Basic Information

Cannabis
(Weed, Skunk, Pot, Marijuana, Grass, Hash, Dope)

Cannabis can be smoked, eaten and vaped – and is the UK’s most widely-used illegal drug. Cannabis is known as a gateway drug, this means that it is often the first illegal drug that people will try, but very often the affects will lessen with each use, so people will move on to heavier and more dangerous drugs in search of that buzz.

What does it look like?

Soft black resin, furry green leaves and hard brown lumps, cannabis can look very different depending on its type – but it all comes from cannabis plants.

How does it feel?

The effects of cannabis can vary massively. Some people say feeling 'stoned' makes them feel chilled out and happy in their own thoughts, while others say it makes them giggly and chatty. But it can also make people feel lethargic, unmotivated and some people become paranoid, confused and anxious.

What are the risks?

• Reduce your sperm count if you're male, affecting your ability to have children
• Suppress your ovulation if you’re female, affecting your ability to have children
  affect your motivation to do things
• Impair your memory so you can’t remember things or learn new information
• Disturb your sleep and make you depressed
• Make you anxious, panicky, or even aggressive

Other Information

Dealers cut hash with similar-looking substances or heavy materials to increase the weight of the drug and make a bigger profit. Although not all cannabis is cut, it’s very hard to know when it is or isn’t – so you could be smoking, eating or vaping chemicals from all sorts of unknown substances, including pesticides used when growing the cannabis.

Ecstasy
(E, Superman, Pills, Mandy, MDMA, MD, Molly)

What does it look like?

Ecstasy comes in pill or powder form. When it’s a powder it’s called by its chemical name, MDMA, but it’s the same drug as ecstasy. Ecstasy pills can be white, coloured, round, square or pressed into any shape. Some pills have designs stamped into them, like well-known company logos that the pills are then named after. Ecstasy powder looks like white/grey crystals and is called MDMA, Mandy or MD.

How does it make you feel?

People will often claim that it makes them feel happy, ‘loved up’, energised and alert. Whilst others have reported feelings of anxiety, panic attacks, confused episodes and paranoia. It dilutes your pupils, and can cause tingling sensations throughout your body. It can raise your heart rate and body temperature, and can cause your jaw to tighten or to move without control.

What are the risks?

The use of ecstasy has been linked to liver, kidney and heart problems. Anyone with a heart condition, blood pressure problems, epilepsy or asthma can have a very dangerous reaction to any drug. Ecstasy can release a hormone which stops the body making urine, so if you drink to much too quickly whilst under the influence of ecstasy, it may affect the body’s salt balance, which can be as deadly as not drinking enough water.

Other information

There’s no way of knowing what’s inside your ecstasy pill or MDMA powder until you've taken it. Even testing kits may not find everything. You may be at risk from other drugs and ingredients added to the pill or powder, as well as to the ecstasy itself. Some pills are cut with stimulants that are slower to kick in than MDMA, and so users have taken more of the pill (or pills) and then overdosed.

Cocaine
(Blow, Coke, Crack, Rocks, Sniff, Chang)

What does it look like?
There are three types of cocaine: coke, crack and freebase.

• Coke looks like a fine white powder
• Crack looks like small lumps or rocks
• Freebase looks like a crystallised powder

How does it make you feel?
Taking cocaine can make you feel happy, excited, wide awake and confident. It can also make you feel hot, stop you feeling hungry, make you feel sick, anxious, panicky, paranoid, and make you so confident that you may do things that you wouldn’t usually do, things that may place you at risk.

What are the risks?
Cocaine can cause severe issues to your heart and taking too much can lead to a heart attack. The risk of overdose is increased if you mix cocaine with other drugs or alcohol. Over time, snorting cocaine damages the cartilage in your nose that separates your nostrils. Heavy users can lose this cartilage and end up with one large nostril and a misshapen nose.

Regular use of cocaine can make people feel: depressed, run-down, anxious and paranoid. Cocaine can bring previous mental health problems to the surface too, and if a relative has had mental health problems, there might be an increased risk for you.

Other Information
The purity of cocaine goes up and down depending on the market. A wrap of cocaine powder can be cut with many things, such as sugar or starch, but benzocaine is the most common. Benzocaine is a local anaesthetic that produces a numbing effect similar to cocaine, but without the cocaine high.

Helping yourself and others

Feeling Pressured to take drugs? Here are some tips to help you deal with peer pressure.

1. Remember that you’re not alone. It’s easy to think you’re the only one who’s not taking drugs, but actually, most young people don’t take drugs.
2. Work out where you stand on issues like sex, drugs and alcohol. Knowing your own mind makes it easier to stay true to yourself.
3. Say no firmly but clearly and without making a big deal about it. If they try to persuade you, don’t feel like you have to change your mind.
4. Remember that, although they may not show it, your mates will respect you more if you’re assertive and clear about what you do and don’t want to do.
5. Take a look around. You’ll soon see that you’re not the only one worrying about what other people think of you. Try to focus on your own opinion of yourself - in the end, that’s all that matters.
6. If you’re finding it hard to be yourself within your group, take a step back, and think about whether it’s time to find a new crowd to hang out with.

Worried about a friend? – How can you help

Drugs can be a hard subject to discuss, especially if you think your friend has a problem. There’s no right or wrong way to talk about drugs, but there are some general guidelines you can follow to make things easier.

Do speak to your friend:

• When you’re both sober and not on drugs
• Somewhere private and familiar (your friend might become emotional)
• When you have plenty of time – it’s not a conversation you can rush
• More than once – you may need to have several conversations

Don’t speak to your friend in a way that:

• Is judgmental or critical – it won’t help
• Doesn’t give them time to talk – try to speak less and listen more
• Assumes superiority – don’t act like you know better (even if that’s what you think)

You can’t force your friend to do anything they don’t want to do, but you still might be able to help. Start by encouraging your friend to stay away from the places where they’d normally take drugs (like the pub or a mate’s house), and suggest other activities.

You can also remind your friend of the potential dangers involved in taking lots of drugs and tell them where they can get accurate information about what they’re using. Whatever happens, make sure your friend knows you’re around and happy to talk – that you’re there to help and not judge.

What should I do?

Worrying about a friend’s drug use is stressful, and how you choose to deal with it is up to you. You might try to help your friend, you might decide to put up with it and not say much, or you might decide to step back and not offer much support.

There are pros and cons to each of these choices, and it’s essential you think of your own wellbeing when you decide on which approach to take. It may be that you need support and/or professional help yourself too.

Looking for support with Substance Misuse

If you are looking for support with issues related to substance misuse, then please get in touch via the referral form below and we will get in contact with you. There are other partner organisations that Streetbeat works alongside that are specialised in working with young people around substance misuse, if you would like to receive support from one of these organisations, please confirm in the referral form below.

Useful Links

Extern Drugs & Alcohol Support

NHS  Help with drug addiction

Talk to Frank

Talk to Frank Drugs A-Z

Addiction NI

Dot guide