Dr. Chamendra Ranasinghe presented information on drug addiction and its consequences over 25 slides. The document discusses how drug addiction affects the brain and behavior, outlines the phases of drug addiction from experimentation to regular use, and examines the medical, social, economic, and legal impacts of drug addiction at both individual and community levels. It also addresses myths about addiction and recovery, risk factors for youth, and the importance of treatment programs, education, legislation, and community support in preventing and addressing drug abuse issues.

1. Dr. Chamendra Ranasinghe
Senior Superintendent of Police
MBBS, MSc ( Med. Admin), PGD in Health Development &
Dip. In Occupational health
Mail: chamendra1009@gmail.com
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Drug addiction &
Its Consequences

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PET SCAN: The right scan is the brain of an individual with chronic cocaine use disorder. Compared to the control
on the left, the PET image on the right has less red, indicating that the brain of the individual with cocaine use
disorder has less glucose and is less active. Lower activity in the brain disrupts many of the brain's normal
functions. (Recovery research Institute USA)
Control On Cocaine
Addiction is a disease
that affects both the
Brain and Behavior

3. Addiction
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• Chronic
• Relapsing
• Brain disease
• Compulsive
• Long-lasting
• Harmful behaviors

4. Why people take drugs?
• Pleasure
• Feeling better
• Better performance, eg. athletics
• Curiosity
• Experimenting
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5. How drugs control them?
• Initially positive effects.
• Believe that they can control their use.
• Can quickly take over a person’s life.
• Later pleasurable activities become less pleasurable.
• Compulsively seek and take drugs
• Later start to take higher or more frequent doses,
• Initial decision to take drugs is voluntary.
• Later ability to exert self-control can become
seriously impaired.
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6. Factors increase the drug addiction
1. Home and Family: If not smooth
2. Peer and School: Social background
3. Community: availability & in the community increasing
number of pushers.
4. Media: Over sensationalization
5. Psychological & Mental Disorders: Low self-esteem,
freedom seekers, Escape from reality, Attention seeker.
6. Early Use: the earlier a person begins to use drugs, the
more likely he or she is to develop serious problems.
7. Method of Administration: Smoking or injecting
increases its addictive potential. Intense “high” can fade
within a few minutes, and drives the person to repeat.
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7. Phases of drug addiction
1. Experimentation phase - A new user tries to
use drug once and often produces a negative
result which makes the user not to try again.
2. Occasional use - The user only uses drugs when
he is with his friends so he wont be out of place.
3. Regular use - In this stage, the user is actively
seeks the drug of abuse of his choice. He always
carves for drugs. He uses drugs often time.
Obviously, can’t live without using drug.
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8. Sign & Symptoms
• Secretive
• Wants to be alone
• Change in dress and appearance
• Change in interests and activities
• Losing or gaining of weight
• Physically hurting people
• Rebellious or offensive behavior
• Absent-minded
• Avoiding the issue of drug abuse when
asked about it.
• Possession of illegal drugs in his room
• Needle marks on his arms
• Spending time with known drug users
• Defending teen use of drugs
• Suicide attempt
• Repeatedly having bloodshot eyes
• Puffy or droopy eyelids
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9. Caffeine, Nicotine in tobacco,
Ephedrine, Amphetamines , Cocaine
Classification of addictive drugs
1. Depressants
Slow down, the functions of the CNS . In moderate doses, feel relaxed. In larger
doses, cause unconsciousness by reducing breathing and heart rate.
2. Stimulants
Speed up or stimulate the CNS and can make the users feel more awake, alert
or confident. increase HR, body temperature and BP. Other effects reduced
appetite, dilated pupils, talkativeness, agitation and sleep disturbance.
3. Hallucinogenic
Distort the user's perceptions of reality. The effects are dilation of pupils, loss of
appetite, increased activity, talking or laughing, jaw clenching, sweating and
sometimes stomach cramps or nausea. sense of emotional and psychological
euphoria and well-being. Visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations may occur.
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10. How can addiction harm other people?
• Negative effects of
prenatal drug exposure
on infants and children.
• Negative effects of
secondhand smoke.
• Increased spread of
infectious diseases.
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11. Medical consequences of drug addiction
• Increase risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer,
HIV/ AIDS, Hepatitis B and mental disorders.
• Tobacco smoke causes cancer of the mouth, throat,
larynx, blood, lungs, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder,
and cervix.
• Toxic to nerve cells
• Mental illness often co-exist. In some cases, mental
disorders such as anxiety, depression, or schizophrenia
may precede addiction; in other cases, drug abuse may
trigger or exacerbate those mental disorders,
particularly in people with specific vulnerabilities.
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12. Effects to the Family
• Intense feeling of humiliation and
guilt are felt by family members.
• Self-esteem in generally low among
the members of the family.
• The spirit of togetherness or unity
is broken.
• Occurrence of domestic violence.
• Loss of money or valuables.
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13. Effects to the Community
• Increase of petty crimes in the
community (physical injuries,
rape, robbery etc.)
• Increase of drug dependent and
drug pusher.
• Fear of community residents to
a drug dependent.
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14. Effects to Economy
• Sabotage to the economy.
• Draining of huge amount of
money from our country.
• Aggravating the problem of
poverty in a country.
• Economic growth is slow.
• Massive corruption of public
and private officials.
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15. Effects to Law Enforcement
• Corruption if some law
enforcement personnel.
• Ineffective application and
implementation of narcotic
law.
• Produces bad image and
credibility to the police agency.
• Loss of trust, confidence and
integrity among some police
personnel.
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16. Myth Busting
• Drug addiction is voluntary
• Drugs that are legal are helpful, illegal drugs
are harmful
• Marijuana is not bad for you
• Combining drugs is not harmful
• Addicts can not recover
• Once detoxification ends, if the addict does
not return to drugs, changes in the
pathways of the brain will return to their
normal state
• Driving is not affected by the influence of
drugs
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17. Anti-drug war is as important as the
fight against terrorism
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18. Why is adolescence a critical time for
preventing drug addiction?
• Challenging social and academic situations.
• Increase availability of drugs.
• Experimental behavior.
• Sharing experience.
• Weaker assessment.
• Using abusable substances at this age can
disrupt brain function in areas critical to
motivation, memory, learning, judgment,
and behavior control.
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19. Family & religious values are the answer for
many of these problems.
• Family support.
• Share patient experience.
• Problem identification.
• Spending time.
• Emotionally strengthen.
• Stay alert.
• Religious teachings
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20. Responsible community
• Helping government to
stop drug trafficking,
including getting rid of
the causes of using
drugs.
• Removing drugs will
enhance the hand of
the government to
combat crime.
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21. Drug Abuse Awareness and Education
• Programs for youth.
• Integrate of public and
private, religious or secular,
school curricula, with
emphasis on the destructive
effects of drug use.
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22. Mass Media
• Target population
• Success stories
• “drug-free” world
campaign.
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Treatment Programs

