Usually in powder form (off white colour often with either a yellow or pink tinge). Pills of various colours and colour combinations are sometimes used. There is no way of knowing what chemicals any given pill or powder contains. your only guide is what the dealer tells you!
alertness, confidence, having more energy, lack of hunger, euphoria, increased stamina.
anxiety, delusions, paranoia, panic attacks, psychosis, depression, high blood pressure, insomnia, irregular heartbeat, exhaustion, lethargy, weight loss, talkativeness (mostly rubbish), mood swings, temper tantrums, restlessness, irritability, mental confusion, dependence.
Because it is impossible to tell exactly what drug is being bought until it’s effects become apparent there is a great deal of unscrupulous activities by dealers. Some will mix anything from baking powder to ground up glass with amphetamine (This is called 'cutting'), others will sell any pill or tablet they can get hold of. As amphetamine will have been 'cut' several times before reaching the user most of this activity goes without notice by the users.
Amphetamine was first synthesised in Germany (1887). They were first used in the treatment of colds and hay fever in the early 1930’s. In 1937 they found they were first used to treat hyperactive children (this use continues). During the war of the 1940’s, soldiers were supplied with amphetamine in an attempt to boost morale and reduce battle fatigue. This was repeated during the Korea war in the 1950’s but the amphetamine was mixed with heroin. It was during the 1950’s that amphetamine was widely prescribed to treat depression and as a slimming aid. The 1970’s saw amphetamine misuse become popular as part of the punk rock culture and in night clubs. It now is a popular drug in the rave scene and is often sold as ecstasy even though it has no hallucinogenic effects (It is sometimes ‘cut’ with LSD to get such an effect).
Some users inject this drug which brings in the risk of HIV and Hepatitis through sharing needles. There is little real need for users to place themselves in such risk as there are needle replacement schemes in most towns and cities in the UK. Unfortunately some users do not have the patience to make effective use of such schemes.
Amphetamine Sulphate ('Speed')
Class B, Schedule 2 (Class A. in injectable form)
Dexamphetamine (Dexedrine 'Dexies')
Class B, Schedule 2 (Class A. in injectable form)
Laevo-amphetamine (Benzedrine 'Bennies)
Class B, Schedule 2 (Class A. in injectable form)
Methylamphetamine (Methedrine)
Class B, Schedule 2 (Class A. in injectable form)
(Amphetimine Substitutes)
Diethylpropion (Apisate, Dosopan, Tenuate)
Methylphenidate (Ritlan 'Rit')
Class B, Schedule 2 (Class A. in injectable form)
Pemoline (Ronyl, Volatil)
Phenbutrazate Hydrochloride (Filon)
Class C, Schedule 2 (Class A. in injectable form)
Street Names
Amphet, amphetamine, base, billy, speed, uppers, sulph, sulphate, whizz, woodpeckers.
An alkaloid which comes from coffee, tea, cocoa and some other plants. It is often found in soft drinks but it is also present in foods and medicines.
Increased alertness, more energy, improved sociability.
Anxiety, Increased blood pressure, slight shaking of muscles insomnia, heart and kidney problems, sweating, increased need to urinate.
From China through the middle east and even in the pre-columbian New World caffeine has been used for centuries. Europe did not begin to use it until explorers began to bring back tea from china, coffee from Turkey and Arabia, The Cola nut from W. Africa and Cocoa from the New World. Upon introduction coffee drinking increased in spite of opposition from governments, Religion and medical opinion.
Caffeine was discovered within coffee in 1820. Theine which was discovered in tea in 1827, was found to be identical to caffeine in 1838. Caffeine is used for the treatment of Migraine because it’s effect on the blood vessels helps reduce pain and increases the effects of pain reducing drugs (Analgesics). It can also help those who suffer from Asthma by widening the bronchial airways in the lungs. The amount of caffeine found in tea and coffee has been found to be between 100 and 150mg per cup, cola drinks tend to contain about 50mg per cup. Pure caffeine is produced commercially mostly as a by-product of decaffeinating coffee.
There are no laws restricting the sale and use of this drug.
There are no street names for this drug.
Cocaine is a water soluble salt which comes either as a dry white powder or as a raisin sized crystal (Crack).
Euphoria, sense of wellbeing, confidence, exhilaration, alertness, feeling of extra strength, sense of increased mental ability, indifference to pain,
anxiety, panic, agitation, paranoia, hallucinations, restlessness, sickness, insomnia, weight loss, exhaustion, nervousness, confusion, excitability, depression, tiredness, dependence, physical damage to the inside of the nasal passage, respiratory problems, chest pain, nausea, death.
Cocaine is an alkaloid extracted from the leaves of the Andean cocoa shrub. It was first used by the Inca’s of South America about 2,500 BC, who chewed the leaves of the shrub as an aid to work. The drug itself was first extracted in 1855 and became a widely used anaesthetic for minor surgery and in medications to relieve the symptoms of various illnesses.
Sigmund Freud promoted cocaine as an aid to combat other addictions (1884-1887). Cocoa wines were introduced in 1863 followed by small amounts of cocaine being included in Cola drinks in 1885. This was to be removed from the drink in 1903. During the First World War it is said that prostitutes were selling cocaine to soldiers on leave.
Cocaine possession was eventually banned in 1916. Cocaine became popular during the 1970’s amongst societies high flyers and high performance executives. To them it was a means of increasing endurance, alertness, confidence and mental ability. It became known as the ‘champagne drug’ because only the rich could afford it, but since the introduction of cocaine freebase (Crack) in the 1980’s, this is no longer true.
Cocaine Hydrochloride (Coke)
Class A, Schedules 2 & 5.
Cocaine Freebase (Crack)
Class A, Schedules 2 & 5.
Base, Charlie, Coke, Crack, Rock, Snow, Stone, Wash.
When we hear the word Nicotine we usually think about cigarettes. But nicotine can be chewed or absorbed into the skin. Skin patches were introduced as an aid to giving up smoking but this only replaces one form of nicotine addiction with another. Nicotine gum was introduced with much the same results. In fact the use of Nicotine patches has resulted in skin cancer and the use of gum has resulted in cancers of the mouth and throat. It is well known about the link between smoking and lung cancer. It is also well known that nicotine is a carcinogenic drug and that it can be linked to a great many disorders with the most well known being cancer, heart disease, blood clots, bronchitis, bad blood circulation, ulcers and damage to unborn children.
The effect of nicotine on the new user is a slight dizziness or light headed feeling but this wears off quite quickly. Regular users find that it brings a calming effect but this calming effect is an illusion. It is produced by the presence of the drug feeding the body's craving for it. As the drug wears off the craving returns and so the nicotine can then 'calm' the body. This is the very nature of addiction that the chemical provides a need for itself and then brings relief when it is present. This set up a spiral in which the body needs more and more of the chemical (or the same amount more regularly) to provide the same level of relief.
If you are a tobacco smoker you also have other carcinogenic drugs which your body has to deal with, tar and carbon monoxide being the main ones. Unfortunately tobacco smoke also affects those around you as well. Some women believe that smoking helps them keep their weight down but there is no evidence to support this idea.
Some people find that they can use smoking to reduce tiredness and fatigue. This is because it is a stimulant drug. Many of these people will say that it relaxes and stimulates simultaneously. The drug stimulating the body while removing the body's craving for itself creates this effect.
It is interesting that a drug that is known to be so carcinogenic and has so little benefit is actually the world's most used drug! In the U.K. this drug is the cause of about 110,000 deaths each year, millions of pounds are spent on medical assistance for smoking related ailments, and each cigarette is said to shorten your life by about five minutes.