for several days or even weeks.
8. Cannabis is generally more powerful today than it was 20 years ago because growers have developed plants that contain more THC than before. Hashish and hash oil are stronger than marijuana because they contain more THC.
7. Cannabis can be smoked or eaten but can’t be taken with a needle because it does not dissolve in water. When cannabis is smoked, the THC reaches the brain faster than when it is eaten. Cannabis affects your depth perception and co-ordination, and your ability to concentrate and react appropriately. This makes it dangerous to do things like ride a bicycle, drive a car or operate heavy machinery.
6. Three quarters, or 75% of Ontario high school students, say they do not use Marijuana. Most people who smoke cannabis are not heavy users.
5. Cannabis use is still ILLEGAL. It is rare for a person to go to prison on a first offence. In fact, most first offenders get a small fine. BUT adults convicted of possession also get a criminal record, which may interfere with getting some jobs or travelling out of the country. In one year 31,299 people were arrested for having SMALL amounts of marijuana – this was about half of all the drug arrests in Canada. The first time penalty for possession of 30 grams or less is six months in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
4. The cannabis plant can be used to produce a hemp fibre used for making rope, cloth, paper and other products. You cannot get “high” from smoking or eating clothes made from hemp. Industrial hemp has a very low level of THC.
3. There are medicinal uses for cannabis including reduction of nausea and other symptoms of people suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis and glaucoma. Scientists are investigating other uses for THC in the form of a prescription drug.
2. You may make decisions you regret later while using the drug. Smoking it may make asthma or bronchitis worse. Those who smoke more than one joint a day receive lower grades in school than non-users. They are also absent more often…
1. Cannabis smoke contains 50% more tar and more cancer-causing chemicals than tobacco smoke.
COCAINE
10. Pure cocaine is a stimulant that is isolated from leaves of the coca bush. It is generally sold on the street as a hydrochloride salt- a fine, white crystalline powder known as coke, C, snow, crack, rock, flake, or blow.
9. Street dealers dilute cocaine with non-psychoactive but similar-looking substances such as cornstarch, talcum powder and sugar.
8. Crack (or rock) is another way dealers ‘dilute’ cocaine. Cocaine powder is dissolved in water, then it is mixed with certain household products and hardened. It is smoked, usually in a type of water pipe. The “high” from smoking Crack is much more intense, dangerous, unpredictable and doesn’t last very long, leaving the person feeling anxious and/or depressed, and craving more of the drug.
7. The faster the cocaine gets to the brain (and the higher the person gets) the more addictive it is. Because of the intensity of the high from crack, most people who try it become addicted and dependent on it very quickly. It raises blood pressure which can explode blood vessels in the brain (causing severe brain damage). It can also reduce the flow of oxygen to the heart (leading to heart attack or stroke) and it can weaken or stop breathing altogether.
6. In South America, leaves of the coca plant are chewed. This releases a small amount of cocaine. It takes 300 kg of leaves to make 1 kg of cocaine powder.
5. In a 2003 survey, about 4.8% of Ontario Students in grades 7, 9 and 11 report using cocaine in the past year.
4. Kids who use cocaine a lot report getting the money to pay for it by dealing, stealing or having sex with someone for money. Cocaine is linked to several other risk-taking behaviours.
3. A first offence for cocaine possession carries a penalty of $1,000 fine and/or six months’ imprisonment. For subsequent offences, the penalty is a $2,000 fine and/or one year’s imprisonment. Trafficking, importing, exporting and possession for the purpose of trafficking are all indictable offences and carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
2. Police say that the sale of cocaine makes it one of the biggest industries in North America ~ as big as a major car company.
1. Long-term effects of cocaine use are: runny, chapped, bleeding nose; headaches; holes in the barrier separating the nostrils; depression, restlessness and agitation; sleeping, eating and sexual disorders; and dramatic mood swings.
