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Drugs can be legal or illegal
depending on what they are and
people take both types for all
sorts of reasons – they may be ill and in need of
medicine to help them get better or looking for
something that makes life seem more 'exciting'...
Cannabis is a common drug but did you know that if you
are under 18 and found to have cannabis on you could be
arrested, taken to a police station and charged with
possession of an illegal substance. Oh, and the person who
is responsible (your mum/dad/carer) will have to be there too.
Drug categories
All drugs can be put into categories. There are three main
ones. Some drugs fit neatly into one category, for example
tobacco is a stimulant drug. Other drugs cross-over
categories, for example cannabis is a depressant
with hallucinogenic effects. Some drugs are dose
specific! For example Ketamine is a stimulant
drug at small doses but a large dose takes you
out of the stimulant effects and
into the hallucinogenic effect.
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Stimulants
Energise and alert
These drugs stimulate the brain & central nervous system.
Speed up the body and give feelings of confidence and energy.
- Give you energy
- Elevate mood
- Increase confidence
- Delay sleep
- Make you talkative
- Decrease appetite
Drugs in this Category include:
- Caffeine
- Tobacco
- Amphetamines
- Cocaine/ Crack
- Ecstasy
- Ketamine
Depressants
Relax and sedate
Slow the body down. These drugs act on the central nervous
systems to suppress neural activity in the brain. Produce
feelings of euphoria. Reduce both physical and emotional pain.
- Slow you down
- Make you relaxed
- Reduce pain
- Block bad feeling
- Produce feelings of
euphoria, warmth
and contentment
Drugs in this Category include:
- Alcohol
- Heroin
- Opium
- Methadone
- Valium
- Rohypnol
- Solvents
- Cannabis
Hallucinogens
Trippy
These drugs alter user's perception of the
world and can affect all 5 senses.
- Cause hallucinations
- Distort the senses
- Produce feelings of
disassociation
- Elevate mood
- Increase insight
Drugs in this Category include:
- LSD
- Magic Mushrooms
- Cannabis
- Ketamine
- Ecstasy and Nutmeg
- Solvents
Legal Highs
Some drugs (like Methadrone) are 'legal
highs' but these could be just as dangerous, or even more so,
than illegal drugs. At the moment we can’t even be sure of their
strength or the long term effects. More information on these can
be found at the EYPDAS website (address shown below).
If you need more information, advice, support,
help or just a chat (free and confidential) please
call EYPDAS on 01245 493311 or come and
see us at Project 114, 114 Springfield
Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 6LF.
You can also check out our website
www.eypdas.org.uk
And if you can't get to us then we'll get to you!
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