Dublin City School District |
Administrative Guidelines |
5530 - SYMPTOMS OF OVERDOSE WITH DRUGS
The descriptions listed below may be useful in detecting drug use through observation of student behavior and physical/mental condition.
INHALANTS
Effects
Immediate negative effects of inhalants include nausea, sneezing, coughing, nosebleeds, fatigue, lack of coordination, and loss of appetite. Solvents and aerosol sprays also decrease the heart and respiratory rates, and impair judgement. Amyl and butyl nitrite cause rapid pulse, headaches, and involuntary passing of urine and feces. Long-term use may result in hepatitis or brain hemorrhage.
Deeply inhaling the vapors, or using large amounts over a short period of time, may result in disorientation, violent behavior, unconsciousness, or death. High concentrations of inhalants can cause suffocation by displacing the oxygen in the lungs or by depressing the central nervous system to the point that breathing stops. Long-term use can cause weight loss, fatigue, electrolyte imbalance, and muscle fatigue. Repeated sniffing of concentrated vapors over time can permanently damage the nervous system.
Type |
Street Names |
Appearances |
How Used |
Nitrous Oxide |
Laughing gas |
Propellant for whipped cream |
Vapors inhaled |
Amyl Nitrite |
Poppers |
Clear yellowish liquid in |
Vapors inhaled |
Butyl Nitrite |
Rush |
Packaged in small bottles |
Vapors inhaled |
Chlorohydro- |
Aerosol sprays |
Aerosol paint cans |
Vapors inhaled |
Hydrocarbons |
Solvents |
Cans of aerosol propellants |
Vapors inhaled |
CANNABIS
Effects
All forms of cannabis have negative physical and mental effects. Several regularly observed physical effects of cannabis are a substantial decrease in the heart rate, bloodshot eyes, dry mouth and throat, and increased appetite.
Use of cannabis may impair or reduce short term memory and comprehension, alter sense of time, and reduce ability to perform tasks requiring concentration and coordination such as driving a car. Research also shows that students do not retain knowledge when they are "high". Motivation and cognition may be altered, making the acquisition of new information difficult. Marijuana can also produce paranoia and psychosis.
Because users often inhale the unfiltered smoke deeply and then hold it in their lungs as long as possible, marijuana is damaging to the lungs and pulmonary system. Marijuana smoke contains more cancer-causing agents than tobacco.
Long-term users of cannabis may develop psychological dependency and require more of the drug to get the same effect. The drug can become the center of their lives.
Type |
Street Names |
Appearances |
How Used |
Marijuana |
Pot |
Dried parsley mixed with |
Eaten |
Tetrahydro- |
THC |
Soft gelatin capsules |
Taken orally |
Hashish |
Hash |
Brown or black cakes or |
Eaten |
Hashish Oil |
Hash Oil |
Concentrated syrupy liquid |
Smoked-mixed |
STIMULANT: COCAINE
Effects
Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system. Its immediate effects include dilated pupils and elevated blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature. Occasional use can cause a stuffy or runny nose, while chronic use can ulcerate the mucous membrane of the nose. Injecting cocaine with unsterile equipment can cause AIDS, hepatitis, and other diseases. Preparation of freebase, which involves the use of volatile solvents, can result in death or injury from fire or explosion. Cocaine can produce psychological and physical dependency, a feeling that the user cannot function without the drug. In addition, tolerance develops rapidly.
Crack or freebase rock is extremely addictive, and its effects are felt within 10 seconds. The physical effects include dilated pupils, increased pulse rate, elevated blood pressure, insomnia, loss of appetite, tactile hallucinations, paranoia, and seizure.
The use of cocaine can cause death by disrupting the brain's control of the heart and respiration.
Type |
Street Name |
Appearance |
How Used |
Cocaine |
Coke |
White crystalline powder, |
Inhaled through |
Crack or |
Crack |
Light brown or beige pellets |
Smoked |
OTHER STIMULANTS
Effects
Stimulants can cause increased heart and respiratory rates, elevated blood pressure, dilated pupils and decreased appetite. In addition, users may experience sweating, headache, blurred vision, dizziness sleeplessness, and anxiety. Extremely high doses can cause a rapid or irregular heartbeat, tremors, loss of coordination, and even physical collapse. An amphetamine injection creates a sudden increase in blood pressure that can result in stroke, very high fever, or heart failure.
In addition to the physical effects, users report feeling restless, anxious, and moody. Higher doses intensify the effects. Persons who use large amounts of amphetamines over a long period of time can develop an amphetamine psychosis that includes hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. These symptoms usually disappear when drug use ceases.