HALLUCINOGENS
10. The term “hallucinogen” describes any drug that radically changes a person’s mental state by distorting the perception of reality to the point where, at high doses, hallucinations occur. The effects of any hallucinogen and the user’s reaction to it can differ significantly among individuals, and can range from ecstasy to terror.
9. Commonly known hallucinogens include: LSD (AKA: acid), DMT and Psilocybin (AKA: Magic Mushrooms) Mescaline, Nutmeg, PCP, and Jimson Weed. A person’s mindset will determine their reaction to the drug.
8. Chronic users may become psychologically dependent on hallucinogens. Psychological dependence exists when a drug is so central to a person’s thoughts, emotions, and activities that the need to continue its use amounts to a craving or a compulsion
7. Hallucinogens do not appear to cause physical dependence because withdrawal reactions have not been observed, even after long-term use. Physical effects may include numbness, rapid heartbeat, reduced coordination, chills, nausea, tremors, weakness and dilated pupils. Sensations of gravity may be altered.
6. A first offence for possession carries a maximum penalty of a $1000. fine and /or six month’ imprisonment. The maximum penalty for subsequent offences, is $2000. fine and /or one year’s imprisonment. Trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking, carry a maximum penalty of 3 years’ imprisonment.
5. The effects of any drug, including hallucinogens depend on several factors:
· The amount taken at one time
· The user’s past drug experience
· The manner in which the drug is taken
· The circumstances under which the drug is taken (the place, the user’s emotions and activities, the presence of other people, simultaneous use of alcohol or other drugs, etc…)
4. Psilocybin is the active ingredient in the Psilocybe mexicana mushroom or the Magic Mushroom.
3. The substance purchased on the street as psilocybin or magic mushrooms is only occasionally the pure drug. More often such drugs such as LSD and PCP are misrepresented as psilocybin.
2. According to the 2003 provincial surveys, hallucinogen use was down marginally. Only 4.3% of Northern Ontario students use LSD and 12.9% use other hallucinogens. These numbers are significantly higher than the provincial averages in other regions of the province (2.9% and 10% respectively).
1. Hallucinogens are the fourth most popular drug used by Ontario students, after alcohol, cannabis and tobacco.
ECSTASY
10. Ecstasy is often referred to as a “club drug”. Club drugs (primarily synthetic) that tend to be taken at “raves” and nightclubs. Ecstasy is the most popular Club Drug.
9. Ecstasy is also known as E, XTC, Adam, or the “love drug”, due to its date rape reputation.
8. The chemical name for ecstasy is 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine or MDMA.
7. The chemical structure and effects of Ecstasy are similar to an amphetamine (a Stimulant) and to mescaline (a hallucinogen)
6. Ecstasy is made in illicit labs with chemicals and processes that vary from lab to lab. What is sold as ecstasy often contains unknown drugs or other “fillers”.
5. Ecstasy is usually sold as a tablet or capsule that is swallowed. It may also be sold in powder form, or the tablets may be crushed and then snorted. Although rare, there are also some reports that the drug is injected.
4. Ecstasy tablets come in different shapes, sizes and colours, and are often stamped with a logo, such as a butterfly or clover, giving them a candy-like look. This branding” of ecstasy tablets should not be mistaken for an indication of quality of the product.
3. “Herbal ecstasy” is often promoted as containing only “natural” ingredients. These ingredients usually contain herbal ephedrine, which has stimulant properties. The abuse of products containing ephedrine has been associated with strokes, heart attacks and death.
2. Tolerance to ecstasy builds up very quickly. This means the more often you take ecstasy, the less effect the drug has.
1. According to a provincial survey, students from Northern Ontario show a significant increase of ecstasy use between 1999 and 2001.
ALCOHOL
10. Contrary to some popular thinking, alcohol is not a stimulant. It is a sedative/hypnotic or a depressant. The reason users feel ‘high’ or ‘up’ after a few drinks is attributed to decreased inhibitions and judgement ~ typical effects of the drug.
