This document defines different types of drugs and their effects. It categorizes drugs as stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. Stimulants like nicotine, caffeine, and amphetamines speed up the nervous system. Depressants like alcohol, sedatives, and opioids slow down the nervous system. Hallucinogens like LSD, magic mushrooms, and ketamine cause hallucinations and distorted perceptions. The document provides examples of common drugs that fall into each category and describes their short-term physical and psychological effects. It also discusses emerging types of synthetic drugs designed to mimic illegal drugs.

1. DRUG
EDUCAT
IONDrugs and their effects

2. DRUGS
A DRUG IS ANY SUBSTANCE
OTHER
THAN FOOD WHICH CHANGES
THE
WAY THE BODY OR MIND
FUNCTIONS.

3. TYPES OF DRUGS
Stimulants
➤ Drugs that stimulate the central nervous system and speed up the
messages between the brain and body. Stimulants increase
alertness and awareness, as well as raise your body temperature,
heart rate and blood pressure. Stimulants can cause anxiety,
sleeplessness and even heart failure.
Examples: Nicotine, caffeine, pseudoephedrine (cold and flu tablets),
amphetamines and meth amphetamines (speed and ice)

4. Depressants
➤ Work the opposite way to stimulants, affecting the central
nervous system by slowing down activity in the brain.
Depressant slow breathing and heart rate, which can cause
you to relax. Depressants slow your reflexes and reaction
time, which can be very dangerous for certain activities such
as driving, and if taken in large doses can cause nausea,
unconsciousness and even death.
Examples: Alcohol, sedatives (sleeping tablets, GHB), cannabis,
opiates and opioids (herion, morphine and codeine)
TYPES OF DRUGS

5. Hallucinogens
➤ These are drugs that distort your sensory perceptions and can
make you see and hear things that do not exist. The effect of
hallucinogens are not easy to predict and experiences can differ
between individuals ranging from pleasant to disturbing. If you
are happy and relaxed the drug will enhance this, however if you
are anxious or depressed the drug intensifies these feelings.
Examples: Acid, magic mushrooms, mescaline, ketamine,
cannabis (has some hallucinogenic effects)
TYPES OF DRUGS

6. STIMULANTS
Nicotine
Caffeine
Pseudoephedrine (cold and flu tablets)
Amphetamines and meth amphetamines
➤ Speed
➤ Ice
➤ Ecstasy
Cocaine

7. STIMULANTS
Nicotine
➤ Nicotine is the drug that is found in tobacco and makes
cigarettes addictive. Some of the health problems
associated with nicotine are:
➤ Effects: Stained teeth, bad breath, dizziness, increased
blood pressure, heart disease, emphysema and cancer.
Caffeine
➤ Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world.
There is caffeine in coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks
like V and red bull, also in some medicines and tablets.
➤ Effects: increased alertness, improved concentration,
increased body temperature, delayed or shortened sleep.

8. STIMULANTS
Amphetamines and meth amphetamines
Amphetamines and meth amphetamines are often know as party
drugs and are taken to give the user energy or feelings of euphoria.
Can be in liquid (injectable) or most commonly tablet form
➤ Effects: increased blood pressure, increased heart rate,
decreased appetite, increased body temperature, can affect the
mood of the user dramatically
➤ Examples: Speed, ice, ecstasy
Cocaine
Usually taken by snorting or injecting, usually mixed or “cut” with
other substances.
Effects: increase in energy blood, pressure and heart rate,
talkativeness and sense of euphoria and can cause numbing of
face and nose.

9. DEPRESSANTS
Alcohol
Sedatives and Tranquillisers
➤ Sleeping tablets and prescription drugs
➤ GHB
Marijuana
Opiates and opioids
➤ Heroin
➤ Morphine
➤ Codeine

10. DEPRESSANTS
Sedatives and Tranquillisers
Drugs with a calming or sleep-inducing effect. Slow the nervous
system, often prescription drugs. Used as date-rape drugs.
➤ Effects: drowsiness, relief from anxiety, muscle relaxation,
sleepiness, a sense of being disconnected or detached from
reality, dizziness and loss of inhibitions.
➤ Examples: Valium, sleeping tablets, GHB, rophenol
Marijuana
Comes from the cannabis plant, can be smoked like a cigarette
called a joint or in bong or ingested when cooked into biscuits or
cakes.
➤ Effects: feeling happy or relaxed, laughing a lot, craving food,
paranoia, anxiety, vomiting, hallucinations, memory loss or slowed
thinking

11. DEPRESSANTS
Opiates and opioids
Drugs which come from the opium poppy. Can be smoked and
snorted, however are usually injected.
➤ Effects: a rush of pleasurable feelings/euphoria, cessation of
pain or discomfort, decreased body temperature, sleepiness,
narrowing of pupils, loss of sex drive and death if taken in large
doses. Increases risk of HIV and hep B and C due to injectable
drugs.
➤ Morphine used in hospitals for surgery
➤ Examples: Heroin, Morphine, Codeine

12. HALLUCINOGENS
Acid
Magic mushrooms
Mescaline
Ketamine
Cannabis (has some hallucinogenic effects)

13. HALLUCINOGENS
Acid or LSD
Very powerful hallucinogenic drug which changes sensory perception
and causes the user to have vivid delusions. Comes in the form of
“tabs”, paper-soaked in LSD, tablets, powered and liquid
Effects: hallucinations and distorted perception, loss of appetite,
dizziness, increase in heart rate, blood pressure and body
temperature, agitation and sleeplessness
Magic mushrooms
A variation of mushrooms which contain psilocybin a strong
hallucinogenic drug. Usually eaten but can be cooked into food or
brewed in tea. Very
Effects: hallucinations and distorted perception, loss of appetite,
dizziness, increase in heart rate, blood pressure and body
temperature, numbness

14. HALLUCINOGENS
Mescaline or Peyote
Peyote, a small cactus found in parts of the desert in the Mexico region can cause
hallucinogenic effects when chewed or boiled into a tea.
➤ Effects: hallucinations and distorted perception,Synesthesia: perception of seeing
music or hearing colours, altered space and time perception, joy, exhilaration, panic,
extreme anxiety, or terror.
Ketamine
Ketamine is used by medical practitioners and veterinarians as an anaesthetic. It is
sometimes used illegally by people to get ‘high’. When it’s sold illegally, ketamine
usually comes as a white crystalline powder. It can also be made into tablets and pills,
or dissolved in a liquid.
➤ Effects: It can produce hallucinogenic effects, causing a person to see, hear, smell,
feel or taste things that aren’t really there or are different from how they are in reality.

15. Synthetic Drugs
Synthetic drugs are relatively new and are
designed to mimic/copy effects of many illicit
drugs. This means many can be marketed
and purchased as ‘legal’, safe and
acceptable alternatives to illicit drugs.
However, the effects are unknown to the user
and their safety is questionable as they have
been linked to the deaths of many young
people.
The three most common types of synthetic
drugs are:
• ‘herbal highs’ or ‘party pills’
• synthetic cannabinoids
• research chemicals and drug analogues.