OTHER STIMULANTS (Cont'd)
Type |
Street Names |
Appearance |
How Used |
Amphetamines |
Speed |
Capsules |
Taken orally |
Methamphet- |
Crank |
White powder |
Taken orally |
Additional |
Ritalin |
Pills |
Taken orally |
DEPRESSANTS
Effects
The effects of depressants are in many ways similar to the effects of alcohol. Small amounts can produce calmness and relaxed muscles, but somewhat larger doses can cause slurred speech, staggering gait, and altered perception. Very large doses can cause respiratory depression, coma, and death. The combination of depressants and alcohol can multiply the effects of the drugs, thereby multiplying the risks.
The use of depressants can cause both physical and psychological dependence. Regular use over time may result in a tolerance to the drug, leading the user to increase the quantity consumed. When regular users suddenly stop taking large doses, they may develop withdrawal symptoms ranging from restlessness, insomnia, and anxiety to convulsions and death.
Babies born to mothers who abuse depressants during pregnancy may be physically dependent on the drugs and show withdrawal symptoms shortly after they are born. Birth defects and behavioral problems also may result.
Type |
Street Name |
Appearance |
How Used |
Barbiturates |
Downers |
Red, yellow, blue, or red |
Taken orally |
Methaqualone |
Quaaludes |
Tablets |
Taken orally |
Tranquilizers |
Valium |
Tablets |
Taken orally |
HALLUCINOGENS
Effects
Phencyclidine (PCP) interrupts the functions of the neocortex, the section of the brain that controls the intellect and keeps instincts in check. Because the drug blocks pain receptors, violent PCP episodes may result in self-inflicted injuries.
The effects of PCP vary, but users frequently report a sense of distance and estrangement. Time and body movement are slowed down. Muscular coordination worsens and senses are dulled. Speech is blocked and incoherent.
Chronic users of PCP report persistent memory problems and speech difficulties. Some of these effects may last six (6) months to a year following prolonged daily use. Mood disorders - depression anxiety, and violent behavior - also occur. In later stages of chronic use, users often exhibit paranoid and violent behavior and experience hallucinations. Large doses may produce convulsions and coma, heart and lung failure, or ruptured blood vessels in the brain.
Lysergic acid (LSD), mescaline, and psilocybin cause illusions and hallucinations. The physical effects may include dilated pupils, elevated body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, and tremors.
Sensations and feelings may change rapidly. It is common to have a bad psychological reaction to LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin. The user may experience panic, confusion, suspicion, anxiety, and loss of control. Delayed effects, or flashbacks, can occur even after use has ceased.
Type |
Street Name |
Appearance |
How Used |
Phencyclidine |
PCP |
Liquid |
Taken orally |
Lysergic Acid |
LSD |
Brightly colored tablets |
Taken orally |
Dragon |
|||
Mescaline and |
Mesc |
Hard brown discs |
Discs - chewed, |
NARCOTICS
Effects
Narcotics initially produce a feeling of euphoria that often is followed by drowsiness, nausea, and vomiting. Users also may experience constricted pupils, watery eyes, and itching. An overdose may produce slow and shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions, coma, and possibly death.
Tolerance to narcotics develops rapidly and dependence is likely. The use of contaminated syringes may result in diseases such as AIDS, endocarditis, and hepatitis. Addiction in pregnant women can lead to premature, stillborn, or addicted infants who experience severe withdrawal symptoms.
Type |
Street Name |
Appearance |
How Used |
Heroin |
Smack |
Power, white to dark brown |
Injected |
Methadone |
Dolophine |
Solution |
Taken orally |
NARCOTICS (Cont'd)
Type |
Street Names |
Appearance |
How Used |
Codeine |
Empirine, compound |
Dark liquid varying in |
Taken orally |
Morphine |
Pectoral Syrup |
White crystals |
Injected |
Meperidine |
Pethidine |
White powder |
Taken orally |
Opium |
Paregoric |
Dark brown chunks |
Smoked |
Other Narcotics |
Percocet |
Tablets |
Taken orally |
DESIGNER DRUGS
Effects
Illegal drugs are defined in terms of their chemical formulas. To circumvent these legal restrictions, underground chemists modify the molecular structure of certain illegal drugs to produce analogs known as designer drugs. These drugs can be several hundred times stronger than the drugs they are designed to imitate.
The narcotics analogs can cause symptoms such as those seen in Parkinson's disease - uncontrollable tremors, drooling, impaired speech, paralysis, and irreversible brain damage. Analogs of amphetamines and methamphetamines cause nausea, blurred vision, chills or sweating, and faintness. Psychological effects include anxiety, depression, and paranoia. As little as one dose can cause brain damage. The analogs of phencyclidine cause illusions, hallucinations, and impaired perception.
DESIGNER DRUGS (Cont'd)
Type |
Street Names |
Appearance |
How Used |
Analogs of |
Synthetic Heroin |
White powder resembling |
Inhaled through |
Analogs of |
Synthetic Heroin |
White powder |
Inhaled through |
Analogs of |
MDMA (Ecstacy, |
White powder |
Taken orally |
Analogs of |
PCP |
White powder |
Taken orally |