GUIDE TO IDENTIFYING STREET DRUGS

Drugs come in many shapes and forms, from plants to pills to powders. While some drugs are easy to identify, others can be tricky. The surge of prescription drug abuse and new synthetic drugs adds to the list of what to look out for

Marijuana

ALSO KNOWN AS: MJ, Mary Jane, pot, weed, green, grass, smoke, trees, bud, ganja, blunt, joint, fattie, hydro (hydroponically grown), chronic, kush, skunk, 420, indo

DESCRIPTION: Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit substance on the market, with 21 per cent of students reporting use in the past year. It is often in the form of green buds that are ground before use.

HOW IT’S USED: Marijuana can be rolled into a cigarette or “joint,” smoked through a water pipe or “bong”; it can be mixed in fats to be made into edible substances such as cookies or brownies.

EFFECTS: Marijuana produces a lightheaded feeling and a sense of euphoria, but can also produce effects of anxiety as well. Common signs of marijuana use include swollen or red eyes, dry mouth, increased appetite, lethargy and a lack of concentration.

ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: While not reported as addictive, marijuana is a habit-forming substance.

Marijuana extract

ALSO KNOWN AS: Shatter, wax, oil, hash oil, dabs

DESCRIPTION: Extracts are a more refined form of marijuana on the market made through several methods, the most popular being the process of blasting buds of marijuana with butane. Extracts come in many forms; shatter being a harder amberlike substance, wax is thick and resembles honey and oil being a thick brown or amber liquid. HOW IT’S USED: Extracts are used through a process called “dabbing,” where the substance is heated with a butane torch and inhaled through a special pipe known as a “dabbing rig.” Extracts can also be consumed through marijuana-specific vaporizers. Oil can be applied to other substances to produce its effects, including being applied to a joint to increase potency.

EFFECTS: Extract use produces a much more intense high than regular marijuana consumption and can be more dangerous. Along with the regular effects of marijuana, side-effects of extracts can include psychological symptoms, increased heart rate and possible loss of consciousness.

ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: While not reported as addictive, marijuana concentrates are habit forming.

Hashish

ALSO KNOWN AS: Hash, boom, hemp, chocolate DESCRIPTION: Hash is a brown cakelike substance made from compressed cannabis resin that is made into bricks. Using hash produces a stronger effect than smoking regular marijuana due to its nature as a concentrate, leading to a more intense high.

HOW IT’S USED: Hash is most often smoked in a joint or pipe but can also be baked into edibles much like its less potent counterpart marijuana.

EFFECTS: Smoking hash leads to a lightheaded high and muscle relaxation, lack of coordination and reasoning. Users of hash report a much stronger “body high” than the effect of regular marijuana. Side-effects of use include reddening of the eyes, lethargy and increased heart rate.

ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: While hash is not addictive it can be habitforming, much like marijuana, leading to possible dependence.

MDMA

ALSO KNOWN AS: Ecstasy, E, M,X, XTC, Molly, beans, Adam, smartees, dancing shoes, doves, clarity, roll, peanut

DESCRIPTION: 6.3 per cent of teens in grades 9 to 12 report having tried ecstasy, making it the most used illicit substance after marijuana. Known as a “designer

drug,” Ecstasy comes in pills of many different forms and is popular during raves, night club outings and partyrelated social gatherings.

HOW IT’S USED: MDMA is most commonly ingested as a pill, while it can also be snorted and smoked.

EFFECTS: Symptoms of MDMA use include a sense of euphoria, hallucinations, an intense feeling of relaxation, excitability, increased body temperature, dehydration, dilated pupils and an increased sex drive. ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: Frequent use of MDMA can lead to symptoms of addiction and withdrawal.

Ketamine

ALSO KNOWN AS: K, ketaset, Special K, Super K, ket, tranq, Kit Kat, purple, jet, cat valium, cat tranquilizer, breakfast cereal, honey oil DESCRIPTION: Ketamine is medically used as both a human and animal anesthetic, but has seen increased use illicitly for recreational purposes. The drug can be found in both liquid, powder and pill forms and is commonly named as a date rape drug.

HOW IT’S USED: Depending on the form, Ketamine can be taken orally, snorted as a powder or injected.

EFFECTS: Ketamine produces hallucinations, confusion, stimulates senses and causes dissociative (out of body) feelings among users. An individual on a high dose of Ketamine can experience a highly sedated state that has been referred to as a “k-hole,” where the user is totally unaware of where or even who they are.

ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: Frequent use of Ketamine can lead to symptoms of addiction and withdrawal.

Psilocybin mushrooms

ALSO KNOWN AS: Shrooms, caps, buttons, mushies, magics, cubes, liberties

DESCRIPTION: A mainstay of the psychedelics drug category, mushrooms come in many varieties with more than 100 species of psilocybin on record.

