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Brand / Generic Names

Hash Oil, Hashish, Marijuana, Marinol, Dranabinol, Thai Stick.

Street Names

Acapulco Gold, Aunt Mary, Bambalachacha, Betas, Bhang, Bo-Bo Bush, Boo, Broccoli, Bud, Canadian Black, Chicago Green, Colombia Red, Chronic, Cheeva, Ding, Donjem, Dope, Dubie, Fu, Gange, Ganja, Gates, GOM (Good Old Marijuana), Grass, Greefo, Griffas, Gauge, Giggle Sticks, Gunga, Gunja, Hay, Hemp, Herb, Honey, Indian Hemp, Jay Smoke, Jamican Red, Joint, Joy Smoke, Ktutchu String, Kona, Kif, Laughing Grass, Light Green, Loco Weed, Love Weed, Maggie, Marijuana, Mary Jane, Mary Worner, Mary Weaver, Megg, Mexican Brown, Mexican Commercial, Mez, Moahsky, Mocoha, Moocha, Mooster, Mota, Mu, Mutah, Number, Pod, Pot, Reef, Reefer, Roach, Sinsemilia, Ses, Smoke, Snop, Splim, Tea, Texas Tea, Thai Stick, Viper Weed, Wake and Bake, Weed, Weed Tea, Yesca.

Possible Effects of Cannabis

Cannabis appears to interfere with a person's ability or willingness to pay attention. People under the influence of marijuana do not divide their attention very well. When driving, they may attend to certain parts of the driving task but ignore other parts. For example, the driver may continue to steer the car but ignore stop signs, traffic lights or pedestrians. Cannabis will generally diminish inhibitions, impair perception of time and distance, create disorientation, and can cause body tremors.

User's of marijuana generally feel the effects within 8-9 seconds after inhaling the smoke. The effects will reach their peak within 10-30 minutes, and usually last for approximately 3-6 hours. The user will typically feel "normal" within 3-6 hours after smoking marijuana.

Evidence of marijuana can be disclosed in some blood and urine tests long after the effects have dissipated. This is because certain chemical tests do not seek to find THC, Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol - the active ingredient in cannabis that causes intoxication, but instead looks for metabolites of THC, or chemical by-products. Some tests can indicate the presence of THC metabolites for up to 45 days after smoking marijuana.

Two important metabolites of THC affect the duration, and perception, of the effects of cannabis. One of these metabolites is Hydroxy THC: this causes the user to feel euphoric, so that he or she is aware of the effects. Hydroxy THC usually is eliminated from the blood plasma within about 6 hours. The other important metabolite is Carboxy THC. This metabolite also causes impairment, but no feeling of euphoria, so the user might not be aware that he or she is still impaired. Carboxy THC may be found in the blood plasma for several days following marijuana use. Therefore, the user may actually be impaired for a good deal of time after his or her perceptions of impairment have ended.

Excessive use of marijuana can create paranoia and possible psychosis. These same effects may develop from long-term use of the drug, which has also been observed to produce sharp personality changes, especially in adolescent users. Other long-term effects include: lung damage, chronic bronchitis, lowering of testosterone, acute anxiety attacks, chronic reduction of attention span, and possible birth defects, still births and infant deaths.

Marijuana-Related Emergency Department Visits on the Rise

Visits to hospital emergency departments because of marijuana use have risen steadily during the 1990s, from an estimated 16,251 visits in 1991 to 76,870 in 1998. Since 1998, the number of marijuana mentions during an emergency department visit have been equal to the number of heroin mentions. Cocaine continues to be the illicit drug responsible for the most emergency department visits, accounting for a projected 154,956 visits in 1999.

Source: Data from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services-- March 2000.

More Problems With Marijuana

There's one more potential problem to add to those already known about marijuana: the ingredient that gives it its kick, also influences tumor growth. According to researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) 'promotes tumor growth.'

The finding has implications for cancer patients who use marijuana to fight chemotherapy-induced nausea. Researchers suggest that tumor growth may result from using marijuana.

The investigators point out 'the tar in marijuana smoke, compared with that of tobacco, contains higher concentrations of carcinogenic substances including benzapyrene, which has been shown to be a key factor in promoting lung cancer.'

