- Ketamine Ketamine is known as Vitamin K, K, Kit Kat, Keller, Super Acid and Super C, an anesthetic commonly used on animals and humans. Ketamine can be injected, smoked, snorted or consumed in drinks. It is a powder that is usually snorted, but is sometimes sprinkled on tobacco or marijuana and smoked. Special K is frequently used in combination with other drugs such as ecstasy, heroin or cocaine. Ketamine in a dose of 25-100 mg can cause psychedelic effects, lasting from 1 to 5 hours. CRITICAL POINT: Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic developed in 1963 to replace PCP and currently used in human anesthesia and veterinary medicine. Much of the ketamine sold on the street has been diverted from veterinarians' offices. Ketamine's chemical structure and mechanism of action are similar to those of PCP. Most people snort small lines or “bumps” for mild, dreamy effects. The effect occurs within approximately 5 to 10 minutes. One hundred milligrams is usually enough to enter a K-hole…a feeling of astral projection. I will explain what a K-hole experience is in more detail in a moment. If liquid is injected into the muscle, less is needed to enter a K-hole. The effects can be felt within four minutes. Ketamine is never injected into the vein, but rather skin-popped. If swallowed, the latency period is between 10 to 20 minutes. Some people become nauseated after taking Ketamine. CRITICAL POINT: Although it is manufactured as an injectable liquid, in illicit use ketamine is generally evaporated to form a powder. At low doses it has a mild, dreamy feeling similar to nitrous oxide. The user feels floaty and slightly outside his body. Numbness in the extremities is also common. Low doses of Ketamine can also increase heart rate and blood pressure. Higher doses can depress consciousness and respiratory function. In other words, the stuff can kill you if you do it just right. It probably goes without saying that it is extremely dangerous to combine Ketamine with downers like alcohol, Valium or GHB. High dosages can also produce a hallucinogenic “tripping” effect and may cause the user to experience a type of astral projection where he feels
detached from his body. This experience is often referred to as entering a “K-hole” and has been compared to a near death experience with sensations of rising above one’s body. Many users find the experience spiritually significant, while others find it frightening as hell. In a K-hole, it is very difficult to move. The user may even experience a type of catalepsy. People usually remain seated or lying down during the experience. CRITICAL POINT: Ketamine can cause dream-like states and hallucinations. Users report sensations ranging from a pleasant feeling of floating to being separated from their bodies. Some ketamine experiences involve a terrifying feeling of almost complete sensory detachment that is likened to a near-death experience. These experiences, similar to a "bad trip" on LSD, are called the "K-hole." CRITICAL POINT: Low-dose intoxication from ketamine results in impaired attention, learning ability, and memory. In high doses, ketamine can cause delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure, depression, and potentially fatal respiratory problems.
The street term database contains over 2,300 slang names that refer to specific drug types or drug activity. Most slang names are related to their geographical locations. The more common slang names for Ketamine are: Green K, Honey Oil, Jet, Jet, Kit Kat, Purple, Special La Coke, Super acid and Super C. Teenagers and young adults represent the majority of Ketamine users. Ketamine comes in a clear liquid and white or off white powder form. The price ranges from $20 to $25 per unit dosage.
