Symptoms of Cocaine Abuse

Cocaine, a harmful drug which is ruining the lives of so many young people in the world can be controlled by identifying the Cocaine abusers and by giving the essential treatment. Even though drug addiction can be identified by certain changes in the abusers, the changes caused due to Cocaine can be identified in a different way. These changes are in such a way that we can identify that the person is addicted especially to Cocaine. They differ from occasional users to drug abusers or drug addicts.

The major parts of the body that get affected by abusing cocaine are the brain, heart and lungs. For occasional users the early symptoms start with nose bleed. There is a change in the way the person thinks, acts and feels. At times we can find them more energetic, and at sometimes they feel very depressed and stressed. There is a sudden change in their behavior and mood swings are very frequent. They tend to do any sort of activities like lying, cheating, robing etc., for the sake of drugs.

Loss of appetite is another problem which the addicts face and due to that reason they will lose weight. Some physical signs like needle marks on arms can also be used to detect the abusers. Symptoms like irritation, aggressiveness, and hallucinations can also be found. Apart from these they suffer from ill health and some severe health problems frequently which makes them weak. It is a strong stimulant, which makes the user to constantly use the drug.

It is essential to observe the food habits, places visited, friends circle, time they are spending in bathrooms etc., to know about the drug addicts. They should be observed closely in order to find them in their earlier stages, so that they can be saved from addiction and their health will be cured at proper time.

Impact of Marijuana on Driving

Apart from the other drugs Marijuana influences a lot on the functions of the brain just like the alcohol. But it does not play a significant role in the crashes of the vehicle when compared to the alcohol. It creates a mild effect on the psychomotor skills.

According to the conclusions given by the US Department Of Transportation study: As the THC dose of Marijuana increase, the impairment of the road tracking also increases. Marijuana smoking which delivers THC up to 300 ug/kg dose also impairs slightly to maintain a constant headway.

Marijuana will result in the dangerous acts like distorted perceptions, decrement in the concentration etc. Thus the driver becomes inefficient for accomplishing the tasks in driving.

A highly potent psychoactive substance called THC is being present in the Marijuana. If a person takes Marijuana then that harmful substance enters initially into the blood stream and gets distributed and finally enters into the brain. Stimulation of the cannabinoid receptors in cell membranes of the brain is being done by the THC and other chemicals which are present in the marijuana. These receptors will change the physical and the mental activities like short term memory, coordination, psychomotor abilities.

If both the alcohol and the Marijuana are consumed at a time then their effect will be much more devastating. Effect of Marijuana smoking will be lost within 24 hours. Irregular responses towards sights and sounds are being observed after the consumption of the Marijuana. It adversely affects the hand and the eye coordination.

Although the driving process is a usual and regular process, drug abuse has a lot of impact on driving.

Street Names Of Prescription Drugs Which Are Abused

As drug abuse or selling of illegal drugs is illegal, people call different drugs with their street names. Few street names of most common prescription drugs are:

Depressants

• Barbiturates: barbs, reds, red birds, phennies, tooies, yellows, yellow jackets
• Benzodiazepines (except flunitrazepam): candy, downers, sleeping pills, tranks
• Flunitrazepam: faorget-me pill, Mexican Valium, R2, Roche, roofies, roofinol, rope, rophies

Opioids and Morphine Derivatives

• Codeine: Captain Cody, Cody, schoolboy; (when mixedwith glutethimide) doors and fours, loads, pancakes and syrup
• Fentanyl: Apache, China girl, China white, dance fever, friend, goodfella, jackpot, murder 8, TNT, Tango and Cash
• Morphine: M, Miss Emma, monkey, white stuff
• Opium: big O, black stuff, block, gum, hop
• Other opioid pain relievers (oxycodone, meperidine, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, propoxyphene): oxy 80s, oxycotton, oxycet, hillbilly heroin, percs ,demmies, pain killer, juice, dillies

Stimulants

• Amphetamines: bennies, black beauties, crosses, hearts, LA turnaround, speed, truck drivers, uppers
• Cocaine: blow, bump, C, candy, Charlie, coke, crack, flake, rock, snow, toot
• Methamphetamine: chalk, crank, crystal, fire, glass, go fast, ice, meth, speed
• Methylphenidate : IF, MPH, R-ball, Skippy, the smart drug, vitamin R

Anabolic steroids: Roids, juice

All About Cannabis

Cannabis is the most popular drug of all recreational drugs. It is also called Marijuana, Grass, Hemp, Weed, Pot, Hash, Dope or a variety of street names. It is extracted in various forms from the Cannabis plants like Cannabis Indica or Cannabis Sativa. It is native plant to central Asia but its cultivation and use is worldwide. It has both Psychoactive and Psychedelic properties. It can be taken in many forms like smoked as leaves or flower buds or can be ground down to separate the crystallized material and then crushed into a solid, or the resin collected through contact with the sticky plant parts.

It can cause effects immediately. It can produce euphoric sensation, even if it is drunk in little amount. Depending on the method of delivery, strength and quantity of the dose, it can be mild or strong. It will not cause relaxation unless it is taken in excess with other things. It can create some mental confusion, which is generally temporary.

Laboratory Procedure Of Drug Testing

Drug testing is highly accurate and reliable when all features of the testing process are done correctly. If improper procedures or testing methods are used, the result can be very misleading and inaccurate. The three important aspects of good drug testing are strict collection procedures, proper testing procedures, and unplanned notification.

Drug testing must be done without notification. Specimen collection for drug testing should be done with proper monitoring or else there are chances for addicted person to mislead with other techniques. At first a screening test should be performed, which is very easy procedure, if the result is positive, then confirmatory test procedure should be done. The confirmatory test procedure is a sophisticated procedure and is done in laboratory using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). If the result is positive in confirmation test, then he or she is said to have abused drug. As a particular drug has particular cutoff level, the positive result of screening test is not considered final. The result must be notified as early as possible, as it becomes late, the level of drug disappears from body and he or she may claim that they do not use drug.