Drugs

This article is written with real quotes from real teens. These could be from your brother, your neighbor, or your best friend. All different kinds of teens do drugs, and every teen needs to be smart and learn how to stay away from drugs.

Many teens have friends that tell them, "Just try it once you and won't get addicted," but that's incorrect. It has been proved that drug use accelerates over time; once you start its hard to stop, with consequences such as brain damage and even death.

Cocaine

Cocaine is a drug that is less common for teens for teens to use, but many teens do. A recent study of high school seniors found that 7.1 percent of them had used cocaine at least once in their lifetime. Cocaine can be found in a fine white crystalline powder that can often be diluted with sugar, corn starch, talcum powder, laxative, or even as deadly substances as bleach. Cocaine can be sniffed, smoked, or injected. Crack is a smokeable form of cocaine that has become more available in recent years and is made by adding baking soda to the deadly substance.

Cocaine can make you hallucinate and have delusions. It can also cause weight loss, impotence or difficulty in urinating. If you abuse cocaine, you are at high risk of having a stroke or a sudden death.

Heroin

Heroin is one of the most addictive drugs. It's classified as a depressant, which means it makes the user tired or feel drunk. (Unlike many other drugs, which can be considered stimulants.) Heroin can be smoked when it is in a form of pure powder or injected.

Marijuana

Marijuana is made from the leaves and flowers of the hemp plant. During the 60's and 70's, marijuana use strongly increased and it became a very popular drug among young people. Marijuana is the third most used addictive substance behind alcohol and tobacco. A recent study of high school seniors found that 44.9% had used cocaine at least once in their lifetime.

Some common names for Marijuana are:

• Pot
• Grass
• Weed
• Dope
• Smoke
• Mary Jane
• Wacky Tobacky
• Hemp
• Doobie

LSD

LSD is commonly called acid. It's a extremely powerful drug. It distorts the user's perception of reality where at high doses they can experience hallucinations. It is produced in illegal labs, and parts of it are derived from fungus that grows on rye and other grains.

Speed

The scientific name for speed is "crystal methamphetamine". Speed was not a big problem in the U.S. until the large surge in drug use in the 60's and 70's. It is a popular drug because it can be made very easily and it's results are powerful. When someone takes speed it will stimulate his central nervous system. That means that it will give increased alertness, nervousness and inability to sleep.

There are many reasons teens do drugs, but not one of them justifies the long-term effects of mental and physical anguish:

• For money: "They have to buy it from somewhere, right? They smoke weed and you’re in business. They have to buy it from somebody. Why not me?"
• For the other persons well being: "Getting someone started is an honor. They awake into the real world, man. Being high is a whole other way of living. I want people to smoke weed."
• For fun: "I have more fun when friends smoke with me. Everything is funny."
• For popularity: "Kids smoke weed to act and look older. They want to be seen as better than everyone else and with their act together. They want people to think they are cool."