24. Legislations on Narcotic Drugs
 Poisons, Opium , and Dangerous Drug Ordinance Act No. 17 of 1929
http://www.nddcb.gov.lk/Docs/acts/25345.pdf
 Poisons , Opium and Dangerous Drug (Amendment) Act No: 13, of 1984
http://www.nddcb.gov.lk/Docs/acts/25345.pdf
 Prevention of Money Laundering Act no. 05 of 2006 http://www.documents.gov.lk/Acts/2006/Money
Laundering/P L 000858 Money Laundering Act No. 05.pdf
 Financial Transaction Reporting Act no. 06 of 2006 http://www.documents.gov.lk/Acts/2006/Financial
Transactions/PL 000861 (E) Financial Transactions.pdf
 Tobacco & Alcohol Act no. 27 of 2006
http://www.health.gov.lk/en/NCD/temp/NATA Act English.pdf
 Drug Dependant Persons (Treatment & Rehabilitation) Act no 54 of 2007
http://www.documents.gov.lk/Acts/2007/Drug Dependant Persons (Treatment & Rehabilitation) - Act
No. 54/English.pdf
 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drug & Psychotropic Substances Act. no 01 of 2008
http://documents.gov.lk/Extgzt/2010/PDF/May/1653_7/1653_7(E).pdf
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