The New Nation - Internet Edition

Md. Morshed Alam

Drug is any biological substance, synthetic or non-synthetic, that is taken primarily for non-dietary needs. It is usually synthesized outside of an organism, but introduced into an organism to produce its action. Any substance which when absorbed into a living organism may modify one or more of its functions. The term is generally accepted for a substance taken for a therapeutic purpose, but is also commonly used for abused substances, synonymous with medicine, pharmaceutical etc. Simply drug is a molecule used to diagnose, treat, mitigate, or prevent disease.

Drugs are mainly classified basis on the effects or causing dependency.

Effects on CNS (central nervous system) are classified four ways:

Stimulant

Depressant

No effect

Complex effect

1. Stimulants: Amphetamines, Caffeine, Nicotine Cocaine

Excite arousal, increase alertness, elevate mood. Speed up signals to the brain. (Some newer drugs (Prozac) work mainly as mood elevators and do not (supposedly) produce the other effects).

2. Depressants

Analgesics: relieve pain (block signals?)

Narcotics: Opiates and Opioids

Non-narcotics: Aspirin, etc.

Sedative Hypnotics: relax, induce sleep

Alcohol (ETOH)

Anti-anxiety agents, tranquilizers

Non-Barbiturates: Qualude, Halcion

Long acting Barbiturates: Phenobarbital

Short acting Barbiturates: Seconal

3. Anti-Psychotics: Thorazine

4. Anti-Depressants: Prozac, Lithium

5. Hallucinogens

6. Marijuana /cannabis

7. Inhalants

Effects of drugs on body

Drugs such as marijuana, heroin, and LSD, used especially by the younger generation to produce a so-called "high" or "trip," are by far the most dangerous. To understand why the young person is susceptible to the use of these mind-boggling drugs, it is necessary to understand that he recently may have acquired the desire body (at about age 14) or the mind body (at about the age 21). This is a time for him to determine the limits of his ability and to see how far he can challenge the status quo. Many young people are wilting to test the limits of their adaptability. Others desire spiritual revelation, which they believe can be induced by the use of drugs. At this critical period in the life of the individual, he often lacks the confidence and warmth of an elder companion, one who can guide him through this trying time. For too many of today's youth it is a time of trial and error, a period of blind growth. Drugs offer a way out, but as time wilt reveal, it wilt be the wrong way. Being hallucinatory, they do not bring about the desired results; instead, they put the aspirant in danger of being controlled by undesirable spirits, of undermining the physical body, and of exposing himself to extremely harmful effects on his spiritual bodies. Any damage to these vehicles may require many lifetimes to restore them to the adaptability they originally had. This means a decided setback in evolution. A person, therefore, who made much progress in former embodiments, could lose the value of previous hard work by seriously affecting the present life instruments.

Like all drugs, those used to control nutritional problems can have side effects. This page has information on those side effects. There are sections on side effects of

Appetite stimulants

Steroids

Appetite stimulants

The side effects of the appetite stimulants megesterol acetate and medroxy progesterone acetate are usually very mild and many people do not have any side effects at all. But they can cause

Feeling and being sick

Headache

Ankle swelling from fluid retention (mild)

Abdominal pain

Breast tenderness

Mood changes (rare)

Blood clots (this is rare)

Vaginal bleeding

Impotence in men

People who are diabetic need to monitor their blood sugar levels more closely when taking these drugs.

You may need to adjust the dose of your diabetes medication. If you are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant you should not take these drugs.

Steroids

The most likely side effects when you first start taking steroids are

Difficulty sleeping

Indigestion

High blood sugar levels, especially if you are already diabetic

In Bangladesh commonly uses

alcohol

cannabis

heroin

Effects of alcohol on human body

Short-term Effects

Reduces sensitivity to pain.

Affects vision in the following ways: narrows the visual field, reduces resistance to glare, interferes with the ability to differentiate intensities of light, and lessens sensitivity to colors.

Long-term Effects

Damage to vital organs; including liver, heart and pancreas.

Linked to several medical conditions; including gastro intestinal problems, malnutrition, high blood pressure, and lower resistance to disease. Also linked to several types of cancer; including esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas and colon.

Effects of heroin on human body

Heroin is a drug made from morphine, a natural substance in the seedpod of the Asian poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as a white or brown powder. Heroin can be injected, smoked or snorted. Heroin abuse is a serious problem in the United States. Major health problems from heroin include miscarriages, heart infections and death from overdose. People who inject the drug also risk infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.

Short-Term Effects:

¦ "Rush"

¦ Depressed respiration

¦ Clouded mental functioning

¦ Nausea and vomiting

¦ Suppression of pain

¦ Spontaneous abortion

Long-Term Effects:

¦ Addiction

¦ Infectious diseases, for example, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C

¦ Collapsed veins

¦ Bacterial infections

¦ Abscesses

¦ Infection of heart lining and valves

¦ Arthritis and other rheumatologic problems

Effects of cannabis on human body

Cannabis, common name for a drug made from the dried leaves and flowering tops of the Indian hemp plant Cannabis sativa (see Cannabis). People smoke, chew, or eat cannabis for its hallucinogenic and intoxicating effects. It is known by a number of slang names, including "pot," "grass," "reefer," "weed," and "Mary Jane." ) Specific forms of Cannabis

a) Ganja / Barbiturates.

b) Chorosh

c) Marijuana

d) Bhang

Cannabis has psychoactive and physiological effects when consumed, usually by smoking or ingestion. The minimum amount of THC required to have a perceptible psychoactive effect is about 10 micrograms per kilogram of body weight (which, in practical terms, is a varying amount, dependent upon potency). A related compound, ?9-tetrahydrocannabivarin, also known as THCV, is produced in appreciable amounts by certain drug strains. This cannabinoid has been described in the popular literature as having shorter-acting, flashier effects than THC, but recent studies suggest that it may actually inhibit the effects of THC. Relatively high levels of THCV are common in African dagga (marijuana), and in hashish from the northwest Himalayas.

Our youth generation is greatly endangered in drug abuse. Drug can cause great hammarage in our personal and national life. So our government should need to take proper stapes on drug business and abusers.