Who is Using What?
Signs
and symptoms of prevalent drug use.
by Robert W. Denniston
TWEENS & TEENS NEWS June 2006
Do you remember the drugs used when you were
in high school? Times have changed. Today’s
drugs are different, and often more potent.
Although overall drug use among youth is decreasing,
last year more than 7.5 million 12 to 17 year
olds reported using drugs. It’s imperative
that parents remain vigilant in understanding
and talking to their kids about the dangers
of drugs.
While most kids who use drugs smoke marijuana,
today’s teens are smoking a more potent
form of marijuana and are using other illicit
drugs at younger ages. By age 17, more than
4.7 million teens have smoked marijuana. Another
5.3 million have used other drugs, including
prescription drugs and inhalants. In addition,
alcohol prevalence among youth increases with
age. Last year, about 10.5 million underaged
kids between 12 and 17 reported drinking alcohol
in the past month.
If we as parents are going to protect our children
from the dangers of drugs, then our first step
must be to educate ourselves about today’s
“new and improved” drugs. Read on
for a breakdown revealing the names, percentages,
descriptions and health hazards of the top ten
drugs in contemporary high schools, as well
as the drugs’ code names and clues to
determine whether your kids may be using.
1. MARIJUANA: Weed, Pot,
420, Mary Jane, Grass, Puff, Herb.
USERS*: 35.1 percent
Marijuana is addictive and is the most widely
used illicit drug among youth today. Every
day, 3,700 kids try marijuana for the first
time.
Marijuana use can lead to a host of significant
health, social, learning and behavioral problems
at a crucial time in a young person’s
development.
Marijuana use damages the brain and is linked
to mental health problems later in life. The
main active chemical in marijuana, THC, harms
the brain’s limbic system, which is
crucial for learning, memory, emotions and
motivations. In fact, youth who use marijuana
weekly have double the risk of depression
later in life. Marijuana can also inhibit
learning. A teen with a “D” average
is four times more likely to have used marijuana
than a teen with an “A” average.
Regular marijuana users often have shortened
attention spans, decreased energy and ambition,
poor judgment, high distractibility and impaired
ability to communicate and relate to others.
Marijuana users will often have pipes or rolling
paper, and use strong incense to mask the
smell. Bloodshot eyes can also occur when
smoking marijuana.
2. PRESCRIPTION DRUGS: Pharming,
Pills, Oxy, West Coast, Vitamin R.
USERS: 13.5 percent
Misusing prescription drugs can be a dangerous,
even deadly, decision. Children get such drugs
from their parents, friends and the Internet.
Numerous Web sites sell prescription drugs
without the need of a doctor’s prescription.
Using unprescribed drugs can lead to serious
health problems and addiction, which involves
compulsive drug seeking and use. Misusing
pain relievers, such as OxyContin, can cause
severe respiratory depression and death. Depressants
can slow both the heart and respiration. Stimulants,
such as Ritalin, can create feelings of hostility
or paranoia, raise the body’s temperature
to dangerously high levels and lead to cardiovascular
failure or deadly seizures.
Check for empty pill bottles and frequent
visits to different physicians for prescriptions.
Monitor what prescriptions your child is taking
and know the correct dosage for those prescriptions.
3. INHALANTS: Huffing, Bang,
Whippets.
USERS: 12.4 percent
Inhalants are common household products that,
when inhaled, can result in death from the
very first use. Teens sniff or snort fumes
from aerosols, huff chemicals from inhalant-soaked
rags or inhale from balloons filled with nitrous
oxide.
Sniffing concentrated chemicals can directly
induce heart failure and death. Abuse can
damage the lungs, kidneys, liver and heart,
and lead to brain and nerve damage similar
to multiple sclerosis.
Watch out for discarded whipped cream cans,
spray paint or rags. Young people are likely
to use inhalants, in part, because inhalants
are so readily available and inexpensive.
4. COCAINE AND CRACK: Base,
Blow, Coke, Crystal, Ice.
USERS: 5.4 percent for cocaine; 2.6 percent
for crack cocaine.
Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug that
can be sniffed, snorted, injected and smoked.
Cocaine and crack cause sweating, loss of
appetite and increased heart and pulse rate.
