This series is designed to encourage young people in grades five through
nine to learn about the effects of drug abuse on the body and the brain.
Marijuana - You may have heard it called
pot, weed, grass, ganja or skunk, but marijuana by any other name is still
a drug that affects the brain.
Opiates - Maybe you've heard of drugs
called heroin, morphine or codeine. These are examples of opiates. If
someone uses opiates again and again, his or her brain is likely to become
dependent on them.
Inhalants - Hair spray, gasoline,
spray paint -- they are all inhalants, and so are lots of other everyday
products. Some people inhale the vapors on purpose.
Hallucinogens - Hallucinogens cause
people to experience - you guessed it - hallucinations, imagined experiences
that seem real.
Anabolic Steroids - Anabolic steroids
are artificial versions of a hormone that's in all of us -- testosterone.
Some people take anabolic steroid pills or injections to try to build
muscle faster.
Stimulants - Stimulant drugs such
as cocaine, "crack," amphetamines, and caffeine are substances that speed
up activity in the brain and spinal cord. Stimulants often influence a
person to be more talkative and anxious and to experience feelings of
exhilaration.
Nicotine - When tobacco is smoked,
nicotine is absorbed by the lungs and quickly moved into the bloodstream,
where it is circulated throughout the brain.
Methamphetamine - Methamphetamine
comes in many different forms and is snorted, swallowed, injected, or
smoked. Methamphetamine can cause lots of harmful things, including inability
to sleep, paranoia, aggressiveness, and hallucinations.
Teacher's Guide - The Teacher's Guide
is used in combination with the magazines in the series to promote an
understanding of the physical reality of drug use, as well as curiosity
about neuroscience.
Mind Over Matter is produced by the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
National Institutes of Health. These materials are in the public domain
and may be reproduced without permission. Citation of the source is appreciated.
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