Drugs

Drug abuse impacts our society on many different levels. Directly or indirectly, drug abuse affects every community and family. Drugs take a tremendous toll on our society. The information on this site is provided in an effort to educate you on the types of drugs that are most prevalent in our society and more imporantly our community.

The most frequently abused substances of choice, by the youth of Cleburne County are Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and Marijuana.

To report illegal drug activity or information call 501-362-8143 or email us here.

ALCOHOL
Alcohol is the most frequently used drug by high school seniors, and its use is increasing. Boys usually try alcohol for the first time at just 11 years old, while the average age for American girls' first drink is 13.

Approximately 11 million American youth under the age of 21 drink alcohol. Nearly half of them drink to excess

Street Names
Beer, wine, liquor, cooler, booze, malt liquor

Type of Drug
Alcohol is a depressant

Appearance
Alcohol is used in liquid form

Use
Alcohol is drunk

Short Term Effects
• constricted peripheral blood vessels
• dilated pupils
• increased temperature, heart rate, blood pressure
• insomnia, nausea, vomiting
• loss of appetite
• dizziness, slurred speech
• feelings of restlessness
• irritability, anxiety
• depression, fatigue

Long Term Effects
• addiction
• aggressive paranoid behavior, severe anxiety
• depression
• ulceration of mucous membrane of nose (when vapors are snorted)
• permanent damage to liver and brain

Alcohol & the Law - penalties for teens caught with alcohol

• Public Service Fine License
• Suspension
• Education
• Treatment

1st offense
mandatory
$100-$500
90-120 days
mandatory

2nd offense
mandatory: no fewer than 30 days
$200-$500
1 yr - 18 months
mandatory

3rd offense
mandatory
$500-$2000
lesser of 3 yrs or until age 21
mandatory


COCAINE

Cocaine is the most potent stimulant of natural origin. It is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant.

When mixed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate, also known as baking soda, and other ingredients cocaine solidifies into pellets or "rocks". These rocks are called crack cocaine.

Street Names
Cocaine: coke, snow, nose candy, snowbirds, flake, blow, white, big C Crack: rock, freebase, baseball, pebbles, apple jacks, 151, half track, pony

Type of Drug
Cocaine is a potent brain stimulant and one of the most powerfully addictive drugs.

Appearance
Cocaine is distributed on the street in two main forms: cocaine hydrochloride is a white crystalline powder and "crack" is in the form of chips, chunks, or rocks.

Use
Cocaine can be snorted or dissolved in water and injected. Crack can be smoked.

Short Term Effects
• constricted peripheral blood vessels
• hallucinations
• dilated pupils
• increased temperature, heart rate, blood pressure
• loss of appetite
• restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue
• temporary euphoria, followed by irritability, depression
• seizures

Long Term Effects
• paranoia, aggressive paranoid depression
• ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose (if snorted)
• heart attack
• respiratory failure
• death


CRYSTAL METH

Methamphetamine is a powerful, addictive stimulant that dramatically affects the central nervous system. It stimulates an excessive release of Dopamine, a key hormone in the regulation of the sensation of pleasure.

Meth can be made with relative ease by those with no knowledge of chemistry, with simple household products, and with over-the-counter drugs such as cold medicines with pseudoephedrine as the main ingredient.

Street Names
Meth, speed, crank, crystal, ice, fire, croak, crypto, white cross, glass, chalk

Type of Drug
Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant drug that strongly activates certain systems in the brain. Crystal meth is a very pure, smokable form of methamphetamine.

Appearance
Meth is a crystal-like powdered substance that sometimes comes in large rock-like chunks. Meth is usually white or slightly yellow, depending on the purity. Crystal meth looks like shards of glass or ice chips.

Use
Methamphetamine can be taken orally, injected, snorted, or smoked

Short Term Effects
• irritability, aggression
• anxiety, nervousness
• convulsions, hallucinations
• insomnia
• increased blood pressure
• loss of appetite

Long Term Effects
• addiction
• damage to teeth
• extreme weight loss
• suicidal tendencies
• extreme paranoia, toxic psychosis
• hallucinations, convulsions
• repetitive behavior patterns
• delusions of parasites or insects under the skin
• stroke
• heart and blood vessel toxicity
• long-term damage to brain cells similar to that caused by strokes or Alzheimer’s disease

Withdrawal Symptoms
• fatigue
• long disturbed periods of sleep
• irritability
• intense hunger
• moderate to severe depression
• psychotic reactions
• anxiety

ECSTASY


Ecstasy (MDMA) is a synthetic psychoactive drug

with a chemical structure similar to the stimulant

methamphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline.