And if that were not enough, the authors add, 'four times as much tar is deposited in the respiratory tract from the smoke of marijuana than from that of a comparable amount of tobacco, thus amplifying respiratory exposure to the cancer-causing substances in marijuana smoke.'

Brand / Generic Names

Beer, Wine, Brandy, Gin, Tequila, Vodka, Whiskey.

Street Names

Booze, Brew, Cold One, Juice, Sauce, Wahoo Juice

Possible Effects of Alcohol

The term "Alcohol" has been synonymous with "spirituous" liquids for the past 300 years while the history of alcohol consumption , along with codes limiting its consumption, go back to 1700 B.C. There are basically four types of alcohol, Methyl Alcohol, Ethyl Alcohol, Propyl Alcohol and Butyl Alcohol. Ethyl Alcohol is the type used in the production of alcoholic beverages. The other three types of alcohol, Methyl, Propyl and Butyl Alcohol, if consumed can result in blindness and death - even in relatively small doses.

Alcohol, and its consumption can cause a number of marked changes in behavior. Even low doses significantly impair judgment and coordination. In small amounts, it can induce feelings of relaxation and tranquillity, suppress anxiety, and in some, inspire feelings of confidence. However, as the dose is increased , normally beyond 6 ounces, the pleasant euphoric feelings begin to give way to feelings of depression. Intoxication occurs because the liver is unable to metabolize more than one ounce of alcohol every hour. Therefore, when a person consumes more alcohol than the body can metabolize, intoxication occurs. Intoxication can generally last anywhere from one to 12 hours. Repeated use of alcohol can lead to increased tolerance to the drug that in turn leads to greater and greater amounts required to achieve its desired effects. Once the body develops a dependence to alcohol, a sudden cessation of its intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms.

Withdrawal symptoms can be life-threatening and include severe anxiety, tremors, hallucinations , and convulsions. Alcohol can be lethal if the amount of alcohol reaches a concentration above 460 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. When the amount of alcohol in the blood is to high, death from respiratory depression can occur. Additionally, while long-term consumption of large quantities of alcohol can lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and liver, mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome that can include irreversible physical and mental changes to the baby.

Opiates are derived from a sap taken from a seed pod of the plant "papaver somniferum".
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Brand / Generic Names

Raw Opium, Opium, Codeine, Morphine, Heroin, Hydromorphone (Dilaudid), Oxycodone (Percodan), Oxymorphone (Numorphan), Hydrocodone (Vicodin), Meperidine (Demerol), Fentanyl, Methadone (Dolophine), Darvon, Talwin.

Street Names

Smack, Horse, Junk, "H", Hard Stuff, Shit, Mexican Brown, China White, Chiva, Goma, Gumball, Schoolboy, Downtown, Dolls, Dollies, Drug Store Heroin, Miss Emma, Morf, "M", Morpho, Big H, Black Tar, Boy, Brown Sugar, Crown Crap, Doogie, Hairy, Harry, Hazel, Henry, George Smack, Him, Horse Radish, Joy Powder, Mud, Muzzle, Scag, Schmeck, Smeck, Tecata, White Lady.

Possible Effects of Opiates

General effects of narcotic analgesics include: sedation, slowed reflexes, raspy speech, sluggish "rubber-like" movements, slowed breathing, cold skin, and possible vomiting. However, as a user continues to abuse narcotic analgesics he or she will build a tolerance to the drug, therefore causing the effects to diminish. Heroin, a very strong narcotic depressant, completely destroys the users ability to reason. Its synthetic form, known as "designer drug" has been proven to be even more deadly and addictive. If the abuser wishes to maintain the same effect, he or she will have to take steadily larger doses as the tolerance develops.

Heroin users generally experience certain psychological effects immediately after injection. These include a feeling of euphoria: relief from withdrawal symptoms: and, relief from pain. Physical effects, if they are evident at all, typically will become evident after 15-30 minutes. Physical effects may not be evident if the user is tolerant and has taken a normal dose. With new users, the physical effects include: nodding off, poor motor coordination, depressed reflexes, and slow breathing.

