What's the difference?
Pot Night - The Book, Channel 4 Television, 1995
Information provided by the Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence
CANNABIS
Smoked in a cigarette or pipe, by itself or with tobacco. Can be eaten. Usually makes people feel relaxed and talkative. If someone is anxious or depressed, it could make him/her feel worse. Makes people more sensitive to sounds and colours. Effects last 20 minutes to several hours.
SHORT-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Makes concentration and quick reactions difficult. Will affect driving and the use of machinery.
LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Possible lung cancer if smoked.
THE LAW: Illegal to possess, sell or give away.
ECSTASY
Swallowed as a pill or capsule. In small doses, produces effects similar to LSD. In higher doses, the effects are more like those of amphetamines. Users say the drug makes them feel 'in tune' with other people and their surroundings.
SHORT-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Possible sweating, dry mouth and throat (with danger of dehydration), and raised blood pressure. Physical coordination may be affected.
LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: If used repeatedly, person may become anxious, panicky or confused. A number of deaths have been caused by the drug. Evidence of liver damage.
THE LAW: Illegal to possess, sell or give away.
LSD
Swallowed as a liquid on blotting paper. Effects vary depending on situation and mood. Can make things look and sound very different, and make people feel very differently about themselves and about the world in general. Effects last for 8-12 hours.
SHORT-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Makes concentration and quick reactions difficult. Some takers become every upset (i.e. have a 'bad trip'), which may last for days afterwards. May trigger mental disorder in a few people who are already susceptible in this way.
LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: People can re-experience part of a 'trip' for a long time afterwards.
THE LAW: Illegal to possess, sell or give away.
SOLVENTS
Glues, aerosols and gases (e.g. lighter fuel), the fumes of which can be inhaled to get 'high'. Makes people feel very drunk. Effects last about half an hour.
SHORT-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Risk of accidents and death (e.g. from vomiting while unconscious). Gases and cleaning fluids can cause death through suffocation or cardiac arrest.
LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Tiredness, poor performance at school and in sports. Possible lasting damage to body (liver, kidney, brain) but this is rare.
THE LAW: Legal to possess but illegal to sell to known or suspected young solvent misusers.
AMPHETAMINES
Usually sniffed as a powder or injected. Makes people more awake and lively. Effects last several hours.
SHORT-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Helps concentration for a short while, but makes people feel tired afterwards.
LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Loss of appetite for food. Can make people become very anxious and jumpy if repeated doses are taken every few hours, leading to acute paranoia. After stopping, can make people very depressed and hungry, so can be difficult to give up.
THE LAW: Except when prescribed by a doctor, illegal to possess; also illegal to sell or give away.
COCAINE (including CRACK)
Sniffed, injected or smoked (crack).
SHORT AND LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Very similar to amphetamines (see above), except that those of cocaine last only for up to an hour, those of crack wear off even more quickly, and the feelings with both are more intense.
THE LAW: Except when prescribed by a doctor, illegal to possess; also illegal to sell or give away.
HEROIN
White powder that can be swallowed, injected, sniffed or smoked. Small amounts make people relaxed and content. Large amounts cause sleep. Stops pain. Effects last several hours.
SHORT-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Can make people feel sick. Makes concentration and quick reactions difficult.
LONG-TERM HEALTH EFFECTS: Damage to veins and skin if injected. Easy to become dependent with regular use. Withdrawal effects very unpleasant.
THE LAW: Except when prescribed by a doctor, illegal to possess; also illegal to sell or give away.
INJECTED DRUGS: INCREASED DANGER
This is the most dangerous way of using drugs. People will try to inject all kinds of substances, including heroin, amphetamines and sleeping pills. Anybody who uses any injecting equipment - e.g. syringes and needles - which has been used by someone else runs the risk of becoming infected with HIV, the virus that can cause AIDS. Apart from HIV, those who inject drugs may catch hepatitus, which affects the liver (sometimes fatally), and may also damge veins or poison their blood. Also, those who inject are more likely to overdose.