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What You Don't Know Can Kill You

NCJ Number
188905
Author(s)
H. Glenn Waddell; Tommy Eldridge
Date Published
2001
Length
15 pages
Annotation
The Neshoba County, Mississippi Sheriff's Department program seeks to inform young people about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
Abstract
This booklet describes the effects of alcohol and seven other drugs, some of the social costs of drug and alcohol abuse, and law enforcement and legislative efforts to deal with the problem. Alcohol is a drug classified as a depressant. It slows or impairs coordination, mental capabilities, and judgment. Marijuana is considered a depressant and mild hallucinogen, with many of the same effects as alcohol on coordination and judgment. Cocaine and crack (a smokable mixture of powder cocaine and baking soda) are both powerful stimulants that act on the central nervous system and can cause panic behavior, paranoia, hallucinations, insomnia, and anxiety. Crystal methamphetamine is also a stimulant, with effects on the body similar to those of cocaine. MDMA, also called Ecstasy, is a mixture of amphetamines and hallucinogens. It causes an initial "rush" of euphoria, followed by long periods of depression. Gamma hydroxy butyrate or GHB is a central nervous system depressant. Its effects vary, from a feeling of slight intoxication to coma. Lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD is a hallucinogen with very unpredictable effects on individual users. Flunitrazepam, widely known by the brand name Rohypnol, is a very powerful sedative that causes "retrograde amnesia" and is the drug most often used in instances of date rape. Figures, references