DRUG INFORMATION

General Drug Info

Alcohol

Tobacco

Steroids

Cannabis

Cocaine & Crack

Hallucinogens

Rohypnol

Ecstasy & Designer Drugs

Inhalants

Prescription and
Over-the-Counter
Medications

General Drug Information

What is A Drug?
How do Drugs Affect Different People?
When Do Young People Try Drugs?

Facts you should know:

Obtaining drugs
Drug-Related Deaths
Drugs and Property Crime
Adolescent Drug Use

What is A Drug?

• A drug is anything, other than food, that changes the way the body and mind works
• Drugs can be illicit substances like marijuana and cocaine but things like medicine, tobacco, alcohol and even caffeine are also drugs
• All illicit drugs carry risks and are dangerous. There is no safe level.
• No one can ever be sure of exactly what they are taking when they take an illicit drug
• There are no guarantees about purity or strength, and no one knows exactly what illicit drugs have been mixed with
• No one can be sure what effect a drug will have, even if they have used it before
• Mixing drugs, including alcohol and prescription drugs, can be very dangerous.

How do Drugs Affect Different People?

It is possible for different people to have different reactions to the same drug just as one person may have a different reaction each time they use it. A person's reaction to a drug will vary according to different factors:

• The type of drug
• The amount and strength of the drug
• How the drug is taken
• A person's body size
• Whether a person has used the drug before
• The person's mood and the setting in which the drug is taken such as at a party with friends or on their own
• Other drug taken. The consequences of mixing drugs can be very severe

When Do Young People Try Drugs?

There are no hard and fast rules about when young people start trying different types of drugs. However, cannabis use tends to start from the early to mid teenage years while experimentation with drugs such as ecstasy and amphetamines (speed) generally begins in the mid to late teens.

Facts you should know:

Obtaining Drugs

Nearly 9 out of 10 illicit drug users obtained their drugs from friends and acquaintances.

Drug-Related Deaths

According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, in 1995, there were 804 deaths (695 men and 108 women) in Canada attributable to illicit drugs. Suicides (329 deaths) and opiate poisoning (160 deaths) accounted for almost two-thirds of all drug-related deaths. The 804 deaths resulted in 33,669 potential years of life lost. In 1995-96 there were 6,947 hospitalizatiosn attributable to illicit drugs.

Drugs and Property Crime

In several jurisdictions where surveys were recently done, more than 75 percent of adult males detained on property offences tested positive to a drug of some type (excluding tobacco and alcohol).

Adolescent Drug Use

In 2001, 33.5% of adolescents between 14 and 19 had used an illicit drug of some type, including cannabis. This includes 1% of teenagers who reported use of heroin. (Source: Centre for Addition and Mental Health)