By
Juzel Danganan
MANILA
-- What's with drugs that make the world so deeply concerned about people using
them? In the Philippines alone, an estimated four to seven million of its 104
million population are said to be using prohibited drugs.
As a
campaign promise, President Rodrigo Duterte has made the crackdown on illegal
drugs a centerpiece of his administration -- for which he has been chastised
from all fronts, in and out of the country.
Drug
addiction, no doubt, has severely affected society, cutting across all socio-economic
echelons and demographics. No one can deny that drug addiction is a societal
menace, resulting in countless crimes, financial problems, and broken
relationships, both with families and friends.
Here’s
a glimpse of what the common prohibited drugs are and how they affect the body
and mind.
According
to a primer of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) posted on
its website, drugs are chemical substances that affect the normal functioning
of the body, either physically and/or psychologically.
Not
all drugs are illegal, it says. The caffeine in coffee, the nicotine in
cigarettes, and alcohol are technically legal drugs. Medicines are
pharmaceutical drugs used to treat or prevent illnesses. They are legal,
although they could also be abused.
The
ones people should totally shun are the illegal drugs because they alter a
person’s mood, thinking, and behavior.
All
illegal drugs have immediate physical effects, and they also hinder
psychological and emotional development, especially among young people, says
the UNODC.
Drugs
cloud a user’s judgment, making him/her take more risks, for instance having
unsafe sex that could lead one to contract sexually transmitted diseases,
including HIV/AIDS.
The
effects of illegal drugs do not last long. When they wear off, a user gets
depressed, lonely and sick, appears confused, sweats a lot, has red eyes, and
neglects his/her physical appearance. Then comes the irrational craving.
The
following are the most common prohibited drugs and how they affect their users:
Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine,
a.k.a. Shabu, also goes by the names Crack meth, Ice, Crystal meth, Tik, and
Yaba.
Methamphetamine
belongs to a group of drugs called amphetamine-type stimulants. Like ecstasy,
it is manufactured in illegal laboratories and sold in powder, tablet or
crystal form. It could be swallowed, sniffed, smoked or injected.
The
UNODC says meth produces a feeling of physical and mental wellbeing, euphoria,
and exhilaration. Users experience a temporary boost in energy, often perceived
to improve their performance of manual or mental tasks, along with delayed
hunger and fatigue. At times, they become more aggressive and violent.
Over
the short term, users tend to lose their appetite, start to breathe faster, and
sweat due to increased heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.
Taking
in large doses would make users feel restless and irritable and could induce
panic attacks. Taking in excessive doses could result in convulsions, seizures,
and death from respiratory failure, stroke or heart failure.
Long-term
use could also lead to malnutrition, weight loss, and psychological dependence.
Stopping
its use results in a long period of sleep, followed by depression.
Ecstasy
Ecstasy
goes around by the names E, Snackies and New Yorkers. The drug, usually made in
illegal laboratories, consists of a range of substances that make it dangerous
to consume. It comes in the form of tablet, powder or capsule and is usually
swallowed, but could also be snorted or injected.
Ecstasy
increases users’ empathy levels and induces a feeling of closeness to people
around them. It makes them feel more sociable and energetic. Short-term use of
ecstasy prompts the body to ignore distress signals such as dehydration,
dizziness, and exhaustion, and interferes with the body's ability to regulate
temperature. It could also severely damage the liver and kidneys and could
cause convulsions and heart failure.
In
large doses, ecstasy could cause restlessness, anxiety and severe
hallucinations. Long-term use damages certain parts of the brain, bringing
about serious depression and memory loss.
Cannabis
Cannabis
is known by many names -- Bongo, Ganja, Grass, Pot or Thai sticks. Its most
famous name, however, is Marijuana, or Mary Jane.
Cannabis,
a tobacco-like greenish or brownish substance made of dried flowering tops and
leaves of the cannabis plant, is usually smoked, but its resin and oil could
also be swallowed or brewed in tea.
According
to the UNODC, cannabis smoke contains 50 percent more tar than high-tar
cigarettes, putting users at an increased risk of lung cancer and other respiratory
diseases.
After
taking cannabis, users feel relaxed and sometimes euphoric, with an intensified
sense of sight, smell, taste, and hearing.
Short-term
use makes them experience increased appetite and pulse rate, and an impaired
ability to perform physical and mental tasks, such as driving a car and
thinking logically.
With
large doses, users’ thinking slows down and they become confused and have bouts
of anxiety, panic, and psychotic episodes.
The
UNODC said that regular users of cannabis run the risk of developing
psychological dependence to the point that they lose interest in all other
activities, such as work and personal relationships.
Cocaine
Cocaine
is known as Crack, Bazooka, Blanche, Cake, Coke or Lady. It is a fine white or
off-white powder extracted from the leaves of the coca plant.
The
UNODC said that on the street, cocaine is diluted with other substances, such
as ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), to increase its quantity and
produce crack.
Cocaine
is usually sniffed or injected, while crack is usually smoked. After snorting
cocaine, users feel exhilarated and euphoric, leading to increased energy
levels and alertness, along with delayed hunger and fatigue.
Short-term
use results in loss of appetite, faster breathing, increased body temperature
and heart rate. Users may act strangely, erratically and at times violently.
Ingesting
large doses of cocaine could cause convulsions, seizures, stroke, cerebral
hemorrhage or heart failure. Long-term use of cocaine damages the nose tissue
and leads to respiratory problems, abscesses, and infectious diseases.
Other
risks include strong psychological dependence, malnutrition, weight loss,
disorientation, apathy and a state similar to paranoid psychosis. Mixing cocaine with alcohol is dangerous and
could lead to sudden death.
Heroin
Heroin
is also called Smack, H, Horse, Junk, Harry and White Lady. Heroin is a
painkiller processed from morphine, which comes from the opium poppy plant.
Pure
heroin is a white powder, but street heroin is brownish white. This highly
addictive drug is usually injected, but could also be snorted, smoked or
inhaled.
Heroin
could relieve tension, anxiety, and depression, including physical distress or
pain.
According
to the UNODC, its short-term effects include constricted pupils, nausea,
vomiting, drowsiness, inability to concentrate and apathy.
Long-term
effects, meanwhile, include severe weight loss, malnutrition, constipation,
menstrual irregularity, sedation and chronic apathy. Users could develop a
tolerance for the drug, making them ingest more to achieve the effect they
want.
Overdosing
on heroin could lead to coma and death through respiratory depression. Abruptly
quitting heroin leads to severe withdrawal symptoms, such as cramps, diarrhea,
tremors, panic, runny nose, chills, and sweats.
LSD
Also
known as Acid or Hippie, LSD is a semi-synthetic drug made from lysergic acid,
which is found in a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.
Dealers
often sell it in squares of blotting paper with drops containing the drug, but
also in the form of tablets, capsules, and liquid. The colorless and odorless
drug is often swallowed and has a slightly bitter taste.
According
to the UNODC, LSD use leads to strong changes in thought, mood, and senses,
along with feelings of empathy and sociability. Its exact effects, however,
vary, depending on the mental state of the user and the environment when taking
the drug.
Over
the short term, users experience delusions and distorted perceptions in terms
of time and color, severe and terrifying thoughts and feelings, such as fear of
losing control, insanity, death, and despair.
Users manifest dilated pupils, increased heart rate and blood pressure,
dry mouth and tremors. They lack appetite and are sleepless. (PNA)