If a user is addicted to opiates he or she will suffer withdrawal symptoms if they don't receive another dose, or "fix", before the drug is completely out of their system. Withdrawal effects can be chills, aches of the muscles and joints, nausea and insomnia. These symptoms normally start 4-6 hours after the last dosage of the drug. The withdrawal signs and symptoms intensify from 14-24 hours following the injection, and may be accompanied by gooseflesh, slight tremors, loss of appetite and dilation of the pupils. Approximately 24-36 hours since the last "fix", the addict experiences insomnia, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, depression and hot/cold flashes. Withdrawal signs and symptoms generally reach their peak after 2-3 days. At this point, the addict usually experiences muscular and abdominal cramps, elevated temperature and severe tremors and twitching. This twitching, especially of the legs, is referred to in the expression "kickin' the habit". The addict is very nauseated at this time, may gag and vomit repeatedly, and may lose 10-15 pounds within 24 hours.

Signs of an overdose of narcotic analgesics are depress respiration, slow and shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions, possible coma and death.

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(Black Writing On Bottle Is For ID Purposes)

Brand / Generic Names

Phencyclidine, Phencyclidine Hydrochloride, Phenyl Cyclohexyl Piperidine, Sernylan.

Street Names

Angel Dust, Dust, Sherm, Super Weed, Killer Weed, PCP, Elephant, Embalming Fluid, Hog, PCE, Rocket Fuel, TCP.

Possible Effects of PCP

PCP or Phencyclidine, is a single drug that forms a distinct category of its own, because the effects it produces are unlike those of any category. In some respects, PCP acts like an hallucinogen; and, it is frequently classed as an hallucinogen in medical texts and scientific / research reports. In other respects, it acts like a stimulant, and still in other respects it is similar to a depressant.

The formal chemical name for this drug is Phenyl Cyclohexyl Piperidine, from which the initials PCP are derived. "Phencyclidine" is simply a contracted form of the actual chemical name.

PCP was first developed as an anesthetic for humans in 1959. Its use was discontinued a few years later due to its extreme side effects which included delirium and confusion. In the early 1960's PCP was brought back to medical use as a veterinary anesthetic under the trade name Sernylan.

Among PCP's least desirable side effects are delirium, visual disturbances and hallucinations and, occasionally, violence. Some evidence of long term memory disorders and psychological disturbances resembling schizophrenia has also been linked to PCP.

Many PCP users ingest their drugs by smoking. PCP can be applied in either liquid or powder form to a variety of vegetable or leafy substances, such as mint leaves, parsley, oregano, tobacco, or marijuana. When applied to marijuana the street name for this mixture is "Killer Weed" or "Super Weed". The substances then can be smoked in a pipe or cigarette. Because PCP smoke is very hot and can irritate the mouth and tongue, many users prefer to use mint leaves and similar material to cool the smoke. For the same reason PCP smokers who adulterate commercial cigarettes prefer to use mentholated brands.

PCP produces impairments and other observable effects on the human mind and body that are a combination of effects produced by depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens. Blank stare Disorientation Loss of memory Muscle rigidity Non-communicative Sensory distortions Slow, slurred speech Agitation - Excitement Auditory hallucinations Increased pain threshold Loss of a sense of personal identity A feeling of extreme heat, profuse perspiration Passivity - but many users may abruptly turn violent if confronted with a threatening situation

As with many other drugs, regular users of PCP may have developed a tolerance to the drug that masks some of the observable signs of PCP's effects. When smoked or injected, PCP's effects generally last 4-6 hours, but they can last longer. PCP can also enter the body by absorption through the skin.

One possible result of PCP overdose is bizarre, violent and self-destructive behavior. PCP can also produce extreme physical as well as psychological distress. PCP can cause a deep coma, lasting up to 12 hours, seizures and convulsions, respiratory depression, and possible cardiac problems.

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Brand / Generic Names

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Peyote, Psilocybin, MDMA, Bufotenine

Street Names

"A", Acid, Adams, Buttons The Beast, Blotter, Blue Chairs, Blue Cheers, Blue Mist, Brown Dot, California Triple Dip, Cube, Dot, Flat Blues, Gelatin, Green Wedge, Hawk, LSD, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, M and M's, Mescal, Microdot, Mighty Quinn, Mind Detergent, Owsley Acid, Owsley Blue Dot, Pearly Gates, Pink Wedge, Pink Owsley, Purple Owsley, Sandoz's, Strawberries, Sugar Cube, Sunshine, Uncle, Vacation, Wedding Bells, Window Panes.

