Legal and Illegal Drugs
A drug is any chemical that you take into your body which changes your mood or the way you feel.
Most drugs are illegal or age-restricted
1. Illegal Drugs: Heroin, Cocaine, Hallucinogens, Cannabis, etc…
1. The Misuse of Drugs Act splits illegal drugs into three categories:
Class A (e.g. heroin, cocaine, LSD)
Class B (e.g. amphetamines (speed), cannabis)
Class C (e.g. valium, steroids).
Some of these drugs can be prescribed by doctors as medicines.
2. The penalties for possessing and supplying Class A drugs are much harsher than those for Class B and Class C drugs e.g. the police don’t usually arrest people for possession of Class C drugs unless they suspect an ‘intent to supply’. Supplying Class A drugs carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
3. These classifications are because some drugs are more dangerous than others. In general, Class A drugs are highly addictive, cause serious psychological or physical damage and are easy to overdose on.
2. Age-Restricted Drugs: Alcohol and Tobacco
1. It’s illegal to sell tobacco or alcohol to people under the age of 18.
2. That doesn’t mean it’s illegal for you to drink or smoke under 18 – you’re just not allowed to buy them yourself. In theory, that means the decision to let you drink or smoke is made by responsible adults.
Campaigners argue that alcohol and tobacco are as addictive and harmful as many illegal drugs, so it’s inconsistent for some to be legal and others not. Some people use this is an argument for the criminalisation of tobacco or tighter controls on alcohol. Others use it to argue that other ‘social’ drugs that are currently illegal (e.g. cannabis) should be legalised
2. That doesn’t mean it’s illegal for you to drink or smoke under 18 – you’re just not allowed to buy them yourself. In theory, that means the decision to let you drink or smoke is made by responsible adults.
Campaigners argue that alcohol and tobacco are as addictive and harmful as many illegal drugs, so it’s inconsistent for some to be legal and others not. Some people use this is an argument for the criminalisation of tobacco or tighter controls on alcohol. Others use it to argue that other ‘social’ drugs that are currently illegal (e.g. cannabis) should be legalised
Drugs can cause health and social problems
Most drugs are addictive –either physically or psychologically, or both. An addiction is a compulsion to keep doing something, even if you know it’s harming you. A physical addiction is where your body chemistry has been changed by the drug, so you get withdrawal symptoms if you stop taking it. A psychological addiction is where you crave the feeling the drug gives you, and get anxious or depressed without it.
Social Problems:
1) Most drugs affect people’s judgement, which can make them more likely to take risks.
2) People on a ‘high’ sometimes feel invincible, and dangerous activities like sharing needles and unprotected sex are more likely to happen under the influence of drink or drugs.
3) Some addicts stop caring about other aspects of their life, and ignore their responsibilities.
4) At the extreme, some addicts turn to crime to help fund their habit.
Health Problems:
1) Different drugs cause different health problems.
2) Alcohol, if drunk in excess, can cause liver disease, brain damage, and heart failure. It also doesn’t mix well with other drugs. Even a small dose of some drugs mixed with alcohol can kill.
3) Smoking cannabis can cause lung diseases in a similar way to smoking tobacco. Recent studies have also suggested that it might trigger psychological disorders in vulnerable people.
4) Hallucinogens like LSD and ‘magic mushrooms’ can cause permanent psychological damage.
5) The biggest health risks with heroin are overdose, diseases transferred by needle sharing (e.g. HIV) and poisoning by other things it’s cut with. The drug itself doesn’t cause much damage in small doses, but deaths from overdose are very common.
2) Alcohol, if drunk in excess, can cause liver disease, brain damage, and heart failure. It also doesn’t mix well with other drugs. Even a small dose of some drugs mixed with alcohol can kill.
3) Smoking cannabis can cause lung diseases in a similar way to smoking tobacco. Recent studies have also suggested that it might trigger psychological disorders in vulnerable people.
4) Hallucinogens like LSD and ‘magic mushrooms’ can cause permanent psychological damage.
5) The biggest health risks with heroin are overdose, diseases transferred by needle sharing (e.g. HIV) and poisoning by other things it’s cut with. The drug itself doesn’t cause much damage in small doses, but deaths from overdose are very common.