- Belladonna (Atropa belladonna) Belladonna comes from the root, leaves and top of the Atropa belladonna plant. It is well known as a highly poisonous species capable of inducing various kinds of hallucinations. The so called witches of medieval Europe used belladonna in their brews and ointments. Hence, its slang name is the Witch’s Brew. The drug is a major part of European folklore and mythology. The legends and myths are based mostly on the fear that people have of drug’s deadly power. The plants also grow berries that ripen in September. These berries are very poisonous to humans and meat eating animals. The berries are full of dark, inky juice and are very sweet. The berries resemble small cherries and are very attractive to the eye. Consequently, they are still often accidentally eaten with resultant poisoning. The name belladonna, which means “beautiful lady” in
Italian, comes from a custom practiced by high society Italian women during medieval times. The women would crush the berries and put the juice of the berry into the eye in order to dilate the pupil. Their pupils would dilate tremendously, giving them a kind of drunken or glassy stare. It was a look that men of the time considered erotic and sensual. Belladonna primarily grows over Central and Southern Europe and is extremely common in England. Until the 19th century, commercial collection was primarily from sources growing wild in the aforementioned countries, but since that time, cultivation has been initiated in the United States, Europe and India, where it is an important source of medicinal drugs. CRITICAL POINT: Belladonna is one of the most toxic plants found in the Western hemisphere. All parts of the plant contain tropane alkaloids. The berries pose the greatest danger to children because they look attractive and have a somewhat sweet taste. The consumption of two to five berries by children and ten to twenty berries by adults can be lethal. The root of the plant is generally the most toxic part. Ingestion of a single leaf of the plant can be fatal to an adult. Belladonna is used to treat spasms of the gastrointestinal tract and bladder. It also helps to treat the feeling of nausea, due to motion sickness, vomiting, menstrual cramping and reduces frequent urination at nighttime. It can treat many other effects in the body when used in very small doses and with other drugs. Belladonna is commonly used by optometrist prior to eye examinations. The drug is put into a liquid form to help dilate the pupils. Of course, optometrist got the idea from the Italian women. Belladonna can be used internally through injections and externally through a topical treatment for the skin. CRITICAL POINT: Atropa belladonna, along with related plants such as jimson weed), have occasionally been used as a recreational drug because of the vivid hallucinations and delirium that it produces. These hallucinations are most commonly described as very unpleasant, however, and recreational use is considered extremely dangerous because of the high risk of unintentional fatal overdose Some of the serious side effects of belladonna are allergic reaction, which can result in the swelling of the lips, tongue and face, closing of the throat, difficulty breathing and hives. Other serious side effects may be a fast heart rate, pain in the eyes or a rash may occur. This drug can cause an overdose effect in people who take high doses. Warning signs of an overdose is the inability to focus, hallucination, and the person may experience a panic attack. There is no evidence that belladonna is physically or mentally addictive, but it does develop a rapid tolerance. Belladonna has many nicknames. Some of the nicknames are: Devil’s Cherries, Naughty Man’s Cherries, Devil’s Herb, Nightshade, Dwaleberry and Black Cherry.
- Amyl Nitrate Amyl nitrate is a rather mild hallucinogen that is commonly used by athletes, more specifically strength athletes, in order to get a rush before competing. It is a synthetic drug that can be legally obtained over the counter. It is usually manufactured in a small mesh covered ampoule that is popped or snapped to release the vapors. It is also sold in small bottles in “head shops” or in special stores advertised as a room
odorizer or liquid incense. It has a reputation of being used by the homosexual population as a muscle relaxer and a vasodilating agent to enhance orgasm. One of the major characteristics of amyl nitrate is that it can alter the perception of time significantly. You are here one second and the next thing you know you are over there…and you don’t know how you got there. Remember what Bill Russell said about drugs…he wanted to see time at its real pace. This is what he was talking about. CRITICAL POINT Poppers (Amyl nitrate) are commonly sold in clubs, joke and sex shops. They are often used to heighten sexual arousal. The drug is popular amongst the gay community, but is also used by young people at clubs and raves. The latency period of amyl nitrate is very short, about 30 seconds at the most and the duration of action is about 5 minutes. The drug has not been shown to be physically or mentally addictive. Side effects are headaches, flushing of the face, decrease in blood pressure, increased pulse, dizziness, relaxation of involuntary muscles especially the blood vessel walls and the anal sphincter. It is not easy, but you can overdose with amyl nitrate. CRITICAL POINT: The effects are immediate, within 30-40 seconds, but last only a few minutes. Face flushes, head and neck perspire. Blood pressure is reduced and heart rate accelerates which produces a rushing sensation. Some people experience headaches and nausea. The effects last from 30 sec. to 5 minutes. The symptoms of an overdose are nausea, vomiting, decreased blood pressure and respiration, fainting and coldness of the skin. It is possible to experience circulatory collapse and death, but this would be extremely rare and more indicative of an individual with prior cardiovascular problems. The street names for amyl nitrate are: Bullet, Jac Blaster, Hard-on, Aroma of Man, Locker Room and Rush. It is relatively inexpensive and can be purchased for as little a $2 a bottle or $.25 per ampoule.
- Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) Peyote is a small, spineless cactus, Lophophora williamsii, whose principal active ingredient is mescaline. Mescaline is the active ingredient which is primarily responsible for producing the hallucinations that occur when peyote is either eaten or smoked. The top of the cactus that is above ground, referred to as the crown, consists of disc shaped buttons that are cut from the roots and dried. Generally, the buttons are chewed or soaked in water to produce an intoxicating liquid. From earliest recorded time, natives in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States have used
peyote as a part of their religious rites. Peyote produces rich visual hallucinations which are very important to the native peyote cults. They use the hallucinations produced by peyote as a gateway or transcendence to the spiritual world. Peyote is also smoked in peace pipes. CRITICAL POINT: Peyote is a small, spineless cactus, Lophophora williamsii, whose principal active ingredient is the hallucinogen mescaline. Mescaline can be extracted from peyote or produced synthetically. Do you remember the movie A Man Called Horse with Richard Harris? An Indian tribe captured him and used him as a horse to plow the fields and carry bundles. While in captivity, he saved the entire reservation from an invading enemy. As a reward, they made him a member of the tribe. However, before he became a member, he had to go through a brutal initiation. If you have seen the move, I am sure you will recall what they did to him. First, they had him smoke a peace pipe. Then, they drove spikes through his chest and raised him high in the air by ropes that were tied to the spikes. In other words, they had him hanging in mid air by his chest…OUCH! The whole time he was hanging there he was hallucinating about all these wonderful things…animals, landscapes, mountains, etc. Obviously, it was the peyote that was causing the hallucinations, and made what surely would have been a painful experience a rather extraordinary one. Isn’t Peyote wonderful? CRITICAL POINT: Peyote is reported to trigger states of "deep introspection and insight" that have been described as being of a metaphysical nature. At times, these can be accompanied by rich visual or auditory effects. Natives in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States have used peyote as a part of their religious rites. As mentioned, the active ingredient in peyote, mescaline, can be extracted from peyote or produced synthetically. The hallucinogenic dose of mescaline is about 0.3 to 0.5 grams and lasts about 12 hours. Mescaline is sold on the streets under the names of Mesc and Buttons. It has a foul taste that causes nausea and vomiting. Its side effects provoke pupil dilation, dizziness, vomiting, tachycardia, sensations of warm and cold, sweating and headaches. The synthetically produced brand names for mescaline are Big Chief and Mescal. The visions and hallucinations brought about by the effects of mescaline can cause nightmares that can induce some psychosis in the users. Other possible effects include illusions, poor perception of time and distance, impaired hand-eye coordination, chills and sweating. Sleeplessness and increased heart rate and blood pressure are also common symptoms of mescaline use. Both peyote and mescaline are listed in the CSA as Schedule I hallucinogens.
CRITICAL POINT: Some users experience "flashbacks", or hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD), which are reoccurrences of hallucinations long after ingesting the drug. The causes of these effects, which in some users occur after a single experience with the drug, are not known.