HOW IT’S USED: Mushrooms are mainly eaten, but they can also be blended into drinks. EFFECTS: Effects of mushrooms include intense hallucinations, euphoria and a distorted sense of time and space. Physical symptoms of use include nausea, weakness, dry mouth, dilated pupils and increased blood pressure. ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: Mushrooms have not been reported as addictive or habit forming.

Mephedrone

ALSO KNOWN AS: Bath salts, 4-MMC, drone, bounce, meow meow, bliss, blue silk, ivory wave, flakka DESCRIPTION: Mephedrone is part of an

emerging family of drugs known as synthetic cathinones. The drug can be an odourless white powder or crystalline substance. Mephedrone is also known for having an odour similar to that of cat urine. HOW IT’S USED:

Mephedrone is usually consumed as a pill or snorted as a powder, it can also be injected.

EFFECTS: As a stimulant, Mephedrone causes heightened awareness, a sense of euphoria and hallucinations in users. The substance also shares similar symptoms to that of ecstasy, including increased excitability and sex drive. Users on Mephdrone can experience nose bleeds and intense sweating. The odour of the substance can also be smelled on the skin post use. ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: Addiction statistics are currently unavailable on Mephedrone as the drug is new.

LSD

ALSO KNOWN AS: Acid, L, Lucy, cid, tabs, doses, blotter, windowpane, dots DESCRIPTION: LSD is a hallucinogenic substance that has remained common on the illicit drug market since the 1960s. The substance takes many forms (paper blotters, capsules) but at its base it is primarily a clear and odourless liquid.

HOW IT’S USED: LSD is often applied in liquid form to paper sheets known as “blotters” or “tabs” then placed on the tongue to dissolve. LSD can also be smoked with other drugs.

EFFECTS: LSD causes vivid hallucinations and heightened senses along with a distorted sense of time, space and perception of the body. Symptoms of LSD use include dilated pupils, high blood pressure, chills, dry mouth, tremors and a flushed face. ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: LSD is not known to be addictive or habit forming.

Methamphetamine

ALSO KNOWN AS: Meth, crystal, Cristy, Tina, crank, ice, glass, shards, go, whizz, chalk, tweak, quick DESCRIPTION: Methamphetamine is a substance that appears as a powder or crystalline rock and can occasionally be found as a liquid for the purpose of injection. Meth is a stimulant that causes an increased amount of mood regulating chemicals serotonin and dopamine in the user’s brain. HOW IT’S USED: Methamphetamine can be injected, eaten, snorted and smoked.

EFFECTS: Users of meth initially experience an intense rush, a sense of well being and a desire to be active. Symptoms of use include irritability, loss of

appetite, profuse sweating, dry mouth, dilated pupils and increased body temperature.

ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: Methamphetamine is highly addictive. It effects critical areas of the brain and can cause psychological dependence.

Cocaine

ALSO KNOWN AS: Coke, C, blow, base, snow, snowflakes, bazooka, big flake, toot, sniff, dust, powder, yeyo, baseball, cola, white, yahoo, sneeze, basa

DESCRIPTION: Cocaine is a white powdery substance with a long history. Cocaine has a reputation for being incredibly addictive, and causing great financial strain to maintain. CMAH reports that 3.4 per cent of secondary students in Ontario claim that they have tried cocaine in their lifetime.

HOW IT’S USED: Cocaine is primarily snorted; it can also be injected and smoked.

EFFECTS: Cocaine produces a short rush of euphoria, increased energy and abnormal behaviour. Symptoms of use include increased blood pressure, severe stress on the heart, restlessness, insomnia, dilated pupils and anxiety.

ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: Cocaine is highly addictive and tolerance to the drug develops quickly.

Crack

ALSO KNOWN AS: Rock, freebase, base, balls, apple jacks, biscuits, candy, crackers DESCRIPTION: Crack is a processed and more potent form of cocaine. It is a solidified or “rock” form of cocaine that gets its name from the distinctive crackling sound it makes when smoked. HOW IT’S USED:

Crack is most commonly smoked in a pipe but can also be snorted and injected.

EFFECTS: Users of crack report an intense rush, followed by bursts of energy, the effects of the initial high are short lived (15-30 minutes). Pupils dilate and heart rate increases and cravings for the substance set soon after the high ends. Use of crack can lead to aggressive behaviour and paranoia. ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: Crack is highly addictive. Many users report being addicted after their first use.

Heroin

ALSO KNOWN AS: H, smack, skag, junk, brown sugar, thunder

DESCRIPTION: Heroin is an opiate derived from the poppy plant. The substance comes in many forms including liquids and powders.

HOW IT’S USED: Heroin is primarily injected, but can also be smoked.

EFFECTS: Heroin produces a sense of euphoria and relaxes the body to a sedated state. Users of heroin feel a heaviness in their limbs and accompanying side effects include lethargy, increased body temperature, itching and dry mouth. ADDICTION/DEPENDENCE RISK: Heroine is highly addictive.