Drugs And Their Effects

Marijuana

  Marijuana is a dry, shredded green / brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves of the hemp plant, cannabis sativa. It usually is smoked as a cigarette or in a pipe. Marijuana smoke has a strong and distinctive, usually sweet and sour odour. There are countless street terms for marijuana including pot, herb, weed, grass, widow, ganja, and hash. Long term marijuana use leads to an addiction. The short terms effects of marijuana addiction can include problems with memory and learning, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination and increased heart rate. Smoking marijuana increases the possibility of developing cancer of the head or neck. Marijuana use also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons that does tobacco smoke. Depression, anxiety, and personality disturbances have been associated with marijuana addiction. 

Cocain

  Cocaine is a powerful addictive drug that is snorted, sniffed, injected or smoked and directly affects the brain. It is also called by the streets name coke, snow, flake, blow, and others. Cocaine usually makes the user feel euphoric and energetic. Cocaine is generally sold on the street as a fine, white, crystalline powder. Street dealers generally dilute it with such substances as cornstarch, talcum powder, sugar, or with such active drugs as procaine (a chemically related local anesthesic) or with such other stimulants as amphetamines. Adults 18 to 25 years old have the highest rate of current cocaine use, compare to other age groups presumably because it is very expensive.

  Common health effects include heart attacks, respiratory failure, and strokes. In some cases, sudden death can occur in the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Different means of taking cocaine can produce different adverse effects. Regularly snorting cocaine, for example, can lead to loss sense of smell, nosebleeds, problems with swallowing, hoarseness, and a chronically runny nose. People who inject cocaine can experience severe allergic reactions and, as with many injecting drug user, are at increased risk for contracting HIV and other blood borne diseases.