- Nitrous Oxide When I was a little boy, my mother would take me to the dentist to get my teeth checked. I loved going to the dentist and what I loved even more was when he would find that I had a cavity. That’s right, I loved having cavities too. My dentist would sit me in his comfortable dentist chair and he would put this respirator over my nose and mouth. Then, he would say, “I want you to breathe in deeply and look into the light over your head and in a little while you are going to see Bugs Bunny and all of his friends up there.” Sure enough, in a few seconds I would see Bugs, Goofy, Elmer and all of the other crazy little characters that Bugs hung out with. Best yet, I would feel soooooo good watching Bugs kick the hell out of all his little buddies. I hated when I had to leave. Naturally, I started eating all the candy I could get my hands on, trying my best to develop as many cavities as I could so I would go back and visit Bugs and the boys. CRITICAL POINT: It is known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects of inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational use as a dissociative hallucinogenic. As you probably guessed, what my dentist was giving me was nitrous oxide. Years later, according to the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, over 85% of pediatric dentists used nitrous oxide as a general anesthesia. The English Chemist Sir Hemphrey Davy first synthesized it in 1776, but it wasn’t until the early 1800s that it was used medically in America. There are four levels of general anesthesia associated with nitrous oxide. The first stage is drowsiness, confusion and analgesia. The second stage involves excitement, euphoria, spontaneous muscle movements and hallucinations (auditory and visual). The third stage is a loss of consciousness and the fourth stage is an inhibition of the medulla oblongata. You know what that means…an inhibition of cardiorespiratory function and possible death. Anesthetists generally aim for the upper stage three…the Bugs Bunny stage. CRITICAL POINT: If pure nitrous oxide is inhaled for a period of two or three minutes, anoxia (lack of oxygen) can occur. This can lead to brain damage, heart failure and even death. Dentists who use nitrous oxide use a mixture that contains forty percent oxygen. However, it is not uncommon for people on the streets who are looking for a “high” to inhale pure nitrous oxide. Naturally, the greatest danger to using the drug is the concentration in which it is taken. If pure nitrous oxide is inhaled for a period of two or three minutes, anoxia (lack of oxygen) can occur. This can lead to brain damage, heart failure and even death. The symptoms of anoxia are readily noticeable even by onlookers. The nitrous oxide inhaler will turn blue (cyanotic), his muscles will twitch and his breathing
will increase significantly as will the depth of his respiration. He will also experience a rise in blood pressure. Of course, if his respiration becomes shallow or stops, he has just passed Disneyland and is heading for Never Never Land. Once he gets to that point, immediate resuscitation measures need to be taken. As mentioned, nitrous oxide is an inhalant and is commonly called laughing gas by the general public. On the streets, it is commonly referred to as Hippie Crack N2O. In low dosages, with infrequent use and accompanied by oxygen inhalation nitrous oxide is fairly safe. It might also be noted that it is not physically or mentally addictive. The real problem with the drug presents itself when the drug is inhaled in its pure form without medical supervision.
- Marijuana Marijuana is a hallucinogen commonly referred to as Grass, Weed, Pot and a few million other things. The word marijuana is derived from the Portuguese word mariguango, which means “intoxicant.� It consists of the dried and crushed leaves, flowers, stems and seeds of the Cannabis sativa plant. Delta 9 Tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) is the active ingredient in the plant. The growing conditions and climate play a vital role in the amount of tetrahydrocannibinol (THC) that is contained in the plant. Warm, moist climates such as those found in Panama or Colombia are extremely conducive for growing marijuana. The climate in the United States is obviously not the best for growing a high grade of marijuana. However, it should be noted that the Cannabis sativa plant can be grown in artificial climates produced in clandestine green houses throughout the States. Not only can the plant be produced, but also it can be altered in order to increase the THC level