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Sometimes used for pre-medication for surgeries, but is now illegal in the US

Known as the "date-rape" drug as it could easily be slipped into drinks and the victim would have little to no recollection of the assault

Some use it to add onto the affects of marijuana or cocaine

Street names include: Forget me drug, Ruffles, Roofies, Roohies

Can be dissolved into drinks

Short term effect include:

Memory loss

Dizziness

Confusion

Vomiting

Headaches

Rapid mood swings

Long term effects include:

Physical dependence

Psychological dependence

Cardiovascular collapse

Death

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Comes from the leaves, stems, and flowering tops of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa

Can act as a depressant, stimulant, or hallucinogen

May be deadly if combined with alcohol or another depressant

Is often used as a gateway to "harder" drugs

Street names include: Pot, Dope, Weed, or Grass

Can be smoked or mixed with food and eaten

Short term effects include:

Sleepiness

Paranoia

Short memory loss

Hallucinations

Uncoordinated

Low reaction time

Long term effects include:

Lower life satisfaction

Financial dificulties

Antisocial behavior

Loss of motivation

Risk for some cancers

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Was originally used for medical reasons, but the side effects were too dangerous and soon became illegal

Is a white crystalline powder that can easily be dissolved

Street names include: Angel dust, Peace Pill, Rocket Fuel, and Lovely

Usually dissolved in liquid or alcohol, but can also be snorted, injected, eaten, and smoked

Short term effects include:

Takes away physical pain

Feelings of distance between people

Slurred speech

Blank stare

Rapid eye movements

Hallucations

Long term effects include:

Signs of schizophrenia

Flashbacks

Seizures

Coma

Death

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Cocaine is a stimulant that is sometimes used for medical purposes.

Comes from a coca plants leaves in South America

Street dealers often mix other drugs with the illegal white powder to make profits.

Street names include: Blow, Coke, Crack, Rock, and Snow

Cocaine is either sniffed, smoked, or injected

Short term effects include:

Extreme happiness and energy

Mental alertness

Hypersensitivity to sight, sound, and touch

Irritability

Paranoia

Nausea

Muscle twitches

Restlessness

Long term effects depend on the method of use:

Snorted:

Loss of smell

Nosebleeds

Runny Nose

Problems with swallowing

Consumed by mouth:

Severe bowel decay

Injected:

Higher risk for getting HIV

Impaired judgement

Other symptoms:

Seizures

Heart failure

Respiratory failure

Addiction

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Heroin is an opiate that is made from morphine (that was created from the resin of poppy plants) in a laboratory.

Is highly addictive and gives users a high rush of pleasure.

Mostly used to get away from depressed thoughts and to get high.

Street names include: Big H, Brown Sugar, H, Horse, Junk, Skag

Can be injected, smoked, or sniffed

Short term effects include:

Slowed breathing

Clouded mental functioning

Nausea

Vomiting

Drowsiness

Hypothermia

Coma

Long term effects include:

Tuberculosis

Higher risk of AIDs

Contagious infections

Muscular weakness

Depression

Insomnia

Weakening of the Immune system

Cold Sweats

Death

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Overdosing and abusing drugs can easily affect brain activity and the way you think. Psychoactive drugs are the most commonly found drug that gets abused. It can create a nice, pleasurable feeling that the user constantly wants. In a normal person, dopamine is released and travels between brain cells and enters receptors, causing the person to be in a good, pleasurable mood. But when a person is on drugs, an excessive amount of dopamine is released, giving a stronger signal. If the drug the person uses keeps on altering the brain activity and is used often to the point of addiction, then there can be a loss of receptors and the signal weakens. By always releasing dopamine, intense cravings for it might arise when the drug is not available, and it can dull the brain's reactions to normal levels of dopamine, so that normal activities cannot bring pleasure to the person anymore. This can lead to an addiction which can change the structure and chemistry of the brain.