Transcript The Gateway Drug

By: Morris Cheeks, Eric Daul,
Stephen Dougherty, and
Nick Rigley
“Every actions has a reward and punishment. For
some, the reward is only half-life while the
punishment lives on forever.”
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A gateway drug is one that opens the “gate” to
the use of other drugs
Gateway drugs include tobacco and alcohol
among others
A scientific study shows that consumption of
cannabis is a higher risk for the use of harder
drugs
Most gateway drugs aren’t as potent as the
harder drugs such as methamphetamine and
ecstasy
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The main mind-altering drug in marijuana is THC(delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol) but more than 400 other chemicals also are
contained in the drug
A green and brown mix of plants, seeds, flowers, and stems
Made from the plant Cannabis Sativa
Smoked as a cigarette, pipe, or a blunt
While many believe that marijuana is harmless, it actually has
more problems caused by it than other drugs
The strength of today’s marijuana is about 10 times more potent
than that of the early 70’s marijuana
Use of this drug is fluctuating as in some years it will be
decreasing among teenagers and then the next few it may be
rising
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When smoked, it provides a sensation of pleasure, thinking, and
concentration
However, it can cause impaired coordination, a loss of memory
and learning, and slowed reaction time
Faster heartbeat and pulse rate, bloodshot eyes, and a dry mouth
and throat are also some side effects
Produces problems twice as fast as tobacco smoke does
Marijuana smoke contains more cancer-causing agents than
tobacco smoke does
Young people who smoke marijuana heavily over long periods of
time can become dull, slow moving, and inattentive.
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Long-term use can lead to:
Addiction to the drug
 Compulsive drug seeking and abuse
Withdrawal symptoms such as sleepiness, appetite
loss, anxiety, and drug craving
 You cannot overdose on marijuana but you can still
hurt your body and mind with the harmful effects of
the drug and can eventually die indirectly from
those complications
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Marijuana leads to many drugs
Cocaine
Methamphetamine
Alcohol
Heroin
Speed
Ecstasy
LSD
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Found in South America in coca plants
Can be smoked, snorted, injected
2.1 million people use cocaine in America
Can be a white crystalline powder or crystal rock
Second most used illegal drug in the United States
Is a highly addictive and powerful stimulant
Nearly always smoked even though many believe that it is mostly
snorted
By smoking, the effect is more as there is more of the drug brought
into body
The intensity and duration of cocaine’s effects—which include
increased energy, reduced fatigue, and mental alertness—depend on
the route of drug administration(speed at which it is absorbed which
is determined by the method of using the drug)
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Affects body’s nervous system
Brings exhilaration, feel good in beginning and terrible in the end
Increases the level of dopamine(a brain chemical that is associated
with pleasure) in the brain’s reward circuit
The first exposure is always said to be the best and users keep
coming back for more and more hoping to get that same sense of
pleasure
Constricts blood vessels, dilates pupils, and increases body
temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure
Can also cause headaches, gastrointestinal complications such as
abdominal pain and nausea, and malnourishment due to lack of
appetite
Cocaine-related deaths are often results of heart attacks and
strokes that occur because of cardiovascular damage
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Can be snorted, injected, or smoked
classified as a Schedule II drug and is available only through a
prescription that cannot be refilled
a central nervous system stimulant drug that is similar in structure
to amphetamine
its medical uses are limited, and the doses that are prescribed are
much lower than those typically abused
That that is abused is usually from domestic or foreign superlabs
A white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily
dissolves in water or alcohol and is taken orally, intranasally
(snorting the powder), by needle injection, or by smoking
According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health,
the number of past-month methamphetamine users age 12 and
older decreased by over half between 2006 and 2008. Current
(past-month) users were numbered at 731,000 in 2006, 529,000 in
2007, and 314,000 in 2008. Significant declines from 2002 and 2008
also were noted for lifetime and past-year use in this age group.
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Stimulates blood cells and brings you an energetic
feeling
Causes paranoia, confusion, Parkinson’s Disease, and
type 2 schizophrenia
Causes “Crank Bugs”- itching skin heavily
Possible transmission of hepatitis B and C and HIV
Intoxication impairs mind and ability to think straight
Highly addictive
Treatment is very long and rather intense
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Produced by yeast, sugars, and starches
Found in beer, wine, and liquor
Damages organs, harms brain function, and
increases risk of cancers, stroke, and liver
disease
2010 Monitoring the Future Study showed that
5% 8th graders 14.7% of 10th graders, and 41.2%
12th graders have been drunk
When someone is drunk, they become
unpredictable and act very differently than
they usually would(puts them in a “high”)
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Brown or white powder formed by morphine
Can produce HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis
Can be called junk, H, and smack
National Survey on Drug Use and Health stated
that 605,000 Americans age 12 and up abused
heroin
Heroin is a highly addictive drug that causes
users to want more and more.
Heroin use affects the lungs, kidneys, heart,
and liver
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Central nervous system stimulants whose actions resemble those
of adrenaline, one of the body's natural hormones
Appears as crystals, chunks, and fine to coarse powders, off-white
to yellow in color, and supplied loose (in plastic or foil bags) or in
capsules or tablets of various sizes and colors
May be sniffed, smoked, injected, or taken orally
Users may also be more prone to illness because they are generally
run down, lack sleep, and live in an unhealthy environment.
Chronic heavy users may also develop amphetamine
psychosis(similar to schizophrenia)
Regular use of the drug results in tolerance to certain things which
means that more and more of the drug is required for the desired
results
Amphetamine use is declining and has been for a long time
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“Ecstasy” is a slang term for MDMA, short for 3,4methylenedioxymethamphetamine
MDMA can cause muscle tension, nausea, blurred
vision, and increased heart rate and blood pressure
LSD is a psychological drug
It is similar to ecstasy in the sense that it affects mostly
your mind not your body
The effects are unpredictable
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Stay away from parties that you realize may have
drugs
Deal with peer pressure and life pressure in a safe
and effective way
Look at the risk factors for drugs(cancer and other
diseases probably will come from using too much
if you don’t overdose and kill yourself already)
Keep a balanced life
Realize that using will probably affect not only you
but your peers, family, friends, acquaintances,
teachers, and others who care about you
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The amount of teenagers that use and engage
in dangerous activities rises every generation
and doesn’t seem to be stopping
If you start, you’re more likely to keep using
than to stop(it’s not like the television, you
don’t use it when you want to; it becomes an
addiction)
The average age of first illegal drug use is 14
and a half
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Many people a year are killed by drunk drivers
Also a lot of people that are involved with drug
trade are killed each year
Users of drugs don’t know how much longer
they’ll live so they live like they’re dying
everyday… and not in a good way
Illegal drugs are one of the biggest killers of
people each year and also one of the things that
causes the most problems for people
Users stop caring about relationships and only
love their drug(s) of choice
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Scarred
Looked down upon
Addicted
Carefree
High all the time
Depressed
Extremely emotional
DEAD?!
If not then just don’t do drugs, simple as that. It may
seem like it’s hard to resist doing drugs but it’s
really not. Just say no and walk away from the
situation. Easy… Right? No. Because that one time
that you decide to take the drug is the one time
that you will regret for the rest of your life. It only
really takes one time to become addicted.
THE END!
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_(drug)
www.nida.nih.gov/Infofacts/marijuana.html
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFSR82fb3a4&feature=relmf
u
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HUKG7YQZBI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrQVdhSEVc&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Elr5K2Vuo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg8wrzmIdyI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ7XcxPMyN0