of the plant. In fact, marijuana produced in these artificial environments is much more potent than that derived from the Cannabis plants grown in Panama or Columbia. Obviously, the goal of these clandestine labs is to produce a plant with the greatest concentration of THC. Need I say that the greater the potency of the plant, the more money that can be charged for it.? Also, because of the success of these labs in producing a plant with a high grade of THC, illicit drug distributors in the States do not have to depend on foreign made imports to get their marijuana. CRITICAL POINT: Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the active ingredient in marijuana. With that being said, there are still a number of preparations of Cannabis with the strength of the drug depending upon the THC level of the plant. In the United States, the weakest and most widely sold marijuana is Weed. Preparation for weed is derived from the tops of uncultivated flowering shoots. This is the primary marijuana that is used in the States. It is extremely weak compared to the marijuana produced in Panama or Colombia and is extremely weak compared to what is grown in the clandestine labs in the States. It is usually olive green in color. The marijuana coming out of Panama is clay like red and is called Panama Red. Columbian marijuana is dark brown and Acapulco Gold, which is a real ass kicker, is yellow in color. All of these foreign grades of marijuana are much stronger than the marijuana grown in the States, with the exclusion of lab grown marijuana. The Cannabis used in the preparation of bhang in India is of similar potency to American produced marijuana. In order to produce a Cannabis product with
greater potency than bhang, the small leaves and resinous material are treated in such a manner that one solid mass is formed…this preparation is called ganja by the Indians. The most potent source of THC is the pure resinous which is carefully removed from the leaves of the plant. This gummy substance is called charas in India, but it is called hashish in the States. It is 5 to 10 times more potent than marijuana. Hashish usually has 5% to 20% more THC than marijuana. The resinous hardens into little brown lumps. Generally, the darker the color is, the greater the potency. Liquid hashish, called hash oil, has between 20% and 70% THC. Hash oil is formed by separating the resin from the Cannabis plant, boiling it in alcohol and mixing it with cigarette tobacco. It is smoked. CRITICAL POINT: The most potent source of THC is the pure resinous which is carefully removed from the leaves of the plant. This gummy substance is called called hashish in the States. Blue Sky Blond, a recently developed hybrid that grows in the higher altitudes of Colombia, is probably the most powerful grade of marijuana, although the Santa Marta Gold, the most famous line of Colombian marijuana, is just about as potent. You probably don’t need me to tell you this, but marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported in a nationwide study conducted in 2001 that roughly 42% of students grades 9-12 had tried marijuana at some time in their lifetimes. Use of marijuana is almost three times greater than inhalants (15%), the second most frequently used drugs and four times greater than methamphetamines (10%) and cocaine (9%), which round out the top four most frequently used drugs. Also, according to research, over 70% of the American population has experimented with marijuana and 40% use it periodically. Even President Clinton smoked it. Of course, he didn’t inhale…and donkeys can fly. CRITICAL POINT: Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. Although the popularity of certain drugs can vary from city to city and even among sections of the same city, marijuana remains the drug of choice among illicit drug users throughout the country. There are a number of reasons for marijuana’s popularity. First of all, it is relatively inexpensive. A bag of weed can be obtained for as little as thirty dollars. It is also easily procured. Since marijuana is readily produced in large quantities right here in the States, there is never a shortage of the drug on the black market. In short, it’s cheap and easy to get on the streets. Marijuana can be prepared for consumption in a variety of ways. It can be brewed in tea, baked into brownies or cooked into pound cakes called “space cakes.” Occasionally, marijuana is smoked in pipes using either a conventional tobacco pipe or a water pipe generally referred to as a bong. Typically, it is rolled into a cigarette called a joint and smoked.
