Essay/Term paper: Drugs: how danagerous is it?

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Alcohol and Drugs

Drugs: How Danagerous Is It?


Drugs have infiltrated our cities, our towns and our lives. Though a small
percentage of people use drugs, they do attempt to spread their plague among
others. But, how dangerous are these mind suppressors? Do they kill like the
statistics show, or is it a coverup to stop people from having a good time?
Even in Franklin County, there are drugs. How bad is the problem? It is worse
then most people think, but what can we do about it? Can we do anything about
it?
Marijuana is the drug of choice among most addicts. It is provided cheap
and is easily available. Overdosing it on this drug is not possible, or at
least dying of an overdose, thus making it seem safe. The high is described as
a rush of calmness and relaxation. People under the influence feel relaxed and
as if their problems are gone. The most common method of doing this drug is
smoking it. The leafy plant is dried and smoked in a joint, or a rolled
cigarette with a paper mouth piece. It can also be smoked in a bong, or pipe.
Another method is eating the leaves of the plant. They must be cooked in some
sort of fat. Marijuana is fat soluble, and for the reason, must be cooked in
butter, lard, milk, or other substance. A new method is being tested. It
includes "baking" the marijuana under a flame without burning it. It is nearly
the same as smoking it, but there is no smoke, which may limit the chance of
lung cancer. Yet is this drug safe? No. The short term effects, besides the
calmness are the following: temporary memory loss, rapid heart beat, and
dizziness. The long term effects include the following: Lung cancer, heart
problems, and immune system disorders. The equivalent of one joint is four
cigarettes, or ten seconds of car exhaust. No one sees the dangers of this drug,
and they usually do not care about them, making it even more dangerous.
LSD, or acid, is a synthetic drug that was originally found on the skin of
a mushroom. This is considered a psychedelic drug. It is very cheap, usually
$4 - $5 a trip. A trip usually consists of 500-600 "mics" of acid. It can be
made from morning glory, wood petroleum and other chemicals. The high is very
interesting. It is described as non-real. It brings reality and imagination
together in a utopia of relaxation. This may sound good, but people tripping on
acid do not realized what they are doing and could jump out of buildings or
moving cars and think they will live. LSD is usually taken by licking a piece
of paper with a drop of the acid on it. Another method is by dropping a small
drop of the liquid acid under the tongue. The short term effects include the
high, but also include a rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, and memory loss.
Long term effects include relapses of the high, days, weeks, or years after last
using the drug. Brain damage also occurs, for LSD is a mind-altering drug. The
high of this is so wonderful to people, that they do not realize what could
happen to them in the future. It is possible to overdose on this drug, but
deaths are usually nonexistent.
Heroin is a very dangerous drug. It is an opiate drug, acquired from the
poppy plant. Opium was first discovered in the 1800's and people became
addicted in the 1860's. About 95% of the people then, were addicted to it. Now,
heroin takes its place. The high is described as relaxing, like the rest of the
previous drugs. People who first use it, sometimes fall asleep while high.
Heroin is usually done by needle injection. It can be smoke, however. It is
prepared by heating it on a spoon and placing the liquid in a needle for
injecting. Heroin is usually not very pure. This can make in incredibly
dangerous because if one is used to the non-pure heroin and then gets purer
heroin, he or she can easily overdose, killing them. Also, because this is
injected by a needle, heroin can pass diseases, including AIDS. Short term
effects include the following: quick addiction, quick tolerance, depression,
and blurred vision. Long term effects include the following: depression, vein
disorders. The fact that you can die of an overdose makes heroin very dangerous.
People who use marijuana and want something better, try heroin once or twice
and are addicted.
Cocaine is a drug made from the leaves of the coca plant. Cocaine is the
same kind of drug as morphine and nicotine, thus the "-ine" endings. These
drugs are extemely addictive. Cocaine is found in the form of a white powder.
It is sometimes mixed with other substances such as cornstarch or sugar. It is
expensive, but because of the addiction, people do anything to get it. This has
made another problem, drug violence. People kill people for cocaine or cocaine
money. The drug was originally injected. One of the affects was bulging of the
veins in the nose. This led to the discovery of sniffing, or snorting cocaine.
It can also be smoke, if it is prepared in a certain way. The high is described
as mind racing. It makes you feel as if everything is moving very fast. People
often cannot talk correctly and are very spastic. They often do stupid things.
Short term effects include the following: very rapid heart rate and high blood
pressure, confusion, violence, difficultly in talking and other thing. Long
term effects include, heart problems, liver problems, brain damage, stuttering,
and the destruction of the separation between the nostrils. You can overdose on
the drug and die. People use this drug because they are addicted. This drug is
by far the most dangerous of the popular drugs. They often link it to violence
and gangs.
The drug problem in Franklin County isn't as large as in cities, but is
existent. People use drugs, mainly because of peer pressure. Most people would
not agree with this, but it is true. Ignorance is a major player in the drug
problem. People don't realize HOW dangerous it is. If all people understood
the information in this report, the problem could go decrease. It was stated
that if marijuana was legalized, the drug problem would cease. This does have
some truth to it, but most people say that marijuana leads to other drugs, but
studies show that approximately 5% of people who try marijuana try other drugs.
Marijuana does not lead to other drugs. However, this does not nullify the fact
that marijuana kills people. It does it with the same potency of cigarettes.
This is due to the fact that people do not smoke 40 joints a day, like some
cigarette smokers, they smoke about two joints a week. But, there is not excuse
for other "hard drugs" like LSD, heroin and cocaine. People need to learn what
they are doing to themselves; that is the key to solving the drug problem.