Drugs and Teens

This essay will explore the many different drugs used by teens, their components, and their effects.

Experimentation with drugs during adolescence is common. Unfortunately, teenagers often don't see the link between their actions today and the consequences tomorrow. They also have a tendency to feel indestructible and immune to the problems that others experience. Using alcohol and tobacco at a young age increases the risk of using other drugs later. Some teens will experiment and stop, or continue to use occasionally, without significant problems. Others will develop a dependency, moving on to more dangerous drugs and causing significant harm to themselves and possibly others.

Popular drugs such as Ecstasty, GHB, Special K, and Marijuana are the most common amongst the youth. Regularly they are found at parties which is why they are nicknamed "party drugs". Although users may think these substances are harmless, research has shown that club drugs can produce a range of unwanted effects, including hallucinations, paranoia, amnesia, and, in some cases, death. When used with alcohol, these drugs can be even more harmful. Some club drugs work on the same brain mechanisms as alcohol and, therefore, can dangerously boost the effects of both substances. Also, there are great differences among individuals in how they react to these substances and no one can predict how he or she will react. Some people have been known to have extreme, even fatal, reactions the first time they use club drugs. Studies suggest club drugs found in party settings are often adulterated or impure and thus even more dangerous. Because some club drugs are colorless, tasteless, and odorless, they are easy for people to slip into drinks. Some of these drugs have been associated with sexual assaults, and for that reason they are referred to as "date rape drugs". Many of these drugs are small candy sized pills. The most common pill is ecstasy.

The History of Ecstasy: The truth about the enemy in a pill.

MDMA (methhylenedioxyamphetamine) is not new. It was first developed in 1912 as an appetite suppressant by the German pharmaceutical company Merck. During the late 1970s, psychologists and psychiatrists used the drug as treatment for psychological and emotional disorders. Street use of the drug became popular in the 1980s; it became illegal in the United States in 1985.

In its purest form, MDMA is a white crystalline powder with a musty odor. It may also have a reddish or brownish color as a result of impurities. It usually comes as a tablet, capsule or in powder form and is usually taken orally, although it can be injected. The quantity of MDMA can vary from 9mg to 117mg per tablet.

MDMA also known as Ecstasy (X, XTC, E, Rolls) is a semi synthetic drug since it is related to many chemicals found in nature. The same tree that gives nutmeg, mace, and safrole oil. Safrole is a major foundation in the synthesis of MDMA. MDMA is also chemically related to the amphetamine group of drugs, which includes methamphetamine (speed) and MDA . It belongs to the family of phenethylamines, (an aromatic amine which is a colorless liquid at room temperature, found in foods such as chocolate) as does mescaline. MDMA shares some chemical properties with mescaline, but MDMA is not a hallucinogen. Unlike alcohol or anti-anxiety drugs, there is no clouding of consciousness or sedation, and unlike cocaine or methamphetamine, there is no agitation or paranoia. Its effects are more easily controlled. The chemical effects of MDMA resemble an fast acting antidepressant such as fluoxetine (Prozac), but the excitement and calm received is much more intense. MDMA is so distinct that many chemists agree that it should be placed in its own classifications. The two proposed class names are "empathogen", meaning "to create an empathetic state" and "entactogen", meaning "to create a touching within". --(Skidmore-Roth, Linda. Mosby's Drug Guide for NursesLinda. 3rd ed. Skidmore-Roth Inc., 1999. 1-1526. )

When given to a properly prepared patient by a trained psychiatrist, MDMA produces a consistently reliable response in nearly all users. The feeling of a low dose of this medicine can compare to taking a deep cleansing breath. Dr. Lester Grinspoon called it a "gentle invitation to insight" --(Holland, Julie, ed. Ecstasy: the Complete Guide. Rochester, Vermont: Park Street P. viii-448). It changes the perception of everything making everything much lighter, calmer and happier. A person may feel that they have all they may need because they are more centered after experiencing a dose of the medicine. At higher doses of MDMA , a feeling of hunger becomes a fortified self-image, a sense of improved capacity and strength. Taking it a step further,