Learning Target:�I can describe the short and long-term effects that drugs have on a person’s health and well-being.

Health Focus

What is meant by the term gateway drug? List some examples of gateway drugs.

Agenda: Marijuana

• What is a Drug?

• Any chemical substance that changes the way the body works or the way a person thinks or feels.

2. What is a Gateway Drug?

• A drug which when used may lead to the use of more addictive substances.
• Examples: tobacco, alcohol, prescription meds and marijuana

3. What is Tolerance?

A person needs more and more of the drug to get the same effects.

4. What is Addiction?

• Uncontrollable use of a drug.

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• A state of physical or mental dependence on a drug.
• A person becomes dependent on a drug when they are addicted. The body needs the drug in order to function properly.
• Teen overdose video

5. What is a Stimulant?

• Any drug that increases the body’s activity
• Increases Heart Rate & Breathing

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• Common Stimulants:
• Caffeine
• Cocaine
• Crack cocaine
• Methamphetamine

stimulants

• All over the place:
• Caffeine- Coffee
• Tea
• Soft drinks
• Chocolate

6. Depressant

• Any drug that decreases the activity in the body
• Heart Rate & breathing slow down.
• Examples
• Alcohol
• Sleeping Pills
• Very addictive
• When mixed with alcohol, possibility for overdose

What is Marijuana?

• Grass, dope, weed, mary jane, bud, reefer
• THC-Tetrahydrocannabinol, the active substance in marijuana, stays in body for up to 30 days
• Different experiences for different people

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• Decreases energy
• Can lose the desire to pursue goals
• Can lead to lung cancer and emphysema

How does it affect your nervous system?

brain areas that it impacts:

• balance
• posture
• coordination
• and reaction time.

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Marijuana video

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8. What is Ecstasy

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• Made from Methamphetamine
• Usually found in pill form but can be crushed and snorted
• Effects: increases sensitivity to touch, hallucinations, tingling in skin, increased energy

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Ecstasy video

9. What are Inhalants?

• Drug that is inhaled and absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs
• Examples: household cleaners, spray paints, some glues, gasoline
• It takes the place of oxygen in lungs and bloodstream
• You can suffocate and die

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Inhalants video

10. What are Hallucinogens?

• Any drug that causes a person

to hallucinate

• to see or hear things that are not there
• You usually have Flashbacks
• An event in which a hallucinogen’s

effects happen again long after the drug

was taken

11. What is Heroin?

• Most powerful and addictive opiate
• Made from morphine
• Injected most often because it gets in bloodstream faster
• Potential dangers of injecting: skin infections, open wounds, scarring, HIV or Hepatitis

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Heroin video

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12. What is Fentanyl?

• Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent.
• Synthetic fentanyl is sold illegally as a powder, dropped onto blotter paper, put in eye droppers and nasal sprays, or made into pills that look like other prescription opioids.

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Prescription pills video

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Prescription Opiates

13. What are Painkillers?

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• Can be abused
• People think they are safe because they are prescribed to someone

14. What is GHB- Date rape drug

• Odorless, tasteless, colorless liquid or a white powder
• Effects: increased energy, euphoria, muscle relaxation, vomiting, dizziness, loss of memory, loss of consciousness, inability to move

• Causes victim to be unable to resist a sexual assault and may cause memory problems about the event

15. Reasons to stay drug free:

• Staying healthy
• Staying in control of your life
• Staying out of jail
• Making good decisions
• Saving your money

16. Refusing DRUGS:

• Avoid places where drugs are usually found
• Practice refusal skills. Refusing video
• Make your own decisions before you have to with other people
• Let your friends know you do not want to use drugs
• Be strong in your beliefs….it’s your life!

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17. Getting help:

• Interventions
• Counseling
• Treatment centers
• Detoxification
• Support groups

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The Final Word

Driving under the influence

Assignment:�Answer the following questions on a piece of paper.

• Describe what marijuana is, what does it look like and in what form is it distributed and taken?
• Which chemical element is contained in cannabis which affects the mind and damages the immune system?
• What are some of the short-term effects of using marijuana?
• What are some of the long-term effects of using marijuana and how could a person’s health be affected by taking it?

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