JACKSON COUNTY DRUG-FREE COUNCIL

Jackson County, Indiana

Drug Information

Información Sobre Las Drogas De Abuso

  Alcohol

Alcohol is the most commonly used psychoactive (mind-altering) substance used in the United States. Ethyl alcohol is the active psychoactive drug found in alcoholic beverages. It is produced as a waste product of the fermentation of carbohydrates, and is consumed worldwide for the social and psychological effects it produces. Beer is a low potency alcoholic beverage made by fermenting grains and then extracting the liquid from the mash. Wine is a relatively low potency alcoholic beverage made by fermenting fruit juices (or other sugary liquid). Distilled spirits are high potency alcoholic beverages that are made by fermenting grains or fruit juices and then distilling the resulting liquid to reduce its water content and to concentrate its alcohol.

 Club Drugs

The term Club Drugs refers to a wide variety of drugs being used by young people at dance clubs, bars, and all-night dance parties “trances” or “raves”. These parties are usually held in a clandestine location with high-volume music, high-tech entertainment, and easy access to drugs. Club drugs are attractive to today's youth because they are inexpensive and produce increased stamina and intoxicating highs. Because many of these drugs are colorless, tasteless, and odorless, they can be secretly added to beverages by individuals who want to intoxicate or sedate others. The most widely used club drugs are ecstasy (MDMA), Rohypnol (flunitrazepam), GHB (gamma hydroxy butyrate), and ketamine. The last three drugs are also called “Date Rape Drugs” used to assist a sexual assault. Sexual assault is any type of sexual activity that a person does not agree to. It can include inappropriate touching, vaginal penetration, sexual intercourse, rape, and attempted rape. Because of the effects of these drugs, victims may be physically helpless, unable to refuse sex, and can't remember what happened.

Cocaine

Cocaine is a powerful, stimulant drug drawn from the leaves of the South American Erythroxylon coca bush. It is an alkaloid, a member of the chemical family that includes nicotine, caffeine and morphine. Cocaine is made into a paste and its contents heated with hydrochloric acid to produce cocaine hydrochloride, the most common, water soluble form of cocaine, which can be snorted through the nasal passages, intravenously injected or taken by mouth.

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens are among the oldest known group of drugs that have been used for their ability to alter human perception and mood. For centuries, many of the naturally occurring hallucinogens found in plants and fungi have been used for medical, social, and religious practices. The biochemical, pharmacological and physiological basis for hallucinogenic activity is not well understood. Even the name for this class of drugs is not ideal, since hallucinogens do not always produce hallucinations. However, taken in non-toxic dosages, these substances produce changes in perception, thought and mood. Physiological effects include elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure and dilated pupils. Sensory effects include perceptual distortions that vary with dose, setting and mood. Psychic effects include disorders of thought associated with time and space. Time may appear to stand still and forms and colors seem to change and take on new significance. This experience may be pleasurable or extremely frightening. It needs to be stressed that the effects of hallucinogens are unpredictable each time they are used

Depressants

Depressants are drugs that produce central nervous system depression, and have been used throughout history to induce sleep, relieve stress, and allay anxiety. While alcohol is one of the oldest and most universal agents used for these purposes, hundreds of substances have been developed that produce central nervous system depression. These drugs have been referred to as (downers,) sedatives, hypnotics, minor tranquilizers, anxiolytics, and antianxiety medications. Unlike most other classes of drugs of abuse, depressants, except for methaqualone, are rarely produced in clandestine laboratories. Generally, legitimate pharmaceutical products are diverted to the illicit market.

Information from www.drugs.indiana.edu

  Marijuana

Marijuana is a powerful drug made from cannabis sativa, commonly known as the hemp plant, which is smoked for its intoxicating effects. The primary active ingredient in marijuana is delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and it is this complex chemical that produces most of the psychoactive (mind-altering) reactions experienced by marijuana users. The level of THC determines the potency of the drug. This level can range from 0.01 to 10 percent, the latter being 1,000 times more potent than the former. Most often, marijuana is prepared using the dried flowers and leaves of the hemp plant. Other related drugs made from the hemp plant are hashish, made from the plant resin, and hash oil, which is made from an oily extract of either hashish or marijuana. These drugs usually are smoked in cigarettes “joints” or pipes, or they are baked into brownies or cookies. Common slang terms for marijuana include “grass,” “weed,” “pot,” and “dope.”

