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Fact Sheet Number 1.

19
for workers April 2003

Drugs and their effects

Introduction Illegal drugs


Australia is a drug-using society. The most Because they are illegal, there are no price or
common drugs used are alcohol, coffee, quality controls on the illicit drugs such as
nicotine and various medications. Less heroin and ecstasy. This means that a user
commonly used are illegal drugs such as can never be sure that the drug they are taking
cannabis (marijuana), ecstasy, heroin and is in fact what they think it is; for example,
amphetamines (speed). PMA (paramethoxyamphetamine), a toxic form
At some time most of us will be confronted of amphetamine, has been sold as ecstasy.
with drugs or drug-related issues. This fact The user also cannot be sure of a drug's
sheet answers some common questions about strength or purity. Various batches of an
drugs and their effects. illegally manufactured drug may have different

What is a drug? mixtures of the drug and additives such as


A drug is any substance, solid, liquid or gas, poisons, caffeine or even talcum powder.
that brings about physical and/or psychological Central nervous system
changes. The drugs of most concern in the There are three main types of drug affecting
community are those that affect the central the central nervous system.
nervous system. They act on the brain and can Depressants are drugs that slow down the
change the way a person thinks, feels or functions of the central nervous system.
behaves. These drugs are known as Depressant drugs do not necessarily make a
‘psychoactive drugs’. person feel depressed. They include:

How are drugs classified? • alcohol ('booze', 'grog')


Drugs are commonly classified according to • cannabis ('pot', 'dope', 'mull')
their legal status or their effects on the central • barbiturates, including Seconal, Tuinal and
Amytal
nervous system.
• benzodiazepines (tranquilisers), 'benzos',
Legal drugs 'tranx' such as Rohypnol, Valium, Serepax,
Mogadon, Normison and Eupynos
Laws and regulations control the availability,
• GHB (Gamma-hydroxybutrate), or 'fantasy'
quality and price of the 'legal' drugs; for
• opiates and opioids, including heroin ('H',
example, tobacco may not be sold to persons 'smack'), morphine, codeine, methadone
under the age of 18. and pethidine
• some solvents and inhalants ('glue',
'chroming'); many are household products.
Fact Sheet 1.19

In small quantities, depressants can cause Hallucinogens include:


the user to feel more relaxed and less • datura
• ketamine ('K', 'Special K')
inhibited. In larger quantities they can cause
• LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide; 'trips',
unconsciousness, vomiting and even death.
'acid', 'microdots')
Depressants affect concentration and • magic mushrooms (psilocybin; 'gold tops',
coordination. They slow down a person's ability 'mushies')
to respond to unexpected situations. • mescaline (peyote cactus)
• PCP ('angel dust')
Stimulants act on the central nervous
Cannabis is an hallucinogen as well as a
system to speed up the messages to and from
depressant. Ecstasy can also have
the brain. They can make the user feel more
hallucinogenic qualities.
awake, alert or confident. Stimulants increase
Some effects of hallucinogens include
heart rate, body temperature and blood
dilation of pupils, loss of appetite, increased
pressure. Other effects include reduced
activity, talking or laughing, emotional and
appetite, dilated pupils, talkativeness, agitation
psychological euphoria and well-being, jaw
and sleep disturbance. Mild stimulants include:
clenching, sweating, panic, paranoia, loss of
• ephedrine used in medicines for bronchitis,
hay fever and asthma contact with reality, irrational or bizarre
• caffeine in coffee, tea and cola drinks behaviour, stomach cramps and nausea.
• nicotine in tobacco. How do drugs affect a person?
Stronger stimulants include: The effects of a drug depend on the type of
• amphetamines, including illegal
drug, how much is used, how it is taken, the
amphetamines ('speed', 'crystal meth', ice'.
'shabu') characteristics of the person taking it (body
• cocaine ('coke', 'crack') type and mood), the situation or place at which
• ecstasy ('E', 'XTC', 'eccy') the drug is taken and other drugs used at the
• slimming tablets such as Duromine, same time. Some factors to consider include:
Tenuate Dospan and Ponderax.
• How much of the drug is taken and how
Large quantities of stimulants can 'over-
often. Generally, the greater the quantity
stimulate' the user, causing anxiety, panic,
taken, the greater the effect. Overdose
seizures, headaches, stomach cramps,
occurs when the amount taken exceeds
aggression and paranoia. Prolonged use of
the body's ability to cope with the drug.
strong stimulants can mask some of the effects
• How the drug is taken. Generally, drugs
of depressant drugs, such as alcohol, making it
that are injected or inhaled act very quickly
difficult for a person to judge their effects.
and the effects are more intense. Snorting
Hallucinogens affect perception. People
through the nose is the next fastest-acting
who have taken them may believe they see or
method, while the effects of drugs eaten or
hear things that aren't really there, or what they
swallowed take longer to occur.
see may be distorted in some way. The effects
• A person's physical characteristics, such
of hallucinogens vary a great deal, so it is
as height, weight and gender also
impossible to predict how they will affect a
influence how a drug affects them.
particular person at a particular time.

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Fact Sheet 1.19

The proportion of body fat, rate of Drugs and driving


metabolism and, for women, stage of the Driving safety requires mental alertness, clear
menstrual cycle can all influence the vision, physical coordination and the ability to
intensity and duration of drug effects. react appropriately. Drug use can affect these
• The person’s mood and environment also driving abilities and increase the risk of having
plays a role. How a person is feeling and a crash. The risk of having an accident is nine
the social setting can have a significant times greater when alcohol and drugs are used
impact on drug effects. A person is more together than when a driver is drug-free.
likely to enjoy the experience in a One of the most concerning measures of
comfortable social atmosphere than in a drug-related harm in the community is the
threatening environment. death toll. Drug use is a factor in about one in
• Tolerance to the drug. The first time a five of all deaths in Australia. In 1998, 23,310
person uses a drug, they have a very low deaths were attributed to drug use:
tolerance and are likely to feel the effects • 19,020 associated with tobacco use
very strongly. The more often the drug is • 3270 related to alcohol use
• 1020 as a result of illicit drug use.
taken, generally the less intense the
effects will be. This means that larger Drug dependence
amounts are needed to obtain the desired A common concern is that people who use
effect. drugs will become dependent on drugs and
• Other drugs used (poly drug use). become a 'drug addict'. Some alarmist stories
Combining drugs can increase or alter the give the impression that illegal drugs are
effects, often in unpredictable ways. instantly addictive and cause the most harm.

What problems can drug use In fact, no drug is instantly addictive. The

cause? greatest drug harms caused in our society


Regardless of the drug used, there are many come from the legal drugs, alcohol and
problems related to drug use, such as: tobacco.
• family or relationship problems Drug dependence can be physical or
• problems at work or school psychological, or both.There are degrees of
• accidents
dependency, from mild dependency to
• legal problems
compulsive drug use (addiction). It is impos-
• financial problems
• health problems sible to say how long a person must take a
• sexual problems. drug before they will become dependent.
Drugs and pregnancy Experimenting does not necessarily lead to
Most psychoactive drugs can cross the
regular or dependent drug use, and regular
placenta and affect the unborn child. Heavy
use does not necessarily lead to problems.
and sustained use of some drugs during
However, there is no ‘safe’ level of drug use.
pregnancy may cause miscarriage, foetal
All drugs have the potential to cause harm, not
distress or a range of other complications.
just the illegal ones.

For further information about drugs and drug prevention, see our website at www.druginfo.adf.org.au.

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