STIMULANTS Flashcards
Amphetamines
Amphetamines are psychostimulant drugs, which means they speed up the messages travelling between the brain and the body.
Some types of amphetamines are prescribed by doctors to treat conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy (where a person has an uncontrollable urge to sleep). Amphetamines have also been used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Other types of amphetamines, such as speed, are produced and sold illegally. Amphetamines have been also been taken as performance enhancement drugs. The most potent form is crystal methamphetamine (ice).
The appearance of amphetamines varies from a powder and tablet form, to crystals and capsules. They may be packaged in ‘foils’ (aluminium foil), plastic bags or small balloons when sold illegally.
Other names: Speed, Up, Uppers, Whiz, Rack
Betel Nut
Betel nut is the seed of the fruit of the areca palm. It is also known as areca nut. The common names, preparations and specific ingredients vary by cultural group and individuals who use it.
Betel nut is a stimulant drug, which means it speeds up the messages travelling between the brain and the body.
The most common method of using betel nut is to slice it into thin strips and roll it in a betel leaf with slaked lime (powder) or crushed seashells. This leaf package is known as a betel quid, betel nut chew, betel chew, betel pan or betel paan (India).
Betel quids may also contain tobacco and other additives such as cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, aniseed, coconut, sugar, syrups and fruit extracts, to enhance the flavour.
Cocaine
Cocaine is a stimulant drug. They speed up messages travelling between the brain and body.
Cocaine comes from the leaves of the coca bush (Erythroxylum coca), native to South America.1 The leaf extract is processed to produce three different forms of cocaine:
Cocaine hydrochloride: a fine white powder with a bitter, numbing taste. Cocaine hydrochloride is often mixed, or ‘cut’, with other substances such as lidocaine, talcum powder or sugar to dilute it before being sold.
Freebase: a white powder that is purer than cocaine hydrochloride.
Crack: crystals ranging from white or cream to transparent with a pink or yellow hue. It may contain impurities.
Other Names: C, coke, crack, nose candy, snow, white lady, toot, Charlie, blow, white dust or stardust.
Ice/ Crystal Methamphetamine
Crystal methamphetamine (‘ice’) is a stimulant drug, which means it speeds up the messages travelling between the brain and body. It’s stronger and has more harmful side effects than the powder form of methamphetamine known as speed.
Ice usually comes as small chunky clear crystals that look like ice. It can also come as white or brownish crystal-like powder with a strong smell and bitter taste
Other Names: Crystal meth, meth, shabu, crystal, glass, rock, tina, T, frosty, shard, P.
Khat
Khat is a stimulant drug, which means it speeds up the messages between the brain and the body. Chewing khat is part of some social traditions in parts of the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia and Yemen, and in Eastern Africa, such as Somalia.
The buds and leaves of the khat plant (Catha edulis) are chewed for stimulant and euphoric effects, and traditionally have been used for medicinal purposes as well as recreationally. Khat contains cathinone and cathine, which are the chemicals that produce the stimulant effects.
Other Names: Qat, kat, chat, qaad.
Synthetic Cathinones
Synthetic cathinones is the name of a category of drugs related to the naturally occurring khat plant. They are stimulants, meaning that they speed up the messages between the brain and the body and have similar effects to amphetamines. Synthetic cathinones are also part of a group of drugs known as New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). NPSs are a range of drugs that first appeared on the recreational drug market in the mid 2000s, that have been designed to mimic established illicit drugs, such as cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy and LSD.
Synthetic cathinones are mostly white or brown powders but can also be in the form of small, chunky crystals. They are sometimes found as capsules and less commonly as tablets.
Synthetic cathinones are usually snorted, swallowed or injected.
When taken orally the desired effects are typically seen within 15–45 minutes. After snorting the desired effect is anecdotally reported to occur within a few minutes. The effects usually last for approximately 2-4 hours.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant drug, which means it speeds up the messages travelling between the brain and the body.
It’s found in the seeds, nuts and leaves of a number of different plants, including:
Coffea Arabica (used for coffee)
Thea sinensis (used for tea)
Cola acuminata (used as a nut, tea or in soft drinks)
Theobroma cacao (used in cocoa and chocolate)
Paullinia cupana (used as guarana in snack bars and energy drinks)
Nicotine
Nicotine is a stimulant drug that speeds up the messages travelling between the brain and body.
Products such as cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and wet and dry snuff and the dried leaves from the tobacco plant all contain nicotine