At higher dose levels, users may feel very
anxious and panicky. Cocaine and crack use
can cause heart attacks and strokes.
Users are excessively active and lack interest
in food or sleep. A runny nose, chronic sinus
problems and nose bleeds are also common.
5. METHAMPHETAMINE: Meth,
Ice, Crystal, Glass, Chalk.
USERS: 5.4 percent
Methamphetamine is an addictive stimulant
taken orally, injected, snorted or smoked.
It comes in a crystal-like powdered substance
or large, rock-like chunks.
Over time, meth use results in symptoms like
those of Parkinson’s disease, a severe
movement disorder. Additionally, the chemicals
used in meth production are flammable and
highly toxic, potentially causing severe burns.
Meth users are prone to violence and neglectful
behavior that can affect their school work,
friends and family. Users often experience
premature aging and rotting teeth.
6. ECSTASY (MDMA): Adam,
X, XTC.
USERS: 4.3 percent
Ecstasy is usually taken orally as a capsule
or tablet. This drug is often present at high-energy,
late-night dance parties called raves.
Risks are similar to those of cocaine, including
heart or respiratory failure. Recent research
also links ecstasy use to long-term damage
to parts of the brain critical to thought
and memory. There is also a danger of dehydration
and rapidly rising body temperature.
Ecstasy can cause confusion, blurred vision
and jaw clenching. Kids on ecstasy tend to
be uncharacteristically affectionate due to
increased feelings of euphoria.
7 LSD: Acid, Blotter, Cube,
Dots, Ghost.
USERS: 2.8 percent
Odorless, colorless and usually taken orally,
LSD has a slightly bitter taste. Often LSD
is added to absorbent paper and divided into
small, decorated squares.
Hallucinogens, like LSD, affect the brain,
making it hard to concentrate, communicate
or tell the difference between reality and
illusion.
LSD trips are long and may produce mood and
behavior changes. Users may feel several emotions
at once or swing rapidly from one emotion
to another. Physical effects include dilated
pupils, high body temperature and heart rate,
sweating, loss of appetite and sleeplessness.
8. STEROIDS: Roids, Juice.
USERS: 2.4 percent
Anabolic steroids are closely linked to the
male hormone testosterone. Abuse of steroids—
often in an attempt to gain more muscle mass—
can lead to serious health problems.
Steroid abuse has been associated with cardiovascular
disease, including heart attacks and strokes,
even for athletes under the age of 30.
In both girls and boys, steroids can cause
severe acne, baldness, cysts and oily hair
and skin. In males, steroid abuse can lead
to shrinking of the testicles and development
of the breasts. Side effects for females can
include facial hair growth, menstrual changes
and deepened voice.
9. HEROIN: Smack, H, Skag,
Junk.
USERS: 1.5 percent
Heroin is a white or brown powder made from
opium poppies. Users may snort, smoke or inject
it.
Heroin is highly addictive. It enters the
brain almost immediately. Because the strength
of heroin varies, the user’s experience
can be different each time.
Needles are associated with heroin use, but
smoking and snorting heroin is more popular
with youth today.
10. GHB: Soap, Georgia Home
Boy.
USERS: 0.7 percent
GHB has become a popular club drug. Available
in clear liquid, white powder, tablet and
capsule form, GHB has been used in cases of
alleged date rape.
Negative physical effects include vomiting,
liver failure, potentially fatal respiratory
problems, and tremors and seizures, which
can result in comas.
GHB often induces a state of relaxation, and
users may frequent raves.
*All drug use percentages, except the prescription
drug abuse percentage, are based on lifetime
use by 10th graders in the 2004 Monitoring
the Future Survey, Department of Health and
Human Services. The prescription drug percentage
comes from lifetime use by 12-17 year olds,
according to the 2004 National Survey on Drug
Use and Health (NSDUH).
Robert W. Denniston serves as director
of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign
at the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy. He previously served as director
of the HHS Secretary’s Initiative on
Youth Substance Abuse Prevention, within the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA). For more information
and tips on keeping your kids drug-free, visit
www.TheAntiDrug.com, the National Youth Anti-Drug
Media Campaign Web site.