Since marijuana is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream, it has a very short latency period. Therefore, the acute effects of the drug can be felt only seconds after smoking begins and last approximately three hours. Interestingly, although marijuana is classified as a mild hallucinogenic, it is an extremely enigmatic drug in that it can affect different people in different ways. This is probably due to the different grades of THC preparation. The more powerful grades of THC may very well produce hallucinogenic effects. However, the lower potency among Cannabis preparations is more likely to produce a sedative hypnotic effect, much like that of alcohol. In general, the effects include a slight increase in heart rate and blood pressure, bronchodilation, cornea dilation, which causes reddening of the eyes and dryness of the throat and mouth. There is also this phenomenon referred to as “munchies� in which the people under the influence of marijuana experience extreme hunger. As you might have expected, the THC stimulates the hypothalamic-feeding center, which causes the person to have a veracious appetite. Veracious appetite might even be understating the effects that marijuana has on appetite. When someone experiences the munchies, he will eat anything that is not moving. I am telling you, if they ever legalize marijuana, I am going to buy a grocery store and when someone comes into the store, I am going to give him free marijuana and let him shop. Most likely he will buy everything in the store and eat half of it before he even gets out of the door. CRITICAL POINT: Although marijuana is classified as a mild hallucinogenic, it is an extremely enigmatic drug in that it can affect different people in different ways. The acute psychological effects are influenced not only by the dose of the drug, but also by mindset and the environmental setting. In low dosages, the user may develop feelings of hilarity, where everything seems funny. This is generally followed by a mood of carefree relaxation, sleepiness and mild euphoria. In larger doses, it can bring about hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, disorientation and confusion similar to those conditions brought on by small doses of LSD or mescaline. In very large doses, it can produce vomiting, chills and fevers. Although there is conflicting evidence as to whether marijuana causes physical dependence, there is little doubt that the drug is extremely habituating. In truth, there is little doubt that users of Cannabis develop a strong psychological desire to continue using the drug and that desire for many makes the drug difficult to quit. Most experts view the difficulty in quitting as a psychosocial problem and not as an inevitable physical consequence of marijuana use. Still, this strong desire to use the drug has led to
perhaps the most serious effect of chronic marijuana use…that is a phenomenon referred to as amotivational syndrome. Amotivational syndrome refers to a belief that chronic usage of marijuana causes a lack of motivation and productivity. The behavior patterns characterized by amotivational syndrome are apathy, poor short term memory, difficulty concentrating and a lingering disinterest in pursuing goals. Although there is some evidence of this behavior in people who are stoned all the time, there is no concrete evidence to support the amotivational syndrome among moderate marijuana users. However, there is considerable evidence that has revealed that chronic users have lower grades in school, are absent more often, are not likely to complete assignments and have higher school dropout rate. It should be noted that, although the effects of marijuana per se are somewhat responsible for creating this amotivational syndrome, other factors must be considered. In reality, marijuana use and marijuana users may be confounding variables. For instance, is it the lack of motivation caused by the drug itself or is it that poorly motivated people tend to use the drug?
∞ DRUGS in Perspective ∞ __________________________________________________________________
From the book Treading with Demons…Walking with Angels A Marijuana Trip...The Experience. When we got to the cornfield, we drove down an irrigation ditch to an old pump house, and we parked in the field. Back home the corn grows 7 to 8 feet tall, so you can park in the fields there and be completely hidden. We lit up a joint and smoked it. At first, I really didn’t get much out of it. I guess because I was having trouble getting it into my system. Like I said, I had never smoked dope, and I really didn’t know how to inhale it. Marijuana is a really harsh drug, and it is hard to inhale if you are not use to it. Consequently, I was coughing most of the drug off when I tried to inhale it, which really amused my friends. After a while, though, I started getting the hang of it, and then all of a sudden I got this magnificent buzz. It was incredible. I actually felt a type of transcendence, closeness to my friends, and a type of spiritual bonding with them. I mean I felt like these guys were a part of my very cosmic existence or some shit like that. It was as though I had an ethereal covenant with them, like they were a part of me. It was crazy. Even more profound was that all the hate and anger that I had been carrying around in my heart for God knows how long just seemed to vanish. For once, I felt very good about myself. It was like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. Then the next thing I knew I was laughing uncontrollably. Everything seemed to be funny. I couldn’t stop laughing. Someone would say something stupid like “Look at that corn,” and we would all fall over laughing. It was great! Of course, we kept smoking until we used up all of the dope. We smoked more than a bowl of that shit. I was stoned out of my mind, and I loved every second of it. I didn’t want the feeling to ever stop. Then we all started getting hungry, so we drove to this minimart and stole the place blind. We were just grabbing food off the shelves and stuffing it in our pants and jackets and all the time we were laughing like hell. I don’t know how we didn’t get caught. I really think the guy knew we were stealing stuff. He was just too afraid to say anything, or he just didn’t care because it really wasn’t his store. We walked out of there with enough groceries for a week. I didn’t even get out of the front door when I started eating the food I had stolen. I had an out of control craving for food. It was like I had a mindless compulsion or maybe a better term would be an irrepressible urge to eat. Drug users call it the munchies. I downed a pint of ice cream and a big bag of chips in less than ten minutes. I am serious. I couldn’t get enough to eat and everything I ate tasted great. Food never tasted so good to me. After that, alcohol was no longer an issue. I didn’t want to drink or fight any more. All I wanted to do was get stoned, laugh, and have fun. Now, I know most people will tell you that marijuana is not addictive, and I know that many research studies report the same thing. They say you can smoke dope until the cows come home, and you are not going to get addicted to the stuff. Well, that is not the way it was for me. I got addicted to the stuff the second I took it. Maybe it was just psychological addiction or habituation as they call it. All I know is that after that first time I craved getting high. I thought about weed like other guys thought about sex. I wanted it constantly. My life’s quest became to feed the need. Getting high became the entire focal point of my life. I feel pathetic having to say that, but it is the absolute truth. The problem was I didn’t have money, and as I said, you couldn’t steal the stuff at the local Seven-Eleven, so I had to start stealing again. I would go out and steal televisions and radios and then trade them for weed.
