Drug information
Amphetamine
Street names - Speed whizz, Sulph, Base, Billy, Dexies.
Speed is usually sold in wraps and the powder is off white or pinkish in colour.
Effects
Like Cocaine, Amphetamine is a stimulant which makes people feel wide awake, excited and talkative. It gives them much more energy and they can keep going for hours without getting tired.
The effects tend to start after about 30 minutes and can last for up to six hours.
Risks
The come down can make it difficult to relax or sleep and also makes users feel irritable and depressed, which can last for one to two days.
Speed also puts a strain on the heart and it’s not advisable for people with high blood pressure or heart conditions. Heavy use of Speed can also lead to anxiety, depression and aggression as well as mental illness such as psychosis and paranoid feelings.
BZP (Piperazines)
Street names - PEP pills, Part-E pills, ‘legal ecstasy’, Frenzy, Smileys.
It is sold as a tablet, capsule or as an off-white powder. BZP pills are marketed under a huge variety of names and the tablets come in many different shapes.
Effects
It gives a sense of euphoria, increased alertness, enhanced senses and a raised heart rate, with the effects lasting for approximately 6 – 8 hours.
Risks
These include vomiting and nausea, headaches, palpitations, anxiety, mood swings, confusion and tremors. Some of these effects can occur in the come down period, while some can be experienced for up to 24 hours after use. There are reports of users not being able to sleep for up to ten hours after taking BZP pills, with more severe adverse effects including fits and potentially life-threatening seizures.
Cocaine
Street names - Coke, Charlie, C, White, Snow, Toot.
Effects
If you take Cocaine by snorting the powder, it means it is absorbed more slowly, which makes it stronger than an amphetamine. It makes the user feel really good, wide awake and confident, but it normally only lasts for about 20 - 30 minutes.
Crack Cocaine
Street names - Rocks, Wash, Stones, Pebbles, Base, Free base.
Effects
Crack Cocaine has the same effect as Cocaine but is stronger and is virtually immediate, pecking for about 2 minutes and lasting for about ten minutes. Due to this there is a strong temptation to take more.
Risks
Cocaine and Crack Cocaine raises the body’s temperature and can make the heart beat faster. It can also cause convulsions and respiratory or heart failure, which makes it very risky for people with high blood pressure or heart problems. It is also known to make people feel depressed and run down.
Using Cocaine or Crack Cocaine regularly can cause serious problems with anxiety and paranoia and it is also know to cause panic attacks.
Cannabis (Resin)
Street names - Blow, Dope, Draw, Pot, Puff, Resin, Wacky-backy.
Types of Cannabis
The commonest form is resin which comes in brown or black blocks and is usually smoked rolled into a cigarette or joint, often with tobacco.
Effects
The effects of Cannabis vary dramatically, some of the more common effects include elation, profound relaxation, alteration of time and perception, transient hallucinations, uncontrollable laughing, increased sociability and talkativeness, nervousness, anxiety and mild paranoia, or the 'munchies' (a strong desire to eat and continue eating).
Cannabis (Skunk)
Street names - Skunk, Herbal Cannabis, Bush, Grass, Hash, Hashish, Herb, Northern Lights, Weed.
Herbal Cannabis is made from the chopped, dried leaves of the plant and is also known as ‘grass’ or 'bush'. Herbal Cannabis is usually not as strong as the resin form, however ‘Skunk’ is a particularly strong form. The herbal form is sometimes made into a cigarette without using tobacco and can also be smoked in a pipe, brewed into a tea or cooked into cakes.
Recently, stronger types of Skunk have become available with names like Northern Lights and Super Skunk. The effects of these strains are more pronounced and can cause hallucinogenic effects. THC is regarded as the main active ingredient in Cannabis and Skunk.
Effects
Due to the strength of some of these varieties, many report the onset of effects as being quicker than normal Cannabis. The main effects are the same as any Cannabis although clearly they may be magnified depending on the amount consumed and the individual in question.
