Drugs
Street
Names: snow, blow, coke, powder, yeahoos, cola
Definition:
A
powerful central nervous system stimulant that heightens alertness and
inhibits appetite and the need for sleep. It is prepared from the leaf
of the Erythroxylon coca bush, which grows primarily in Peru and
Bolivia.
Effects:
The drug reportedly provides intense feelings of pleasure, making
the user feel euphoric, energetic, talkative and mentally alert -- especially
to the sensations of sight, sound and touch -- followed by a "down"
period of depression and sometimes sleeplessness. Physical symptoms
include accelerated heartbeat and breathing, and higher blood pressure and
body temperature. Large amounts (several hundred milligrams or more)
intensify the user's "high", but may also lead to bizarre, erratic
and violent behavior. It is known to be addictive, and death from a
cocaine overdose can occur from convulsions, heart failure or the depression
of vital brain centers controlling respiration.
Street
Names: G, Georgia Home Boy, liquid E, fantasy, scoop,
water
Definition:
Gamma hydroxybutyric acid is a drug that is very similar to a
natural chemical in the brain called gamma amino butryic acid or GABA It
is usually sold as a clear liquid that look like water, and can be mistaken
for water because it's usually found in clear, plastic bottles. It can
also be found as a white powder.
Effects:
It is used for a variety of reasons,
including to induce a euphoric state, for body building and as an agent to
intensify the effects of other recreational drugs. Alone or in
combination with other drugs, it can cause massive central nervous system
depression and has induced serious side effects including coma, seizures,
insomnia, anxiety, and death. Often used in combination with alcohol
and used as a "date rape" drug.
Street
Names: Black tar, china white, crank, dr. feelgood,
ferry dust, hero
Definition:
Pure heroin is a white powder with a bitter taste. Most
illicit heroin is distributed in power form and may vary in color from white
to dark brown because of the impurities left from the manufacturing process or
the presence of additives. Heroin is most often injected; however,
high-purity heroin may also be snorted or smoked.
Effects:
Heroin may cause euphoria, drowsiness,
respiratory depression, constricted pupils, and nausea. Effects of
heroin overdose include slow and shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions,
coma, and possible death.
Street
Names: K, special k, kit kat, green, honey oil, jet,
super acid
Definition:
Commercially sold as Ketlar, a powerful anesthetic, mainly used by
veterinarians on farm animals. It usually comes as a liquid in its pharmaceutical
form, although is is also found as a white powder or pill. It can be
inhaled, swallowed or injected.
Effects:
Users describe the effects as similar to drunkenness, but
stronger. Others describe a speedy rush within minutes of consuming the
drug, followed by powerful hallucinations. Because of its anesthetic
properties, people have been known to hurt themselves while under the
influence of the drug. There are also dangers associated with mixing it
with alcohol, barbiturates and other drugs. Large doses can induce
unconsciousness, which could lead to a heart attack.
Street
Names: beavis and butthead, trips, mickey's, peace
tablets, superman
Definition:
Formally
called lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD is a powerful hallucinogenic, that
changes mental state by affecting the brainstem.
Effects:
The drug can make the world seem like a magical place and turn the
user into a giggling, gesturing wreck. During the course of an acid
trip, mundane objects morph into trippy, sometimes grotesque,
hallucinations. Studies have shown that the drug poses some
psychological risks, especially for those with a history of mental
problems. Users have been known to have "flashbacks" and to
harm themselves when they're high on the drug. Effects to watch
for: dilated pupils, increased body temperature, increased blood
pressure and heart rate, sweating, loss of appetite, dry mouth, sleeplessness,
tremors, numbness, weakness and nausea.
Street
Names: pot, dope, spliff, ganja, hash, weed, puff,
herb, Mary Jane
Definition: A
plant that is often smoked, marijuana acts as a relaxant and mild
hallucinogenic.
Effects:
Users describe the feeling from smoking marijuana as relaxed, happy and
generally laid back. Some say it enhances tense feelings in tense
situations and others say it makes them fall asleep. Studies suggest
that there is a risk of developing bronchitis or lung cancer from smoking
cannabis resin by itself. There has been some indication that people
smoking the plant on a regular basis become dependent and show withdrawal
symptoms when they try to quit.
Street
Names: speed, ice, chalk, meth, crystal, crank, fire,
glass
Definition:
Methamphetamines
are synthetic amphetamines or stimulants that are produced and sold illegally
in pill form, capsules, powder, and chunks. Methamphetamines stimulate
the central nervous system, and the effects may last anywhere from 8 to 24
hours, depending on the dosage and concentration of the drug.
Effects: Users
say the drug causes increased alertness and a sense of well-being. The
short-term negative effects include paranoia, hallucinations, violent
behavior, insomnia, acne and sores. Longer-term effects include
dependence, accompanied by fatal kidney and lung disorders, possible brain
damage and possible stroke. Some long term effects are: addiction,
behavior resembling paranoid schizophrenia, permanent psychological problems,
weight loss and malnutrition, lowered resistance to illness, and death.
Street
Names: Ecstasy, XTC, X, Adam, clarity, lover's
speed
Definition: A
"mood elevator" that produces a euphoric state without
hallucinations. Ecstasy comes in a pill form, and because it is not a
regulated substance, it often contains other drugs besides MDMA.
Effects:
It can lead to compulsive behavior. There have been some
deaths associated with Ecstasy. Many have resulted from heat stroke
brought on by extended periods of dancing without replenishing body
fluids. Other dangers may include liver damage, irregular heartbeat,
decreased memory and learning ability.
Street
Names: roofies, forget me pill, lunch money
drug, wolfies
Definition:
Is
a white tablet that dissolves easily in carbonated beverages, Flunitrazepam
causes partial amnesia; individuals are unable to remember certain events that
they experienced while under the influence of the drug. This effect is particularly
dangerous when flunitrazepam is used to aid in the commission of sexual
assault; victims may not be able to clearly recall the assault, the assailant,
or the events surrounding the assault, is known as the "date rape"
drug.
Effects:
Flunitrazepam abuse causes a number of adverse effects in the abuser,
including drowsiness, dizziness, loss of motor control, lack of coordination,
slurred speech, confusion, and gastrointestinal disturbances, lasting 12 or
more hours. Higher doses produce respiratory depression. Chronic
use of flunitrazepam can result in physical dependence and the appearance of
withdrawal syndrome when the drug is discontinued. Flunitrazepam impairs
cognitive and psychomotor functions affecting reaction time and driving
skill. The use of this drug in combination with alcohol is a particular
concern as both substances potentate each other's toxicity.
Midwest High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area, Investigative Support Center
"University
of Iowa: Student Health/Health Iowa: Substance, University of Iowa. <http://uiowa.edu/~shs/ecstasy.htm>
"Ecstasy
- Drug - Ecstasy 101 Things to Know About This Designer Drug".
About.com. <http://hartford.about.com/library/weekly/aa012901a.htm>
©, Copyright, 1989-2006, District Attorney Nola
Tedesco Foulston, 18th Judicial District of Kansas
last update:
01/30/08
Comments or problems with this website may be e-mailed to the
District Attorney Office.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
