Sommaire
Alcohol
Main type Alcohol is a drug in liquid form, classified as a depressant. What is commonly referred to as alcohol is actually ethyl alcohol or ethanol, obtained from the fermentation of natural ingredients such as fruits, seeds or vegetables. During the fermentation process, yeast is used to dissolve the sugar in a fruit or vegetable...
Cannabis
MAIN TYPE Cannabis is one of the most widely used drugs in the world. It has been illegal in many countries for almost a century. It is estimated that its use for medical purposes dates back four millennia and that its recreational use in Western countries became commonplace in the 20th century, especially with its...
Hallucinogenic mushrooms
MAIN TYPE The term "hallucinogenic mushrooms" refers to several varieties of wild mushrooms, which produce psychedelic effects when ingested. Because they are hallucinogenic, they produce various psychedelic and psychoactive effects that alter the subjective experiences and cognitions of the consumer. There are several species of mushrooms that produce these effects, most (but not all) of...
Cocaine
MAIN TYPE Cocaine is a common and highly addictive stimulant drug, but it is also often considered a narcotic. Traditionally, "narcotics" referred to drugs that induced sleep, primarily opiates such as heroin. But now the term is used by law enforcement and the media to refer to all hard drugs, so cocaine is often mistakenly...
Crack
MAIN TYPE Crack is a stimulant drug, usually smoked, that produces an intense effect. Crack is cocaine hydrochloride that is made into crystals using ammonia or baking soda. It is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack comes in the form of small, off-white "pebbles". Its name refers to the loud cracking sound that occurs...
Crystal meth
MAIN TYPE Crystal meth is a highly potent stimulant form of methamphetamine that is usually smoked, although it can also be injected or snorted. It has no color or smell and gets its name from its resemblance to small pieces of glass, or crystals. It is actually approved by the FDA for the treatment of...
Heroin
MAIN TYPE Heroin is the street name for a powerful and highly addictive narcotic drug called diacetylmorphine, derived from the opium poppy. In the United Kingdom, diacetylmorphine, also known as diamorphine, is frequently prescribed in medical settings, usually to treat severe pain, and is preferred to morphine for its less severe side effects. Used as...
Kava
MAIN TYPE Kava-kava, or simply kava, is a mildly sedative herbal substance derived from the plant of the same name (scientific name: Piper Methysticum). It is a plant native to several islands in the western Pacific, including Vanuatu, Hawaii, Micronesia, Fiji and Samoa. In these island cultures, kava-kava has been used for thousands of years...
Ketamine
MAIN TYPE Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic and synthetic depressant that acts on the central nervous system. It has a number of legitimate medicinal and veterinary uses, including as a tranquilizer for horses, but also as an anesthetic for humans in some parts of the world. Because of its dissociative effects, it has become popular...
Khat
MAIN TYPE Khat is a plant that contains two stimulating chemicals, cathine and cathinone, which are released when the plant is chewed. It is native to the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Chewing khat is a tradition dating back thousands of years, a social activity in the region that encourages conversation and decision-making....
The inhalants
MAIN TYPE Drugs classified as inhalants are chemical vapors that are inhaled to produce an intoxicating effect. Inhalants often come in the form of everyday household products, such as aerosols or solvents. Examples of such products include paint, glue, gasoline and cleaning fluids. Many people don't even consider inhalants to be drugs because of their...
LSD
MAIN TYPE LSD, or lysergic acid diethylamide, is a powerful illegal hallucinogen. It is also known colloquially as "acid" and has been used recreationally since the mid-20th century. Today, LSD is most often sold as a small, stamp-like piece of paper called a "cardboard" or "blotter," which comes from a larger sheet of blotter impregnated...
Ecstasy
MAIN TYPE Ecstasy is a stimulant drug, also known as MDMA, usually consumed in capsule or tablet form. It was first synthesized in 1912 in Germany and was originally intended for medical use. Its use was limited until it became part of the rave and dance culture in the United States in the 1980s. From...
Opium
MAIN TYPE Opium can be considered as belonging to the group of "narcotics". It can also be called an "opioid", a substance that stimulates opiate receptors in the brain. Opium is derived from the milky white liquid from the pod of the pivot plant. When dried, this liquid forms a brownish-yellow latex, rich in several...
MDMA
MAIN TYPE MDMA is a stimulant drug, part of the amphetamine group. Better known by its street name, ecstasy, it often comes in pill form. It is also sometimes used in its pure, white crystal form. This synthetically produced substance became widely used as a recreational drug in the 1980s in North America and Europe,...
Methadone
MAIN TYPE Methadone is a synthetic opioid and narcotic drug that acts on opioid receptors in the brain and other parts of the central nervous system. Methadone is legally produced and has a number of legitimate medicinal and therapeutic uses. It is perhaps best known as a legal heroin substitute used to treat drug addicts,...
Morphine
MAIN TYPE Morphine belongs to the category of drugs called narcotics. It is an opiate, which comes from the poppy just like opium. Morphine is synthesized from raw opium. It is mainly used in a medical setting to treat pain, especially after surgery or during palliative care of the terminally ill. Morphine is marketed in...
Amyl nitrite
MAIN TYPE Amyl nitrite is an inhalant that is a member of the alkyl nitrite family. Although often referred to as amyl nitrate, nitrate is a diesel fuel additive and although their names are similar, they are two separate things, not to be confused. Amyl nitrite was first synthesized in a laboratory in 1844 by...
Temazepam
MAIN TYPE Temazepam is a depressant, which means it reduces the activity of certain parts of the brain. It is also classified as a sleep aid, which means it makes you sleepy, and has been available by prescription to combat the effects of sleep disorders such as insomnia for several decades. The drug was first...