Risks
Skunk's strength and speed can sometimes catch inexperienced users out and many report that the 'stoned' effect can come on rapidly and be disabling. The results can be quite dramatic including anxiety attacks and projectile vomiting. Some of the more common effects are highlighted above in the Cannabis section.
Ecstasy
Street names - Brownies, Dolphins, Doves, E, Fantasy, Love doves, MDMA, MDMA powder sweeties, Tulips, X, XTC.
Ecstasy is an illegally manufactured drug that usually comes in tablet or capsule form. The appearance of Ecstasy varies considerably ranging from brown, white or pink tablets to yellow, clear, red and black or red and yellow capsules.
Ecstasy is usually taken orally but it can also be snorted.
Effects
Ecstasy is a stimulant drug which also has mild hallucinogenic effects. The effects of taking a moderate dose start after 20 - 60 minutes (longer if taken on a full stomach) and can last for up to several hours.
The pupils become dilated, the jaw tightens and there is often brief nausea, sweating, with a dry mouth and throat. The blood pressure and heart rate increases and loss of appetite is common. Many users experience an initial rushing feeling followed by a combination of feeling energetic yet calm. Loss of anger, empathy with other people and an enhanced sense of communication are commonly reported. Some users also report a heightened sense of their surroundings, greater appreciation of music and increased sexual and sensual experience.
Risks
People often have bad experiences with Ecstasy including feeling anxious and panicky, confusion and unpleasant distortion of the senses, which can last for days or even weeks. This is more likely if users take high doses or are already feeling anxious or unstable.
After taking ecstasy users may feel very tired and low and often need a long period of sleep to recover, which can last up to three or four days.
GHB
Street names - Liquid Ecstasy, One comma four, One four bee.
GHB is an anaesthetic with primarily sedating rather than painkilling properties. It is often sold as ‘Liquid Ecstasy’ because of its relaxant and euphoric effects, although it has no relation to Ecstasy
GHB is a clear, odourless and oily liquid that tastes slightly salty. Users often swallow it mixed with water or other soft drinks. When intended for illicit use, GHB is sold in small bottles or capsules.
Effects
Users of GHB report that the drug makes them feel euphoric, with a loss of inhibitions, increased confidence and higher libido. Some people liken the experience to taking Ecstasy, although most users report that the experience is very similar to being drunk on alcohol.
Risks
Nausea and vomiting, seizures, convulsions, disorientation and stiffening of muscles may occur and coma or respiratory collapse may follow. Overdose risks are significantly increased if the drug is used at the same time as alcohol or other depressant drugs.
Heroin (& other Opiates)
Street name - Brown, China white, Gear, H, Horse, Junk, Skag, Smack.
Heroin (medical name Diamorphine) is one of a group of drugs called 'Opiates' which are derived from the Opium Poppy. Today street Heroin usually comes as an off white or brown powder and can be smoked, snorted or prepared for injection.
Effects
Heroin and other Opiates are sedative drugs that depress the nervous system. They slow down body functioning and are able to combat both physical and emotional pain. The effect is usually to give a feeling of warmth, relaxation and detachment with a lessening of anxiety. The effects start quickly and can last several hours but this varies with how and how much is taken.
Risks
Excessive doses can produce stupor and coma and even death from respiratory failure and with regular use a tolerance develops so that more is needed to get the same effect. Physical dependence can also result from regular use and withdrawal after regular use can produce unpleasant flu like symptoms and may include aches, tremors, sweating and chills and muscular spasms. These tend to fade after 7 - 10 days, but feelings of weakness and illness may last longer.
Methamphetamine
Street names - Crystal meth, Zip, Go-fast, Cristy, Christal, Tina, Chalk, Crank, Glass, Crazy medicine, L.A. 'Ice'.
Methamphetamine takes the form of a white odourless and bitter tasting crystalline powder. It is readily soluble in water or alcohol but it can also be produced in tablet or powder form. It can be smoked, injected, snorted or consumed orally.
