Drug Education Teacher Booklet

30 COMMON CATEGORIES EXAMPLES OTHER NAMES ATTEMPTING TO COPY THE EFFECTS OF Synthetic cathinones Mephedrone, MDPV, alpha- PVP, methylone Meow meow, flakka, bath salts, M-Kat Methamphetamine, MDMA/ecstasy Piperazines BZP, TFMPP, 2C-I A2, rapture MDMA/ecstasy, methamphetamine, hallucinogens Substituted tryptamines 5-Meo-DMT, AMT Foxy Hallucinogens Phenethylamines NBOMe series, PMMA, benzodifurans Benzo fury, death on impact, N-Bomb Hallucinogens, MDMA/ecstasy, methamphetamine WHAT ARE THEY? These drugs are usually marketed as ‘legal highs’, ‘synthetic drugs’, ‘party pills’, ‘research chemicals’, or ‘plant food’ and are often used as substitutes for other illegal drugs. These new psychoactive substances (NPS) are typically sold as powders, tablets, or as smoking mixtures. Most of these are illegal, or are quickly made illegal, because of health risks. They are continually changing, but current NPS include: EFFECTS OF NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES Taking these is like a roll of the dice – they haven’t been around long enough to know what the immediate risks are or what might happen later on in life to people who use them. However, it is known that a small number of people have died from using some types of NPS. Effects of NPS vary, but may include: * See Glossary on page 36 IMMEDIATE LONG TERM ● Increased heart rate and body temperature ● Dilated (enlarged) pupils ● Feeling of euphoria (a ‘high’) ● Twitches and tremors ● Aggressive behaviour ● Anxiety and panic attacks ● Nausea and vomiting ● Dizziness and headaches ● Confusion ● A comedown* ● Insomnia ● Hallucinations (e.g. seeing or hearing things that aren’t really there) ● Overdose ● Serotonin syndrome* ● Paranoia and psychosis ● Seizures Early information suggests that use of some new psychoactive substances may lead to a range of problems including: ● Dependence* ● Memory problems ● Paranoia and psychosis* One pill (or package) may contain a mixture of different substances. NPS are sold under a wide variety of names and the list is always growing. As of 2019 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has identified at least 900 NPS. Names change frequently and people who use these drugs cannot be sure about what they are taking as the packaging doesn’t guarantee what’s inside. NEW PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES