LSD Chemical name: D-lysergic acid diethylamide, D-lysergic acid diethylamide Chemical formula: C20H25N3O Street Names: acid, blotter, cubes, microdot, yellow sunshine DEA Schedule: Schedule I History of the Drug: LSD did not receive popular attention until the early 1960s when the late Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert, his colleague at Harvard University, began experimenting with the drug on themselves, other academics, local artists, and students. In 1974 the National Institute of Mental Health concluded that LSD had no therapeutic use. The interest in LSD during the 1960s also prompted users to seek out naturally occurring substances that produced the same experiential effects. In fact, a variety of substances in nature produce transitory visual or auditory distortion, e.g., cannabis, thornapple, peyote, and jimsonweed. One of the oldest hallucinogens known to Western scientists is mescaline, a derivative of the peyote cactus, used for centuries in natural medicines and religious ceremonies. Substances such as peyote, mescaline, and a variety of exotic fungi (e.g., psilocybin mushrooms) can be smoked, brewed in tea, chewed, and incorporated into food. In the 1960s users exchanged and published recipes for preparation of hallucinogens through popular publications of the era. Appearance Blotter The most common form of LSD is paper blotter divided into about 1/4\" squares called tabs. A single tab usually contains between 30 - 100 ug of LSD. Paper blotters are created by taking a sheet of absorbent paper (usually decorated and perforated) and soaking it in a dilution of lysergic acid diethylamide. The dilution can vary greatly from one batch to another, or one chemist to another. Liquid LSD is soluable in water and other solvents, though liquid LSD is usually water based. Liquid LSD is used in the creation of blotter tabs. A single drop of potent liquid LSD could be 50 times a normal dose, although it is generally diluted to the point where a single drop is equal to approximately one dose. Be extremely careful when dealing with it, as there is no way to gauge its potency. It is frequently stored in small dropper bottles, one precaution...when you reach the end of the bottle, don\'t rinse it out and assume that what remains is a small dose. There can still be many doses left along the inside surfaces and taking them all at once can lead to some unexpectedly strong and possibly very uncomfortable experiences. Gelatin Gelatin LSD is made by mixing liquid LSD with gelatin and forming it into small, thin squares. The benefit of this method is that less of the LSD is exposed to sun and air, which break down lysergic acid diethylamide. Do you smoke this? In its most common forms - liquid, soaked into paper, pills or capsules - it is swallowed but LSD can also be injected or inhaled. What\'s gonna happen to me? Like all hallucinogens, LSD affects the senses. Users can hallucinate, or see and hear things that don\'t really exist. Hallucinogens also influence emotions and the ability to think clearly. The effects vary from user to user and a lot depends on the strength of the LSD. Users can experience a sense of wonder and joy or they might get scared and anxious. They can also feel as they are outside their body and able to watch themselves. In general though, the effects are felt within an hour of taking LSD and these can last as long as 12 hours. Risks & Realities: Many LSD users experience flashbacks, recurrence of certain aspects of a person\'s experience, without the user having taken 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. Flashbacks usually occur in people who use hallucinogens chronically or have an underlying personality problem; however, otherwise healthy people who use LSD occasionally may also have flashbacks. Bad trips and flashbacks are only part of the risks of LSD use. LSD users may manifest relatively long-lasting psychoses, such as schizophrenia or severe depression. It is difficult to determine the extent and mechanism of the LSD involvement in these illnesses. Most users of LSD voluntarily decrease or stop its use over time. LSD is not considered an addictive drug since it does not produce compulsive drug-seeking behavior, as do cocaine, amphetamine, heroin, alcohol, and nicotine. Fast facts about effects on the body: LSD increases blood pressure and heart rate. It also increases the body\'s temperature and makes the pupil in the eye larger. These physical changes are the first thing users feel and may cause numbness, weakness and a lack of coordination.

PCP- Phencyclidine PCP- Phencyclidine Chemical formula: C18H25N Street Names: angel dust, boat, hog, love boat, peace pill DEA Schedule: Schedule I, II History of the Drug: PCP (phencyclidine) was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic. Use of PCP in humans was discontinued in 1965, because it was found that patients often became agitated, delusional, and irrational while recovering from its anesthetic effects. PCP is illegally manufactured in laboratories and is sold on the street by such names as \"angel dust,\" \"ozone,\" \"wack,\" and \"rocket fuel.\" \"Killer joints\"and \"crystal supergrass\" are names that refer to PCP combined with marijuana. The variety of street names for PCP reflects its bizarre and volatile effects. Appearance PCP is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water or alcohol. It has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. PCP can be mixed easily with dyes and turns up on the illicit drug market in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders. It is normally used in one of three ways: snorted, smoked, or eaten. For smoking, PCP is often applied to a leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano, or marijuana. Do you smoke this? As a powder it is snorted. When it is in a liquid form, it can be injected and when it is a pill or capsule, it is simply swallowed. The powder form of PCP is often mixed with tobacco, dried parsley or marijuana, and then smoked. What\'s gonna happen to me? Like all hallucinogens, PCP has an effect on the mind and the senses. Users can hallucinate, or see and hear things that don\'t really exist. Hallucinogens also influence emotions and the ability to think clearly. PCP has different effects on different people. It causes some people to feel joy and others can feel nothing but anxiety and panic. In some cases, this panic can lead to violent behavior. Risks & Realities: PCP is addicting; that is, its use often leads to psychological dependence, craving, and compulsive PCP-seeking behavior. It was first introduced as a street drug in the 1960s and quickly gained a reputation as a drug that could cause bad reactions and was not worth the risk. Many people, after using the drug once, will not knowingly use it again. Yet others use it consistently and regularly. Some persist in using PCP because of its addicting properties. Others cite feelings of strength, power, invulnerability and a numbing effect on the mind as reasons for their continued PCP use. Many PCP users are brought to emergency rooms because of PCP\'s unpleasant psychological effects or because of overdoses. In a hospital or detention setting, they often become violent or suicidal, and are very dangerous to themselves and to others. They should be kept in a calm setting and should not be left alone. Fast facts about effects on the body: PCP produces many changes in the body including faster breathing and an increased heart rate. It also increases body temperature and can lead to numbness in the legs and arms. Higher doses can produce a quick drop in blood pressure, vomiting, blurred vision, dizziness and an inability to feel pain.

DMT-Ayahuasca DMT-Ayahuasca Chemical name: N,N-dimethyltryptamine Chemical formula: C12H16N2 Street Names: Dimitri DEA Schedule: Schedule I History of the Drug: N,N-DMT use has been documented as early as the 8th Century AD in snuffs found in burial sites, but its use is believed to be much older. Cohoba snuffs (from the Yopo tree) were documented in Columbia in the 16th through 19th Centuries. N,N-DMT and 5-MeO-DMT were finally identified as the active constituents of cohoba in the early 1950s and in 1954 N,N-DMT was isolated as an active ingredient in A. peregrina. Appearance DMT is a chemical neurotransmitter present naturally in the human body as well as in many plants. Do you smoke this? It can be smoked, or used orally...producing very different results. When ingested orally (usually from plant material)...it is often referred to as Ayahuasca. Pure DMT is most often found in crystal form. What\'s gonna happen to me? When smoked, DMT effects are short-lived and intense and the smoke is harsh and plastic tasting. Onset is fast and furious, sometimes compared to being launched from a cannon. It is a fully engaging and enveloping experience of visions and visuals, which varies greatly from one individual to the next. Users report visiting other worlds, talking with alien entities, profound changes in ontological perspective, fanciful dreamscapes, frightening and overwhelming forces, complete shifts in perception and identity followed by an abrupt return to baseline. Risks & Realities: One of the primary physical problems encountered with smoked N,N-DMT is the harsh nature of the smoke which can cause throat and lung irritation. Integration of the smoked DMT experience can also cause difficulties for some individuals, especially at higher doses. Difficult integration periods can lead to anxiety, difficulty focusing on daily tasks, preoccupation with the experience, difficulty sleeping, etc. Generally these effects dissipate on their own over the course of a few days but there are reports of persisting problems. DMT is neither physically addicting nor likely to cause psychological dependence. Fast facts about effects on the body: Some say the DMT is hard on the lungs to smoke. They also report slight stomach discomfort, difficulty integrating experiences, and overwhelming fear.

Alcohol Alcohol A product that is only legal for those that are 21 years of age, alcohol is a depressant that comes from organic sources including grapes, grains and berries. These products are fermented and distilled into a liquid. Alcohol affects every part of the body. It is carried through the bloodstream to the brain, stomach, internal organs, liver, kidneys, muscles – everywhere. It is absorbed very quickly (as short as 5 - 10 minutes) and can stay in the body for several hours.1 Alcohol affects the central nervous system and brain. It can make users loosen up, relax, and feel more comfortable, or can make them more aggressive. Unfortunately, it also lowers their inhibitions, which can set them up for embarrassing or dangerous behavior. In fact, each year approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking. This statistic includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle accidents; 1,600 homicides; 300 suicides; and hundreds of others stemming from injuries such as falls, burns and drownings.2 A standard drink is: One 12-ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler; One 5-ounce glass of wine; or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.3 Health Hazards It’s no secret that society gives children mixed messages about alcohol. As a parent, you should know that underage drinking can have serious consequences. The teenage brain is still developing. Did you know that alcohol can impair the parts of the brain that control the following: • Motor coordination. This includes the ability to walk, drive and process information.4 • Impulse control. Drinking lowers inhibitions and increases the chances that a person will do something that they will regret when they are sober.5 • Memory. Impaired recollection and even blackouts can occur when too much alcohol has been consumed.6 • Judgment and decision making capacity. Drinking may lead young people to engage in risky behaviors that can result in illness, injury and even death.7 Risky Behavior Many kids start drinking in middle school. In fact, one out of every two 8th graders has tried alcohol.8 Additionally, more kids use alcohol than use tobacco or illicit drugs and more children are killed by alcohol than all illegal drugs combined.9 But the risky behavior does not end there. • Dependence. People who reported starting to drink before the age of 15 were four times more likely to also report meeting the criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives. In fact, new research shows that the serious drinking problems (including what is called alcoholism) typically associated with middle age actually begin to appear much earlier, during young adulthood and even adolescence.10 • Illicit drug use. More than 67 percent of young people who start drinking before the age of 15 will try an illicit drug. Children who drink are over 7 times more likely to use any illicit drug, are over 22 times more likely to use marijuana, and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than children who never drink.11 • Sexual activity. Alcohol use by teens is a strong predictor of both sexual activity and unprotected sex. A survey of high school students found that 18 percent of females and 39 percent of males say it is acceptable for a boy to force sex if the girl is high or drunk.12 • Violence. Children who start drinking before age 15 are 12 times more likely to be injured while under the influence of alcohol and 10 times more likely to be in a fight after drinking, compared with those who wait until they are 21 to drink.13 • School. Student substance use precedes, and is a risk factor for, academic problems, such as lower grades, absenteeism and high dropout rates. Alcohol can interfere with a student’s ability to think, making learning and concentration more difficult and ultimately impeding academic performance. In fact, the more a student uses alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, the lower his grade point average is likely to be and the more likely he is to drop out of school.14 • Driving. When young people drink and get into a car, they tend to make poor decisions that impact their safety. Traffic crashes are the number one killer of teens and over one-third of teen traffic deaths are alcohol-related.15 Protecting Children Parents can take the following steps to encourage their children to abstain from alcohol: • Spend time together regularly. • Listen and talk with your children. Try to understand the pressures placed on them and don\'t criticize their beliefs. • Keep track of where your children are, what they are doing, and who their friends are. • Get them involved in after-school activities so they won’t be able to just \"hang out\" with friends in the afternoon. This is when children are most likely to experiment. • Praise or reward children often. If they feel good about themselves, they will be more confident and better able to resist peer pressure. • Be a positive role model for your children. Don\'t abuse alcohol or drugs.

Cocaine Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug of abuse. Individuals who have tried cocaine have described the experience as a powerful high that gave them a feeling of supremacy. However, once someone starts taking cocaine, one cannot predict or control the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug. The major ways of taking cocaine are sniffing or snorting, injecting, and smoking (including free-base and crack cocaine). Health risks exist regardless of whether cocaine is inhaled (snorted), injected, or smoked. However, it appears that compulsive cocaine use may develop even more rapidly if the substance is smoked rather than snorted. Smoking allows extremely high doses of cocaine to reach the brain very quickly and results in an intense and immediate high. The injecting drug user is also at risk for acquiring or transmitting HIV infection/AIDS if needles or other injection equipment are shared. Health Hazards Physical effects. Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Some cocaine users report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety, both while using and between periods of use. An appreciable tolerance to the high may be developed, and many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. Paranoia and aggression. High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they may become depressed. This depression causes users to continue to use the drug to alleviate their depression. Long-term effects. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough to cause it to collapse. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest. Added Danger. When people mix cocaine and alcohol, they are compounding the danger each drug poses and unknowingly causing a complex chemical interaction within their bodies. Researchers have found that the human liver combines cocaine and alcohol to manufacture a third substance, cocaethylene, which intensifies cocaine\'s euphoric effects and possibly increases the risk of sudden death.

Ecstasy MDMA, called \"Adam,\" \"ecstasy,\" or \"XTC\" on the street, is a synthetic, psychoactive (mind-altering) drug with hallucinogenic and amphetamine-like properties. Its chemical structure is similar to two other synthetic drugs, MDA and methamphetamine, which are known to cause brain damage. Beliefs about MDMA are reminiscent of similar claims made about LSD in the 1950s and 1960s, which proved to be untrue. According to its proponents, MDMA can make people trust each other and can break down barriers between therapists and patients, lovers, and family members. Health Hazards Physical and psychological symptoms. Many problems users encounter with MDMA are similar to those found with the use of amphetamines and cocaine. They are: • Psychological difficulties, including confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, severe anxiety, and paranoia during and sometimes weeks after taking MDMA (in some cases, psychotic episodes have been reported). • Physical symptoms such as muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching, nausea, blurred vision, rapid eye movement, faintness, and chills or sweating. • Increases in heart rate and blood pressure, a special risk for people with circulatory or heart disease. Long-term effects. Recent research findings also link MDMA use to long-term damage to those parts of the brain critical to thought and memory. It is believed that the drug causes damage to the neurons that use the chemical serotonin to communicate with other neurons. MDMA is also related in structure and effects to methamphetamine, which has been shown to cause degeneration of neurons containing the neurotransmitter dopamine. Damage to dopamine containing neurons is the underlying cause of the motor disturbances seen in Parkinson\'s disease. Symptoms of this disease begin with lack of coordination and tremors, and can eventually result in a form of paralysis.

Heroin Years ago, thoughts of using a needle kept many potential heroin users at bay. Not anymore. Today\'s heroin is so pure, users can smoke it or snort it, causing more kids under 18 to use it. Kids who snort or smoke heroin face the same high risk of overdose and death that haunts intravenous users. Yet 40% of high school seniors polled do not believe there is great risk in trying heroin. Recent studies suggest a shift from injecting to snorting or smoking heroin because of increased purity and the misconception that these forms of use will not lead to addiction. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed-pod of the Asian poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder. Street names associated with heroin include \"smack,\" \"H,\" \"skag,\" and \"junk.\" Other names may refer to types of heroin produced in a specific geographical area, such as \"Mexican black tar.\" The short-term effects of heroin abuse appear soon after a single dose and disappear in a few hours. After an injection of heroin, 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. Reports from the Drug Abuse Warning Networks (DAWN) Annual Medical Examiner Data from 1997 show that heroin/morphine was the top-ranking drug among drug-related deaths in 14 US major metro areas. It ranked second in another eight. According to DAWNs Year End 1998 Emergency Department Data, 14 percent of all emergency department drug-related episodes had mentions of heroin/morphine in 1998. From 1991-1996, the number of heroin/morphine mentions more than doubled. Health Hazards Irreversible effects. Heroin abuse is associated with serious health conditions, including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, collapsed veins, and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. Long-term effects. Long-term effects of heroin include collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, cellulitis, 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. Infection. In addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroin may have additives that do not readily 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.