Common drugs of misuse and harm reduction Flashcards
Substance misuse
Chaotic
Dependent
Recreational
Experimental
Drug free
Hard reduction alliance
Defines policies, programmes, services and actions that work to reduce harm to
- individual
- communities
- society
Harm reduction
Pragmatic
Prioritise goals
Humanist values
Focuses on risks and abstinence
Seeks to maximise range of intervention options that are available
Reducing harm
Self
Substance
Setting
Drug categories
Depressants
Stimulants
Hallucinogens
Heroin
Opiate, depressant derived from opium poppy
Brownish powder
Class A
Heroin use
Smoked usually in foil
Chasing the dragon
Dissolved in water
Mixed with acid, heated and injected
Immediate effects of heroin
Intense sense of wellbeing
Relaxed
Drowsy and detached from emotional or physical pain
Slows brain, heart rate and breathing
First users may be sleepy, itchy and sick
Risks and harms of heroin
Can cause powerful physical and psychological dependency
Legal and social risks
Overdose risk, especially if mixed with alcohol or benzo’s
Cocaine
Stimulant likely to be adulterated, derived from leaves of coca shrub
Water soluble hydrochloride salt
White powder
Class A
Cocaine use
Snorted
Gummed
Dissolved in water and injected
Immediate effects of cocaine
Increased energy
More alert
Sociable
Arrogant/ aggressive
Risks and harms of cocaine
With alcohol creates coca-ethylene
Mix of cocaine and heroin potentially fatal
Psychologically addictive
Severe damage to heart and circulation, brain damage and mental health problems
Crack
Smoke-able form of cocaine
Water insoluble cocaine base
Small, off-white, waxy
Class A
Crack use
Smoked
Usually in pipe
Dissolved in water and injected
Immediate effects of crack
Much more intense than cocaine and short acting
Harder to control than cocaine
Risks and harms of crack
Breathing problems
Injected is very harmful to veins as doesn’t dissolve easily
Cannabis
Naturally occuring from cannabis plant
Tetrahydrocannabinol
Solid, dark lump
Leaves, stalks and seeds
Class B
Cannabis use
Rolled in a joint
Smoked in a pipe
Eaten in food
Cannabis immediate effects
Giggles
Munchies
Being talkative, more confident, more anxious or paranoid
Tiredness and lack of energy, memory loss, breathing disorders and cancers
Risks and harms of cannabis
May trigger or exacerbate mental health problems
Synthetic cannabindois
spice, herbal incense, pot, room odouriser
Dried plant matter which has been sprayed with chemical designed to mimic THC
Dried leafy material
Similar to cannabis but smells more chemically
Cannabinoid use
Smoked with tobacco in a joint, pipe, bong
Cannabinoid oil smoked in vaporiser
Class B
Immediate effects of cannabinoids
Happy and relaxed
Giggles, hungry, talkative
Drowsy
Risks and harms of cannabinoids
Higher THC and lower CBD
Triggers psychotic symptoms
Mephedrone
Stimulant drug belonging to chemical family of cathinones
White powder. shards, crystals
Class B
Mephedrone use
Snorted, injected, swallowed, up the bum
Immediate effects of mephedrone
Euphoria, alertness and feelings of affection
Suppressed appetite
Feelings of anxiety and paranoia
Risks and harms of mephedrone
Overstimulate heart, circulation and nervous system
Strong desire to re-dose
Nasal damage if snorted
GHB/ GBL
Industrial solvent
CNS depressant
Transparent liquid with salty taste
Class B