MDMA was first manufactured by a German company

in 1912, possibly to be used as an appetite suppressant.

MDMA has been available as a street drug since the 1980s.

Street Names
MDMA, Adam, Bean, E, M, Roll, X, XTC

Type of Drug
MDMA or Ecstasy (3-4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a synthetic drug with amphetamine-like and hallucinogenic properties.

Appearance
Ecstasys come in a tablet form that is often branded, e.g. cartoon characters, Nike swoosh, CK.

Use
Taken in pill form.

Short Term Effects
• depression
• sleep problems
• drug craving
• severe anxiety, paranoia, confusion
• muscle tension, involuntary teeth clenching
• blurred vision, rapid eye movement
• faintness, nausea
• chills, sweating

Long Term Effects
• long-term damage to part of brain critical to thought and memory
• long-lasting, permanent damage to neurons that release serotonin

INHALANTS


Inhalants are breathable chemicals that produce intoxicating

vapors. Inhalant use refers to the intentional breathing of gas

or vapors with the purpose of reaching a high. Inhalants are

legal, everyday products which have a useful purpose, but

can be misused. You're probably familiar with many of these

substances - paint, glue, and others. But you probably

don't know that there are more than 1,000 products that

are very dangerous when inhaled.

Inhaling fumes from products like hairspray, nail polish, and spray paint is so popular, that almost one in five kids has done it before the 8th grade. It is just as popular as marijuana.

Street Names
Nitrous oxide, whippets, laughing gas

Type of Drug
Inhalants aren't drugs in the regular sense of the word. They are in the form of household products that are inhaled or sniffed by children to get high. There are hundreds of household products on the market today that can be misused as inhalants.

Appearance
Examples of products kids abuse to get high include model airplane glue, nail polish remover, cleaning fluids, hair spray, gasoline, the propellant in aerosol whipped cream, spray paint, fabric protector, air conditioner fluid (freon), cooking spray and correction fluid.

Use
These products are sniffed, snorted, bagged (fumes inhaled from a plastic bag), or "huffed" (inhalant-soaked rag, sock, or roll of toilet paper in the mouth) to achieve a high. Inhalants are also sniffed directly from the container.

Short Term Effects
• intoxication
• loss of consciousness
• headache
• muscle weakness, fatigue, lack of coordination
• abdominal pain, nausea
• severe mood swings, violent behavior
• decrease or loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds
• numbness, tingling of the hands and feet
• hearing loss
• limb spasms

Long Term Effects
• hearing loss
• limb spasms
• decrease in heart, respiratory rates
• hepatitis or peripheral neuropathy
• central nervous system or brain damage
• blood oxygen depletion
• heart failure
• death

MARIJUANA

Marijuana is considered the most widely used illicit drug today. It is estimated that there are as many as 28,000,000 users in America alone. Marijuana is usually the first illegal drug adolescents experiment with. This experimentation typically occurs around the age of 12.

Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant. All forms of marijuana are mind-altering drugs that contain THC, which is the main active chemical in marijuana. There are about 400 chemicals in a cannabis plant, but THC is the one that most greatly affects the brain.

Street Names
Weed, pot, reefer, grass, dope, 420, ganja, Mary Jane, sinsemilla, herb, Aunt Mary, skunk, boom, kif, chronic, gangster

Type of Drug
Marijuana is a product of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. The main active chemical in marijuana, also present in other forms of cannabis, is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol).

Appearance
Marijuana is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa).

Use
Most users roll loose marijuana into a cigarette called a "joint". It can be smoked in a water pipe, called a "bong", or mixed into food or brewed as tea. It has also appeared in cigars called "blunts".