Effects
Its euphoric effects are similar to but more intense and longer lasting than those of Cocaine. The drug alters moods in different ways, depending on how it is taken. Immediately after smoking or injecting the user experiences an intense rush similar to that produced by Crack Cocaine but longer lasting, even small amounts of Methamphetamine can produce euphoria, arousal, wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite and increased respiration.
Risks
These can include nausea, panic attacks, compulsive repetitive behaviour and jaw clenching and regular use can lead to dependency with increased tolerance to the effects and physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. The withdrawal symptoms can include depression, anxiety and craving for the drug. The effects can last between 4 - 12 hours, depending on the route of administration and can cause psychiatric problems with symptoms resembling those associated with paranoid schizophrenia, such as paranoia and hallucinations.
Ketamine
Street names - Green, K, Special K, Super K.
Ketamine is a powerful anaesthetic drug which has been used for operations on humans and animals. The price of Ketamine varies from £10 to £20 a gram.
Effects
Ketamine has pain killing effects but also alters perception with users saying they feel detached from themselves and others around them. At low doses the user will feel euphoric and experience rushes or waves of energy.
Risks
At higher doses the user will often experience hallucinations similar to LSD and a typical out of body or detached experience, which is normally followed by numbness in the limbs and strange muscle movements. Users may also feel sick or actually be sick and when using high doses a tolerance quickly develops. This results in the user requiring more of the drug to achieve the same repeated high.
Stimulant like weight loss and loss of appetite may occur during periods of heavy use, as well as psychological dependence, psychosis and gradual loss of contact with the real world.
LSD
Street names - Acid, Blotter, Cheer, Dots, Drop, Flash, Hawk, L, Lightning flash, Liquid acid.
LSD is an hallucinogenic drug which is normally a white powder, but as a street drug it can be a liquid either on its own or absorbed into paper sheets. The sheets are cut into tiny squares like postage stamps or transfers and often have pictures or designs on them. LSD is also sometimes dropped on to sugar cubes or formed into tablets or small capsules. Only tiny amounts are needed to get an effect and the strength of LSD can vary greatly. It is usually taken orally.
Effects
The strength can vary but a low dose will usually result in a mild LSD experience with higher doses delivering a full blown trip. This begins about 30 minutes after taking LSD and can last up to 20 hours. The effects vary greatly depending on the dose level, how the user feels and the situation they are in, but users often report visual effects such as intensified colours, distorted shapes and sizes and movement in stationary objects. Distortion of sound and changes in the sense of time and place are also common.
Risks
Users can often have unpleasant or frightening experiences, which are all the more likely if the user is already anxious or depressed. A user may also become panicky and suffer paranoia, particularly in unfamiliar, intense or chaotic environments.
The fact that once LSD is taken there is no going back until it wears off, normally 12 hours or more depending on the dose, means a bad trip can be very disturbing. Some LSD users experience ‘flashbacks’, which is when a 'trip' is re-experienced some time afterwards.
Nitrites
Street names - Amyl, Liquid gold, Poppers, Rush, THT.
Amyl, Butyl and Isobutyl Nitrite (collectively known as Alkyl Nitrites or Poppers) are clear or yellow liquids which are inhaled for their intoxicating effects. The liquid is inhaled either straight from the bottle or from a cloth.
Nitrites tend to have a sweet odour when fresh but this tends to turn to a 'dirty socks' smell when stale. The cost in the UK is any where up to £5 a bottle and it is largely Butyl Nitrite which is sold.
Effects
The effects start soon after inhalation but only last for a few minutes. People experience a 'rush' as their heartbeat quickens and blood rushes to the head. The commonly reported side effects include a pounding headache, dizziness, nausea, a slowed down sense of time, a flushed face and neck and a feeling of light headedness.
Users can also lose consciousness, especially if they are engaged in vigorous physical activity such as dancing or running.
