Legal and illegal drugs
by Harry North
1. some speed up the activity of the brain and make you feel more energetic eg caffeine, nicotine and cocaine
2. Cannabis - the evidence
2.1. was downgraded to Class C drug in 2004 but then revered to class B in 2009 after research showed it caused mental illness
2.2. risk for those with tendency to mental health problems
2.3. increases risk of depression in young people
2.4. teenagers particulalry vulnerable to mental health issues triggered by cannabis
2.5. all heroin users were originally cannabis users first (who probabaly smoked cigarettes first!) BUT the vast majority do not go on to the next level drug. It is often the fact that people do not necessarily want a stronger drug but that they are in touch with the dealer who pushes harder drug.
2.6. when addicts stop taking the drug they often get withdrawal symptoms eg aches, pains, sweats, shaking, cravings for drug etc
3. How do drugs affect you
3.1. many of those used for medical purposes do not affect nervous system
3.2. drugs quickly are addictive so become a problem themselves and often change user's behavious
3.3. drugs are expensive so people turn to crime to pay for them
3.4. some eg alcohol and cannabis slow the responses of the brain down and make you feel calmer
3.5. some eg heroin stops impulses travelling in nervous system and reduces pain
3.6. drug users often dont eat properly or look after themselves so become ill
3.7. can contract srious illnesses if drugs taken via a needle intravenously eg hepititis, STDs eg AIDS/HIV
3.8. BUT all recreational drugs do affect the brain (why we like them and why they are addictive)
4. Legal
4.1. Caffeine eg in tea, coffee, coke
4.1.1. worth taking risk as make you better
4.2. nicotine eg in cigarettes
4.2.1. but cc90k deaths from smoking related diseases each year
4.3. alcohol
4.3.1. but cc 9k deaths each year from alcohol rlated disease
4.3.2. can cause damage to you body depending on how much you take. no long term beneft
4.4. BUT THESE CAN BE VERY HARMFUL AND ADDICTIVE. especially as more people take them than illegal drugs although impact of illegal drugs is more SEVERE
4.5. but some are illegal eg cocaine, ecstasy, heroin. Can vary between countries eg alcohol illegal in Arab states, in UK under 18yrs
4.5.1. can be very harmful and cause terrible damage to body and addiction
4.5.2. no long term benefits