Possible Effects of Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens are drugs that cause hallucinations. An hallucination is a sensory experience of something that does not exist outside the mind. It may involve hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting or feeling something that isn't really there. Or, it may involve distorted sensory perceptions, so that things look, sound, smell, taste, or feel differently from the way they are.

Hallucinogenic drugs usually produce so-called pseudo-hallucinations. This means that the user typically knows that what he or she is seeing, hearing, smelling, etc. is not real, but is a product of the drug.

One common type of hallucination produced by these drugs in called synesthesia, a transposing of sensory modes or sensory crossover. For example, seeing a particular sight may cause the user to perceive a sound. Hearing a sound may cause him or her to perceive an odor.

Sometimes, the hallucinations can be very frightening to the user. The user may be panic-stricken by what he or she is seeing or hearing, and may become uncontrollably excited, or even try to flee from the terror. Hallucinogen users call these kinds of experiences "bad trips". Users of hallucinogens have been known to be driven into permanent insanity by these experiences .

A "bad trip" sometimes may be re-experienced as a flashback. Hallucinogen flashbacks apparently do not occur because of a residual quantity of drug in a user's body. Rather, flashbacks apparently are vivid recollections of a portion of a previous hallucinogenic experience. Essentially, flashbacks are very intense, and very frightening day dreams.

There are three types of flashbacks; emotional, somatic, and perceptual. The emotional flashback is the most dangerous. It brings back strong feelings of panic, fear and loneliness, and creates an intense and very real recollection of the original "bad trip". A somatic flashback consists of altered body sensations, e.g., tremors, weakness, nausea, dizziness, etc. that were part of the original "trip". In a perceptual flashback, the user re-experiences some of the sensory distortions of the original "trip".

In general, hallucinations intensify whatever mood the user is in when the drug is taken. If the user is depressed, the drug will deepen the depression. If the user is feeling pleasant, the drug usually will heighten that feeling. If the user expects that the drug will help him or her achieve new insights or an expanded consciousness, the drug will seem to have that effect. However, use of hallucinogens often uncovers mental or emotional flaws of which the user was unaware. Such flaws can result in the panic and terror of a "bad trip" even though the user was expecting a pleasurable experience.

The most common effect of an hallucinogen is hallucinations. The user's perception of reality is severely distorted, often to the point of synesthesia. This makes it virtually impossible for the hallucinogen-influenced person to function in the real world.

It is unlikely that hallucinogens directly are life-threatening. However, overdoses have often indirectly resulted in death. One LSD user was killed when he attempted to stop a train bare handed. The extreme panic and agitation of a "bad trip" have been known to lead to suicide, or to accidental deaths as users have tried to flee from their hallucinations. The most common danger of an hallucinogen overdose is an intense "bad trip", which can result in severe and sometimes permanent psychosis . There is some evidence that prolonged use of LSD may produce organic brain damage, leading to impaired memory, reduced attention span, mental confusion, and impaired ability to deal with abstract concepts.

Brand / Generic Names

Volatile Solvents, Aerosols, Anesthetic Gases

Street Names

Poppers, Snappers, Bolt, Bullet, Climax, Locker Room, Rush, Buzz Bombs, Whippets

Inhalants include a wide variety of breathable chemicals that produce mind-altering results. The three main categories are volatile solvents, aerosols, and anesthetic gases. Effects of inhalants vary from one substance to another. Depending on which substance is used, is to which of the below listed effects the user might experience.