CRITICAL POINT: Amotivational syndrome refers to a belief that chronic usage of marijuana causes a lack of motivation and productivity. The behavior patterns characterized by amotivational syndrome are apathy, poor short-term memory, difficulty concentrating and a lingering disinterest in pursuing goals.
Marijuana is also considered a “gateway” drug, meaning that its use can lead to taking other more powerful illicit drugs like cocaine, crack and heroin. It is not so much that the drug per se leads to taking harder drugs, but rather the use of a gateway drug serves to introduce the user into the drug culture where harder drugs can be found. It should be noted that although this theory sounds plausible, it has never been documented by scientific study. There are other issues to be considered too. The use of marijuana has been found to impact the ability of individuals to drive safely. In a study conducted by the National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA), researchers found that marijuana impairs driving related functions such as balance, coordination, eye-hand coordination and reaction time. It also impairs sensory perception, glare recovery and critical thinking skills making safe driving very difficult if not impossible. According to a recent study by the NIDA, marijuana was implicated in almost half of accidents involving drivers under the age of 30. A compounding problem is the use of marijuana and alcohol together. NIDA researchers point out that a large number of people who test positive for alcohol also test positive for THC, which makes it difficult to determine the actual role each drug plays in motor vehicle crashes. CRITICAL POINT: Marijuana is also considered a “gateway” drug, meaning that its use can lead to taking other more powerful illicit drugs like cocaine, crack and heroin. There are some good things to say about Cannabis too. Medically speaking, scientific evidence suggests that the marijuana might be particularly effective against certain diseases. For instance, it has been found that marijuana can be used against diseases caused by tension, high blood pressure, menstrual bleeding and glaucoma (a buildup of pressure within the eyeball). It has also been successfully used in treating anorexia associated with weight loss in AIDS patients. In addition, it has been used to prevent convulsions, treat asthma and relieve the symptoms of alcohol, opiate or barbiturate withdrawal. Perhaps, its most important use is in helping relieve nausea that cancer patients often experience when given chemotherapy. Currently, Marinol is the only prescription medication containing THC on the American market. Although marijuana has been used to treat several health conditions, a polarization of ideology has occurred even within the medical profession. Some individuals feel that marijuana is an excellent medication for treating certain medical conditions while others
feel that its use will lead to even more medical quandary. Oftentimes, the issue of using marijuana in medicine becomes a political debate as well as a health debate. Without question, both medicine and politics will judge the ultimate decision regarding the medicinal use of marijuana. Anyhow, some of the more common slang names for marijuana include Bud, Bhang, Ganja, Dope, Reefer, Goof butt, Grass, Hash, Hay, Herb, Jive, Pot, Rope, Stinkweed, Stuff, Tea, Weed, Mary Jane, Wacky Tobaccky, Whack, Dagga, Nugget, Hemp, Cannabis and Maui Waui.