Narcatics

HEROIN

Heroin is an addictive drug, and is a very serious problem in America. Recent studies suggest a shift from injecting heroin to snorting or smoking because of increased purity and the misconception that these forms are safer.

Heroin can be injected, smoked, or snorted. Intravenous injection (injection into a vein) produces the greatest intensity and most rapid onset of euphoria. Effects are felt in 7 to 8 seconds. Injecting heroin into a muscle (intramuscular use) or under the skin (subcutaneous use) can produce effects in 5 to 8 minutes. Addicts sometimes inject themselves up to 4 times in one day. Even though effects for sniffing or smoking develop more slowly, beginning in 10 to 15 minutes, sniffing or smoking heroin has increased in popularity because of the availability of high-purity heroin and the fear of sharing needles. Also, users tend to mistakenly believe that sniffing or smoking heroin will not lead to addiction. Heroin can be mixed with powdered milk, sugar, baking soda, procaine and lidocaine (local anesthetics) or even laundry detergent, talc, starch, curry powder, Ajax cleaner or strychinine. All of these "additives" are dangerous if they are injected into the bloodstream. Heroin is smoked or inhaled as a powder or it can be mixed with water, heated, and then injected. Heroin crosses through the blood brain barrier 100 times faster than morphine because it is highly soluble in lipids.

The overall effect of heroin is a depression of the central nervous system. The short term effects include: analgesia (reduced pain), brief euphoria (the "rush" or feeling of well-being), nausea, sedation, drowsiness, reduced anxiety, hypothermia, reduced respiration: breathing difficulties, reduced coughing, and death, due to overdoes. Overdose occurs when the exact purity and content of the drug is not known to the user. An overdose can cause reparation problems and coma. The long term effect include: Tolerance: more and more drug is needed to produce the euphoria and other effects on behavior. Addiction: psychological and physiological need for heroin. People are driven to get more heroin and feel bad if they do not get it. People begin to crave heroin 4-6 hours after injections. Withdrawal: About 8-12 hours after their last heroin dose, addicts' eyes tear, they yawn and feel anxious and irritable. Excessive sweating, fever, stomach, muscle cramps, diarrhea and chills can follow. These withdrawal symptoms may continue for 3 days and can last 7 to 10 days, or more.

MORPHINE

Morphine is highly addictive. Tolerance and physical and psychological addiction to Morphine develop quickly. Addictive drugs, such as Morphine activate the brain's reward systems. The promise of reward is very intense, causing the individual to crave Morphine and to focus his or her activities around the taking of Morphine. The ability of Morphine to strongly activate brain reward mechanisms and its ability to chemically alter the normal functioning of these systems can produce a Morphine addiction. Morphine also reduces a person's level of consciousness, harming the ability to think or be fully aware of present surroundings.

Morphine is administered by several routes (injected, smoked, sniffed, or swallowed); but when injected particularly intravenously, morphine can produce intense euphoria and a general state of well-being and relaxation. Regular use can result in the rapid development of tolerance to these effects. Profound physical and psychological dependence can also rapidly develop, and withdrawal sickness upon abrupt cessation of heroin use; many of the symptoms resemble those produced by a case of moderately severe flu.

Morphine directly affects the central nervous system. Besides relieving pain, Morphine weakens mental & physical performance, relieves fear & anxiety, and produces euphoria. Morphine's effect also decreases hunger, inhibits the cough reflex, produces constipation, and usually reduces the sex drive. Morphine's euphoric effects can be highly addictive. Morphine effects include but are not limited to: relieves pain, impairment of mental and physical performance, relief of fear and anxiety, euphoria, decease in hunger and inhibiting the cough reflex.

CODEINE

Codeine is an alkaloid which is found in opium plant. It is a narcotic whose effects, though less potent, are similar to morphine. Morphine is an effective

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