Brand / Generic Names

Cocaine, Amphetamine, Methamphetamine, Methylphenidate, Phenmetrizine

Street Names

Bams, Black Beauties, Blackbirds, Cross Tops, Cross Roads, Crosses, Eye Opener, Jolly Beans, Lid Poppers, Poppers, Speed, Thrusters, Uppers, Uppies, Whites, Bernies, Big, Bloke, Big "C", Billie Hoke, Blow, Burese, "C", Charley, Cholly, Cocoa Puffs, Coke, Cola, Corine, Flake, Girl, Gold Dust, Happy Dust, Heaven Dust, Her, Ice, Jam Cecil, Mosquitoes , Nose Candy, Peruvian Marching Powder, Powdered Diamond, School Boy, Snow, Snow Caine, Snow Flake, Stardust, White Mosquitoes , Wire, Bombitas, Businessman's Trip, Crank, Crystal, Meth, Methedrine, Splash, Dexies, Pep Pills, Bennies

Possible Effects of CNS Stimulants

Cocaine and the amphetamines produce euphoria, a feeling that there are no problems. A feeling of super strength and absolute self-confidence may also be present. With cocaine, but not amphetamines, there is also an anesthetic effect, i.e., a dulling of pain. Stimulant users tend to become hyperactive, e.g., nervous, extremely talkative and unable to stand still. Stimulants also tend to release the user's inhibition, and to impair the user's ability to perceive time and distance. Persons under the influence of stimulants become easily confused and lose the ability to concentrate or to think clearly for any length of time. The effects of stimulants vary from 5 minutes to several hours, depending on which type of CNS Stimulant is used.

Overdose of CNS Stimulants can replace the euphoric effect with feelings of panic. The user may become very confused, and suddenly aggressive. They can suffer convulsions, and possibly faint or pass into a coma. Heartbeat will increase, possibly dramatically, and heart arrhythmia (irregular beating) may develop. This may lead to cardiac arrest. Death can also occur from sudden respiratory failure.

Another danger is that subjects or their friends may try to counteract a stimulant overdose with barbiturates, possibly leading to an overdose of CNS Depressants.

Brand / Generic Names

Secobarbital, Phetobarbital, Amobarbital, Amosecobarbital, Phenobarbital, Chloral Hydrate, Glutethimide, Methyprylon, Methaqualone, Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride, Chlordiazepoxide, Diazepam, Diphenhylhydantoin Sodium, Flurazepam, Alprazolam, Phenelzine Sulfate, Amitriptyline Hydrochloride, Desipramine, Doxepin Hydrochloride, Lithium Carbonate, Lithium Citrate, Droperidol, Chlorpromazine, Alcohol

Street Names

Reds, Red Devils, RD's, Fender Benders, Yellows, Yellow Jackets, Blues, Blue Heavens, Rainbows, Christmas Trees, Pink Ladies, Mickey Finn, Knockout Drops, Ludes, Barbs, Downers, Busters, Butisol, Courage Pill, Florinal, G.B.'s, Goof Balls, Green Dragons, King Kong Pills, Lotusate, Peanuts

Possible Effects of Depressants

Central nervous system depressants slow down the operation of the brain. They first affect those areas of the brain that control a person’s conscious, voluntary actions. As dosage increases, depressants begin to affect the parts of the brain controlling the body’s automatic, unconscious processes, such as heartbeat and respiration.

Alcohol is the most familiar, and most widely abused depressant. With some exceptions, all depressants affect people in much the same way as does alcohol.

Most depressant users ingest these drugs orally. However, a few abusers will inject their drugs intravenously. The injection paraphernalia used by barbiturate abusers are similar to those used by heroin addicts, although a wider gauge hypodermic needle is used, because the barbiturate solution is thicker than the heroin solution. The injection sites on the skin of a barbiturate abuser exhibit large swellings, and may develop ulceration’s resembling cigarette burns.

The affects of depressants are once again compared to those of alcohol - reduced social inhibitions, impaired ability to divide attention, slow reflexes, impaired judgment and concentration, impaired vision and coordination, slurred, mumbled or incoherent speech, a wide variety of emotional effects, such as euphoria, depression, suicidal tendencies, laughing or crying for no apparent reason, etc.

Depressants vary in the amount of time it takes the user to feel the effects and also the amount of time the effects are felt. Some depressants act very quickly, and begin to affect their user within seconds. Others act more slowly, sometimes taking one-half hour or more to begin to exert an influence. The quick-acting depressants also tend to be relatively short acting: in some cases their effects wear off in a matter of minutes. The slow-acting depressants, on the other hand, tend to produce longer-acting effects.

Overdoses of depressants produce effects that are the same as alcohol overdoses. The person becomes extremely drowsy and passes out. Their heartbeat slows and respiration will become shallow. Their skin may feel cold and clammy, and death may result from respiratory failure.