Oxycontin Street Names:

• oxy
• OC

Percocet Street Name:

• percs
• paulas
• roxis
  

What are they?

• Opioid drug like morphine, codeine, heroin and methadone.
  
• Contains purely oxycodone in 10mg, 20mg, 40mg or 80 mg tablets.
  
• Acts as a long-term intensive pain reliever.
  
• Difference between oxycontin and Percocet: Percocet contains a mix of oxycodone and acetaminophen (drug in Tylenol) while oxycontin is purely made of oxycodone.

Health Risks:

• Overdose: difficult/slow breathing, extreme sleepiness, loss of consciousness, can lead to brain damage and death.
  
• Feeling lousy: along with extreme sickness in withdrawal, other side effects of using oxycontin include constipation, sexual problems, swelling, nausea, sweating, itching and sleepiness.

Street Names:

• benzos
• tranks
• downers

Generic Names:

• clonazepam (Rivotril)
• diazepam (Valium)
• lorazepam (Ativan)
• alprazolam (Xanax)
  

What are they?

• Family of prescription drugs used to relieve anxiety and help people sleep.
  
• Sedative drugs that reduce activity in certain parts of the brain to induce a calming effect.

Health Risks:

• Benzodiazapines have some “hangover” effects such as: daytime drowsiness, psychological impairment and nausea.
  Withdrawal symptoms include headache, insomnia, tension, sweating, difficulty concentrating, paranoia, delirium and seizures.

Street Names:

• blow
• C
• coke
• crack
• flake
• freebase
• rock
• snow
  

What is it?

• Stimulant drug that makes people feel alert and energetic and more aware of their senses.
  
• Powder cocaine can be chemically changed to create forms of cocaine that can be smoked instead of snorted or injected. This is known as “freebase” or “crack” and it looks like crystals or rocks.

Health Risks:

• Can lead to: panic attacks, psychotic symptoms, erratic, bizarre and sometimes violent behaviour.
  
• Snorting cocaine can cause serious sinus infections and damage to the inside of the nose including making holes in the tissue.
  
• Smoking cocaine can cause “crack lung” which includes breathing problems, severe chest pain and high temperatures. This can be fatal.

Street Names:

• junk
• H
• smack
• horse

What is it?

• Belongs to the opioid family of drugs.
  
• It is made from morphine that has been chemically processed to be stronger and more effective immediately.
  
• Heroin is converted back to morphine in the brain.

Health Risks:

• Overdose is the most immediate danger of using heroin mainly due to heroin’s ability to stop one’s breathing completely when too much has been taken.
  
• Combining heroin with other drugs such as cocaine (speedballs) can be fatal because of not knowing of the interactions between drugs inside the body.
  
• Injecting can damage veins.

Street Names:

• E
• XTC
• Adam
• the love drug

What is it?

• Chemical name for ecstasy is 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA.
  
• Ecstasy tablets come in different shapes sizes and colours with a logo which gives it a “candy-like” look.
  
• Ecstasy produces feelings of euphoria, pleasure and well-being.

Health Risks:

• Grinding of teeth and jaw pain, increased blood pressure and heart rate, anxiety or panic attacks, blurred vision, nausea vomiting and convulsions.
  
• Withdrawal effects include: confusion, irritability, anxiety, paranoia, depression, memory impairment or sleep problems.

Street Names:

• acid
• blotter
• windowpane
• microdot

What is it?

• Stands for lysergic acid diethylamide and it is a powerful hallucinogen.
  
• Originally derived from “ergot,” a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.
  
• It is a white, crystal-like powder that dissolves in water.
  
• It can also come packaged in squares of LSD-soaked paper (blotters), miniature powder pellets ("microdots") or gelatin chips ("window pane").

Health Risks:

• Numbness, rapid heartbeat, reduced co-ordination, chills, nausea, tremor, weakness and dilated pupils.
  
• Affects judgment, which can lead to irrational, sometimes dangerous, behaviour.
  
• Can complicate mental health problems.

Street Names:

• marijuana
• grass
• weed
• pot
• dope
• ganja
• hashish
• hash

What is it?

• A solid, dark lump known as “resin”.
  
• Leaves, stalks, and seeds called “grass”.
  
• Can be rolled in a spliff or joint, smoked on its own in a special pipe, or cooked and eaten in food.

Health Risks:

• Lethargic and lacking energy.
  
• Lack of motivation.
  
• Can make users paranoid and anxious.
  
• Impairs the ability to learn and concentrate.

Street Names:

• G
• liquid ecstasy
• liquid x
• date rape drug

What is it?

• GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) is produced naturally in the human body in very small amounts.
  
• Is a central nervous system depressant.

Health Risks:

• Slows down your breathing and heart rate.
  
• Makes you sleepy, when in a GHB sleep, convulsions can occur.
  
• Can also cause amnesia (loss of memory).

Street Names:

• speed
• meth
• chalk
• ice
• crystal

What is it?

• Methamphetamine belongs to a family of drugs called amphetamines.
• Powerful stimulant that speeds up the body's central nervous system.
  

Health Risks:

• Causes the heart to beat faster and blood pressure to rise.
• An overdose of methamphetamine can result in seizures, high body temperature, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, stroke and death.
• Long-term use can result in amphetamine psychosis which includes hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and bizarre and violent behaviour.