Risks
Nitrite use has led to heart attacks where people already have heart or blood pressure problems. There have also been cases of fatalities when people have drunk Nitrites rather than inhaling the vapours. Nitrites also increase pressure on the eye ball and are dangerous for people to use if they have Glaucoma. Regular use can also result in people experiencing skin problems around the nose or lips and users often find a tolerance develops so they no longer achieve the same high.
Magic Mushrooms
Street names - Liberties, Magic’s, Mushies, Liberty cap.
These are hallucinogenic mushrooms that grow in the UK in the autumn, with the most common type being the Liberty Cap.
Magic mushrooms are usually eaten raw but are also dried out and stored for later use. They can also be cooked into food or made into a tea or infusion and drunk.
Effects
The effects of Liberty Caps are similar to a mild dose of LSD and can vary greatly depending on the mood, situation and expectation of the user. The effects come on after about half an hour and can last up to 9 hours, depending on how many are taken. Users often laugh a lot and feel more confident, but some people find that they feel sick, vomit and/or suffer from stomach aches. Higher doses often result in a mild to moderate trip with visual and sound distortions.
Risks
A bad trip can be very frightening and may include fear, anxiety and paranoia, which is more likely with high doses and where the user already feels anxious. People who experience a bad trip can usually be calmed by others reassuring them, but flashbacks can also be experienced some time later.
Mephedrone
Street names - M-cat, Miaow, Miaew, Bubbles, White magic, Plant feeder.
Mephedrone produces a similar experience to drugs like Amphetamines, Ecstasy or Cocaine and is normally a white, off-white or yellowish powder which is usually snorted, but can also be swallowed in bombs (wraps of paper) or appear in pill or capsule form.
Effects
Many people who have used Mephedrone and similar 'Legal High' drugs report that their experiences are similar to taking Amphetamines, Ecstasy or Cocaine and produce a sense of euphoria and wellbeing, with users becoming more alert, confident and talkative. People who have used Methylone, which is closely chemically related to Ecstasy, particularly report a feeling of empathy with those around them.
People who snort these substances can experience extremely sore nasal passages, throats and mouths with burns or cuts caused by the chemicals sometimes leading to nose bleeds.
Risks
Like other stimulant drugs, the Cathinone derivatives can have an impact on the heart, with some users reporting heart palpitations or an irregular/racing heartbeat, which may last for some time after taking the drug. Users can experience blurred vision, hot flushes and muscle tension, particularly in the jaw and face and some people report that their fingers and other extremities have taken on a blueish pallor after using Mephedrone.
As with other stimulants, the substances tend to act as appetite suppressants and nausea and vomiting have been reported, particularly if mixed with other drugs such as alcohol or Cannabis.
PCP (Phencyclidine)
Street names - Angel dust, Hog, Peace pills.
PCP is a synthetic drug that was originally manufactured as a veterinary anaesthetic. It comes in liquid, crystal, pill or powder form and can be smoked in a cigarette, snorted, swallowed or injected.
Effects
PCP is an anaesthetic which has hallucinatory effects and is regarded as a very powerful drug that can have disturbing effects including distortion of the senses, mood and experience of time, dreamlike states, euphoria or depression.
Risks
Panic attacks, paranoia and aggressive, sometimes violent behaviour have been reported along with deaths from heart or lung failure.
As with any hallucinogenic drug, people who are already depressed or unstable are more likely to experience negative effects.
Rohypnol
Street names - Roofies, The "Date Rape Drug", Rophies, Roach, Rope, R2, Mexican Valium.
Rohypnol is a tranquilliser which has recently been labelled by the media as a 'date rape' drug. Rohypnol is a legitimate drug used in the short-term treatment of sleep disorders, producing sedative-hypnotic effects including muscle relaxation and amnesia.
Effects and risks
Rohypnol use causes dependence and once developed abstention induces withdrawal symptoms, including headaches, muscle pain, extreme anxiety, tension, restlessness, confusion and irritability. Other effects can include numbness, tingling of the extremities, loss of identity, hallucinations, delirium, convulsions, shock and cardiovascular collapse. The withdrawal seizures can occur a week or more after cessation of use.