Opiate Narcotics

Narcotics are pain-killing drugs that also induce euphoria and are powerful central nervous system depressants that can induce sleep and reduce anxiety. The term narcotic, derived from the Greek word for stupor, originally referred to a variety of substances that induced sleep. In a legal context, narcotic refers to opium, opium derivatives, and their semi synthetic or totally synthetic substitutes. Narcotics can be administered in a variety of ways. Some are taken orally, transdermally (skin patches) or injected. They are also available as suppositories. As drugs of abuse, they are often smoked, sniffed or self-administered by the more direct routes of subcutaneous “skin popping“ and intravenous “mainlining” injection. Narcotics, including heroin, are very addictive.

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine (also known as meth, crank, speed, crystal, ice, chalk, fire, drag, and glass) is a highly addictive drug that over stimulates the central nervous system. Smoking is the preferred method of administration by users, though meth can also be snorted, injected, or taken orally. Its effects are quick and powerful and can last between six to eight hours per dose. Binging is common and can continue for days. In Indiana, methamphetamine generally appears as a white or off-white, odiferous bitter powder. Two other highly pure forms resemble slivers of clear ice (also known as glass) and chunks of rock candy (crystal, tweak, crank).

Steroids

Steroids, also known as Anabolic “building”- androgenic “masculinizing” steroids, include the male hormone testosterone, and its artificial derivatives. Steroids are used for treatment of certain diseases such as specific types of anemia, some breast cancers, and testosterone deficiency. Non-medical use of steroids is strictly illegal. However, because of their performance-enhancing and body-building properties, steroids have been illegally used by both athletes and nonathletes since the late 1950s to improve their athletic ability and to look better. Steroids are taken orally or injected into the muscles. Both males and females use steroids, though males account for higher rates of use. Numerous health hazards are associated with short-term use of steroids.

Stimulants

Stimulants are drugs that increase alertness, cellular activity, heart rate, and blood pressure. They have been used for centuries for their psychoactive (mind-altering) effects. Amphetamines are powerful stimulant drugs that increase activity in the central nervous system. Their effect is similar to that of the body's own adrenalin. Even though amphetamines mimic the effects of adrenalin, they act for a much longer time in the body. “Look-alike Drugs” are tablets or capsules that are made to look like real amphetamines and roughly imitate their effects. They usually contain varying amounts of legal substances such as caffeine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine, which are found in over-the-counter diet pills and decongestants. They are sold on the street as “uppers” or “speed” and often are purported by the sellers to be authentic amphetamines.

Inhalants

Inhalants are gases or vapors that are inhaled to produce psychoactive (mind-altering) drug effects. The drug category of “Inhalants” is characterized by the route or method by which the drugs enter the body, not by their effects on the body. There are three distinct categories of inhalants: nitrous oxide, volatile nitrites, and petroleum distillates. Many people do not think of these products as harmful or deadly substances because many are common items used for household and commercial use. Examples of petroleum distillates include cleaning fluids, airplane glue, nail-polish remover, hair sprays, paints and cooking sprays.

Tobacco

Tobacco, from the plant Nicotinia Tabacum, is a green broadleaf plant with white flowers. It is grown in large fields or greenhouses all over the world. It is harvested, dried and shredded into the loose brown substance recognized in cigarettes, dip, snuff, and pipe tobacco. It is commonly machine rolled and packaged. Nicotine, the main addictive toxin found in tobacco, is a naturally occurring colorless liquid that turns brown when burned and smells like tobacco when exposed to the air. Nicotine is found in all types of tobacco products. It has been identified as a highly addictive substance. In large quantities, it can kill the average person. In smaller doses, 1 to 2mg it can cause serious addiction. Nicotine, among other psychoactive effects, stimulates dopamine production in the brain and causes the user to feel slightly euphoric. The user can then become irritated and have feelings of withdrawal if the level of nicotine is not maintained.