Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in most countries. This is the botanical name for the marijuana plant which contains the psychoactive ingredient THC

ANABOLIC STEROIDS

While steroid users don’t usually see themselves as injecting drug users, they still run the risk of getting viruses like hep C. One study found 9.5% of steroid injectors were hep C positive!*

Anabolic steroids, also known as roids, are a class of natural and synthetic steroid hormones that promote cell growth and division, resulting in growth of several types of tissues, especially muscle and bone. Testosterone is the most potent natural anabolic steroid.
Desired effects of steroids.

The pharmacological name for ecstasy is Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)

ECSTASY (MDMA)

Ecstasy, often known as the love drug or "e", is becoming ever more popular in many countries, but media coverage is usually sensationalist. It is important that people learn the facts about the drug as opposed to media-generated hype.

The pharmacological name for ecstasy is Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Because ecstasy is an illicit drug, there is no control over the amount of MDMA, if any, that an ecstasy pill may contain. The ingredients of MDMA are often difficult to obtain, therefore manufacturers may substitute other substances when making the drug. These can range from caffeine, glucose and ketamine, to speed and other amphetamine-type substances.

Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs familiar to the public as sleeping pills or minor tranquillisers that are also used by injecting drug users

BENZODIAZEPINES (benzos)

Benzodiazepines are a class of drugs familiar to the public as sleeping pills or minor tranquillisers. They are a central nervous system depressant and only available on prescription, usually for sleeping, panic or anxiety disorders.

Benzodiazepines are a very commonly prescribed drug so young people are often in a position to use these drugs recreationally if they are not locked away. There are many different types, with a generic name, and a brand name specified by each manufacturer.

First synthesized in the early 1960's, GHB (gamma-Hydroxy butyrate) is structurally similar to the neurotransmitter GABA and triggers a variety of effects in the body, apparently by temporarily increasing the supply of both GABA and dopamine in the brain. Its slang names include “fantasy,” “fanta”, “grievous bodily harm (GBH)” or “liquid E”. Originally used as a surgical anaesthetic and sold as a dietary supplement for body builders, it soon spread into the party scene in the UK, before moving across the world.

What is GHB?

GHB is a clear, salty tasting liquid that depresses the central nervous system, slowing down heart rate and breathing, and causing loss of motor coordination. GHB can create a relaxed, euphoric state. However it is a fine line between pleasant effects and overdose, with possible disorientation, nausea, muscle spasms, vomiting and potentially coma or cardiac arrest. GHB can take from ten minutes to an hour to kick in, so wait for an hour before trying some more.

GHB is a clear liquid in both its potent, concentrate form and its diluted form. This makes it difficult (or impossible) to determine a “safe” dose. The amount you need to feel an effect varies from one batch to the next, meaning you’re taking a gamble every time you use GHB.

Cannabis is the world's most popular illicit drug

CANNABIS (marijuana)

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in most countries. This is the botanical name for the marijuana plant which contains the psychoactive ingredient THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Cannabis is a depressant drug and is also called grass, pot, dope, hash, mull and weed.

There are three main drug products from cannabis. Marijuana is the dried leaves and flowers (heads) of the plant and is usually smoked in either hand-rolled cigarettes (joints) or specially designed pipes (bongs). Some users mix marijuana into foods or brew it into a tea for consumption. Hashish is made from the plant’s resin which is made into hard chunks. It is more concentrated than marijuana.

A guide to safer injecting of heroin for injecting drug users.

HEROIN (Smack, horse, 'h')

Heroin belongs to a group of drugs called opiates, which are strong, addictive pain-killing drugs. Opiates are derived from the opium poppy which is most commonly grown in Asia and the Middle East. Heroin is a ‘depressant’ drug because it depresses the central nervous system.

Appearance of heroin

Pure heroin usually comes as a white or off-white powder with a bitter taste. Street heroin may be powder, granules, or tablets. Street names for heroin include H, gear, horse, smack, junk and dope.

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in most countries. This is the botanical name for the marijuana plant which contains the psychoactive ingredient THC

CANNABIS HARM REDUCTION TIPS

When the subject of harm reduction for drug users comes up, most people tend to think of the issue in terms of so-called “hard” drug use — distributing clean syringes to injectors, providing information on avoiding overdose to heroin users, educating people about the dangers of mixing pills with alcohol, operating methadone maintenance programs, etc.

But in recent years, many researchers and drug educators have begun to look into harm reduction for what is often considered the most benign of illicit drugs — cannabis.

Methamphetamine is in a group of synthetic stimulants created synthetically and usually called ‘speed’. Methamphetamine is often called ice, crystal, or meth.

METHAMPHETAMINE (Ice)

Methamphetamine, also called meth, crystal, crystal meth or ice , is a synthetic stimulant drug used for both medicinal and recreational purposes. Some of its medical uses involve treatment for ADHD, obesity and mood disorders. Ice is chemically very similar to amphetamine but has much stronger effects. While this means a more intense high, it also means the negative effects are increased too.

Harm reduction guide to injecting cocaine

COCAINE

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant, creating what has been described as a euphoric sense of happiness and increased energy. It is also a topical anesthetic used in eye, throat, and nose surgery.

A brief history of cocaine

The stimulating qualities of the coca leaf were known to the ancient peoples of Peru and other Pre-Columbian South American societies. In modern Western countries, cocaine has been a feature of the counterculture for well-over a century.

Paramethoxyamphetamine PMA

Paramethoxyamphetamine, commonly referred to as ‘PMA’, received widespread media coverage in Australia in 2007. The rare and highly toxic amphetamine derivative was found in the system of a young woman who died after attending the Good Vibrations festival in Sydney (Alexander & Braithwaite 2007, p.1).

Reports state that Annabel Catt collapsed at a party after taking what she believed to be MDMA, or ‘ecstasy’. While the coroner has not yet determined the official cause of her death, initial results of the toxicology report determined the presence of PMA in her blood (Gibson & Chubby 2007, p.1-2). PMA is one of the most dangerous and toxic hallucinogens known, with hallucinogenic properties similar to LSD, and stimulant effects similar to other amphetamine derivatives.