9. Alcohol is often not thought of as a drug- largely because its use is commonly used for both religious and social purposes in most parts of the world.
8. The alcohol you drink is known as ethyl alcohol or ethanol and is produced by fermenting or distilling various fruits, vegetables or grains. For example, beer is made from fermented grains, wine is made from fermented grapes and vodka is made from fermented potatoes.
7. There is the same amount of alcohol present in one 12 oz. bottle of beer (5%) as there is in one 5 oz. glass of wine (12%) or 1.5 oz. of spirits (rum, vodka at 40% proof). These are known as Standard Drinks.
6. The effects of drinking do not depend on the type of alcoholic beverage, but rather the amount of alcohol consumed on a specific occasion, and the regular drinking pattern of the consumer.
5. The effects of alcohol also depend on:
· The amount of alcohol consumed in a given time
· The drinker’s size, sex, body build and metabolism
· The type and amount of food in the stomach
· The drinker’s sensitivity to alcohol
· How long the person has been drinking (lifetime)
· The environment the person is in
· And whether the drinker is taking any other drugs or medication.
4. You or your parents can be personally sued if someone hurts themselves while under the influence of alcohol on your property ~ even if he or she wasn’t an invited guest. You are also directly responsible for that person while he or she is intoxicated. For example, if you over-serve a friend, who then goes home, trips on his front walk, falls down, passes out and freezes to death, you can be sued by his or her survivors.
3. Drinking heavily over a short period of time usually results in a “hangover” ~ headache, nausea, shakiness and sometimes vomiting ~ beginning from eight to twelve hours later. Regular heavy alcohol use can lead to appetite loss, sexual impotence, menstrual irregularities, vitamin deficiencies and various infections. It increases the risk of several cancers, and is directly attributed to 33 chronic diseases.
2. A hangover is due partly to poisoning by alcohol and other components of the drink, and partly to the body’s reaction to the withdrawal from alcohol.
1. There is no known effective cure for the hangover.
INHALANTS
10. Inhalants are chemical vapours or gases that produce a “high” when they are breathed in. There are hundreds of types of inhalants which are cheap, legal and easy to get.
9. Volatile solvents are the most commonly abused. These products evaporate when exposed to air, and they dissolve many other substances. Benezene, toluene, xylene, acetone, naptha and hexane are in this class. Producsts such as gasoline, cleaning fulids, and paint thinners have a mixture of different solvents.
8. Aerosols and spray cans contain pressurized liquids or gases such as flurocarbons nd butane, and some contain solvents. Hair spray and spray paints are commonly abused.
7. Gases such as nitrous oxide, chloroform, halothane and ether are more difficult to come by as they are generally used as medical anaesthetics. However, butane lighters and propane tanks fit in this category.
6. Nitrates such as amyl, butyl and cyclohexyl are also known as “poppers”, and make up the fourth category of inhalants. They are sold as “room odourizers” or “video head cleaners”.
5. It is difficult to prevent the abuse of these substances as they are readily available in most homes and stores. They are either inhaled directly from the container or from a soaked rag or from a bag. Some gases are inhaled from balloons.
4. Most abusers are between the ages of 10 and 16. Chronic solvent users are usually in their 20s and are generally poor, have had difficulty at school, have a lack of opportunity, problems at home and a high incidence of substance use in the family.
3. Inhaled solvents usually produce an alcohol-like effect, but with a significant distortion or perception. Long term use can damage liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, brain, bones and blood, often permanently.
2. Inhalant use can be extremely dangerous. Suffocation may result from sniffing from a plastic bag. Choking and vomiting may occur is a person passes out. Recklessness may lead to self-destructive or suicidal behaviour. Inhalants are also highly flammable.
1. SSD (Sudden Sniffing Death) can occur after only one sniffing session. Highly concentrated inhalants can cause an irregular heartbeat and lead to death from heart failure.
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