Short Term Effects
• problems with memory, learning
• distorted perceptions
• trouble with thinking, problem-solving
• loss of motor coordination
• increase heart rate
• anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia
• dry mouth, throat
• bloodshot eyes
• impaired driving ability

Long Term Effects
• cancer
• lung, immune system damage
• lack of motivation
• problems in the reproductive system

If Someone is High on Marijuana, He or She Might:
• seem dizzy, uncoordinated, and have trouble walking
• seem unfocused, silly, and giggly for no apparent reason
• have delayed responses to questions or sounds
• have a strong, smoky odor in clothes or hair
• avoid coming near you, in fear you may smell marijuana
• have bloodshot eyes

OXYCONTIN


OxyContin is a time-release tablet that contains large

amounts of oxycodone and is used legitimately to

treat moderate to severe pain, but is abused for

its heroin-like effects.

Opioids like OxyContin and heroin block pain

messengers to the brain and central nervous

system. They also increase the amount of

dopamine in the brain, which increases feelings

of pleasure and euphoria.

Street Names
killers, OC, OXY, oxycotton, hillbilly heroin, poor man’s heroin

Type of Drug
OxyContin (oxycodone HCI controlled-release) is the brand name for an opioid analgesic - a narcotic. Oxycodone is the narcotic ingredient found in Percocet (oxycodone and acetaminophen) and Percodan (oxycodone and aspirin). OxyContin is used to treat pain that is associated with arthritis, lower back conditions, injuries, and cancer.

Appearance
OxyContin is available in tablet form in 4 doses: 10, 20, 40, and 80mg.

Use
As pain medication, OxyContin tablets are taken every 12 hours. Most pain medications must be taken every three to six hours. Oxycontin abusers remove the sustained-release coating to get a rush of euphoria similar to heroin. They chew the tabs, crush them for snorting, or boil the powder for injection.

Short Term Effects
• respiratory depression
• constipation
• nausea, vomiting
• sedation
• dizziness, weakness
• headache
• dry mouth
• sweating

Long Term Effects
• addiction
• cardiovascular damage
• liver, kidney disease
• arthritis
• greater risks for women during pregnancy

ROHYPNOL


Rohypnol's medical use is to treat insomnia or anxiety but is widely known as the "date rape" drug. It can incapacitate a victim and prevent them from resisting sexual assault.

Street Names
Date rape drug, roach, roofies, forget pill, ruffies, rope, rophies, R2, rib, roofenol, la roche, rib

Type of Drug
Rohypnol is the brand name for a drug called Flunitrazepam, which is a powerful sedative.

Appearance
A small white tablet with no taste or odor when dissolved in a drink. Use Rohypnol is swallowed as a pill, dissolved in a drink, or snorted. It can be used as a predatory drug, otherwise known as a "date rape" drug.

Short Term Effects
• sleepy, drunk feeling
• blackouts with complete loss of memory
• dizziness, disorientation
• nausea
• difficulty with motor movements and speaking

Long Term Effects
• physical addiction
• psychological addiction

 TOBACCO


Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Approximately 80% of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18. 25% of white high school students in the United States are current spit tobacco users.

Street Names
Cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chew, dip, smoke, butt, snuff, bone, coffin nail, cancer stick

Type of Drug
Tobacco is an agricultural crop

Appearance
Brown cut up leaves.

Use
Tobacco is usually smoked. Sometimes tobacco leaves are "dipped" or "chewed" so the nicotine is absorbed via the gums.

Short Term Effects
• increase in blood pressure, heart rate
• increase of blood flow from the heart
• narrowed arteries
• brittle yellow fingernails
• headaches
• yellow teeth
• acne
• nausea
• discoloration


Long Term Effects
• chronic lung disease
• coronary heart disease
• stroke
• cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth (smokeless tobacco, cigars)
• cancer of the bladder, cervix, pancreas, kidneys
• adverse birth outcomes in pregnant women

Facts
• tobacco smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals, including 200 known poisons
• every time a person smokes, poisons such as benzene, formaldehyde & carbon monoxide are inhaled
• chewing tobacco contains toxic substances such as: Cadmium - used in car batteries Uranium 235 - used in nuclear weapons Lead - as in lead poisoning Nicotine - more addictive than crack cocaine Formaldehyde - put in dead people
• chewing tobacco users are fifty times more likely to get oral cancer than non-users

Alcohol	Cocaine	Crystal Meth
Ecstasy	Inhalants	Marijuana
Oxycontin	Rohypnol	Tobacco