Solvents (Volatile Substance Abuse)
What are solvents?
Some organic, that is carbon based compounds can produce effects similar to alcohol or anaesthetics when their vapours are inhaled. A number are used as solvents in glues, paints, nail varnish removers, dry cleaning fluids and de-greasing compounds, with others being used as propellant gases in aerosols and fire extinguishers or as fuels such as petrol or cigarette lighter gas (butane).
These products give off vapours or gases at normal temperatures, which can be inhaled through the mouth or nose to give an intoxicating effect. This is sometimes called 'glue sniffing', 'solvent abuse' or 'volatile substance abuse' (VSA). Solvents can be directly inhaled, sniffed from inside a plastic or paper bag or put on a cloth before sniffing.
Effects
Inhaled solvent vapours are absorbed through the lungs and rapidly reach the brain, which slows down the breathing and heart rate and repeated or deeper inhalation can lead to feelings similar to being drunk with loss of co-ordination and disorientation. In some cases, users momentarily lose consciousness but will normally come round quickly with no lasting damage. Users report visual distortions and peculiarities similar to hallucinations, although the effects tend to be short lived and usually last for less than 45 minutes without a repeat dose.
As the effects wear off users often feel tired and drowsy and may experience a 'hangover' feeling.
Risks
Accidental death or injury can happen, especially if youngsters are sniffing in an unsafe environment such as a canal or river bank, on a roof or near a busy road or train line. If you sniff to the point of becoming unconscious, you risk dying by chocking on your own vomit. If the method of use obstructs breathing (such as a sniffing with a plastic bag over the head) death from suffocation may also occur.
Some solvents (such as aerosols and cleaning fluids) sensitise the heart to the effects of exertion and can lead to heart failure, especially if the user is running around. Gases in aerosols and lighter fuel refills squirted directly into the mouth can freeze the airways and also lead to death through suffocation.
Legal Highs
These are substances that mimic the effects of illegal drugs such as Ecstasy and Speed, but not all are controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Herbal Ecstasy
Herbal Ecstasy has until recently been sold freely at dance events, clubs, concerts and festivals and contains various herbs and extracts that are claimed to be hallucinogenic or stimulant. The vendors and packaging claim that they are a natural and safe substitute for Ecstasy and although they may be herbal or a herbal extract they are not necessarily safe, with side effects similar to synthetic drugs.
Ephedrine
Street names - Cloud 9, Nirvana Plus.
Ephedrine is an extract of the Chinese herb Ma Huang which has been reported to have stimulant effects such as shivers up and down the spine, sensitive skin and muscles and feelings of exhilaration.
Effects
Higher doses can be quite unpleasant, possibly causing muscle spasms and even heart attacks and these drugs should not be used by people with heart disease, diabetes, hypertension or kidney disease. Other effects include racing heart, dry throat, anxiety, tremors and cold feet and hands.
Salvia
Street name - Eclipse.
Salvia is a member of the mint family and iis marketed in the UK as Herbal Ecstasy which is purchased dried ready for smoking.
Effects
These are more hallucinatory than other legal highs, though high doses are usually needed to achieve these effects.
Spice (Synthetic Cannabinoids)
Street name - Spice gold, Spice silver, Spice diamond, Spice, Solar flare, Space truckin'.
Spice refers to a collection of herbs or plant material which has been sprayed with Synthetic Cannabinoids, producing a Cannabis like effect when smoked.
Some of the base herbs themselves also have a Cannabis like effect when smoked.
Effects
If smoked, Spice normally gives the user a similar experience to smoking Cannabis and leads to feelings of relaxation or even euphoria.
Risks
Other less pleasant effects may include a raised pulse rate, dry mouth, lowering of inhibitions, dizziness, agitation or paranoia. Evidence also indicates that Synthetic Cannabinoids can be anything up to ten times stronger than the THC found in Cannabis plants.