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1)  Synthetic drugs are a growing concern due to the material that is used in creating these drugs.  These chemicals that are used to achieve a high are materials that could contain toxic materials such as plastics and heavy metals.
2) Spice – Herbal mixture sold in European countries via internet.  THC – marijuana like psychoactive effects and it is abused by smoking. Side effects:  increased heart rate; increased blood pressure, altered state of consciousness, mild euphoria and relaxation, perceptual alterations (time distortion), impaired short-term memory, reduction in motor skills, increased in reaction times, pronounced cognitive effected, intensification of sensory experiences.
3) Salvia – A potent activator of Kappa opiod receptors in the brain.  This is chewed, smokes and consumed in water pipes or vaporized and inhaled.  The latter is not a controlled substance.  It is being considered in the classification as LSD or marijuana. Side effects:  hallucinations or “psychotomimetic” episodes, short-lived appearing in less than 1 minute to 30 minutes – changes in visual perception, mood and body sensations, mood swings, feelings of detachment, a highly modified perception of external reality and the self, decreased ability to intereact with one’s surroundings.
4) Bath Salts – Law enforcement officials are reporting that the bath salts have become a designer drug.  They are sold in the same retail outlets where they sell Spice and online.  Bath salts are abused by injection, smoking, snorting and the use of an atomizer.  They have been marketed as bath crystals, plant food and herbal incense.  Side effects:  Agitation, intense high or euphoria, extreme energy, hallucinations and insomnia.
5) Ecstasy (MDMA) – other names “Mollies” “Mandies” – ingredients in Ecstasy – Ketamine (animal sedative), cocaine, dextromethorphan (active ingredient in cough syrup), Ephedrine (weight loss drug) and caffeine.  The Russian Roulette – other drugs similar to MDMA such as MDA or PMA are often sold as Ecstasy which can lead to overdose and death because the users takes additional doses to obtain the desired effect. Side effects:  Increased energy levels, enhanced enjoyment of tactile experiences, reduction of inhibitions, euphoria, feelings of closeness, empathy and sexuality, anxiety, immobility, aggression, lack of appetite, reduction of mental abilities, restlessness, impulsiveness, insomnia, reduced interest and pleasure in sex, dehydration, nausea, chills, seating, involuntary jaw clenching and teeth grinding, muscle cramps, blurred vision, hyperthermia (high body temperature), high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney failure.
6) Khat – Native to East Africa – 1st appeared in U.S. 1995. Street names – Abyssinian tea, African Salad, Catha, Chat, Kat, Oat.  Looks like – leaves, twigs. Methods used – chewed like tobacco. Leaves can be made into tea or paste, smoked or sprinkled on food. Side effects:  Agitation, insomnia, irritability, dizziness, depression, short-term memory loss, paranoia, delusions, suicidal thoughts, seizures, abnormal body odor, panic attacks, reduced motor control, decreased ability to think clearly, rashes, mania, nightmares hallucinations, hyperactivity.
7) Ya Ba – a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine – Street name – Crazy medicine and Nazi speed. Looks like – Tablet no larger than pencil eraser, brightly colored with many logos $ and WY.  YaBaDaBaDu. Side effects: violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, hyperthermia and convulsions.
8) Lazy Cakes – made for adult dietary supplement can help the body and mind relax naturally, easing stress and helping you to sleep.  Brownies but contains Melatonin to create a sense of relaxation. 
9) Ketamine – a short-acting anesthetic used in humans and animals – distorts perception, sight and sound. Street names – Cat tranquilizer, Cat Valium, Jet, K, Kit Kat, Purple, Special K. special La Coke, Super Acid, Super K, Vitamin K. Side Effects:  Agitation, Depression, Unconsciousness, Amnesia,, Involuntary rapid eye movement, dilated pupils, nausea, salivation, muscle tightening.  Methods used – snorted or smoked. Liquid – injected or mixed into drinks. Often found in combination with MDMA, amphetamine, methamphetamine or cocaine.
10) Poppers – ingredients are Amyl and Butyl Nitrate. Street names – Amy nitrite, Butyl nitrite, isobutyl nitrite, TNT, liquid gold, and rush. Look likes – comes in small glass bottles.  Some people smoke a cigarette that has been dipped into the liquid. Side effects:  Muscle relaxation, increased heart rate, sensation of heat, head rush, euphoria, increased sexual arousal, headaches, asphyxia, skin irritation, dermatitis, carbon monoxide poisoning.
11) Cough suppressant – Dextromethorphan (DXM). Mind effects – confusion, agitation, paranoia, feeling of floating, other sensory changers, psychosis.  Body effects – over excitability, lethargy, loss of coordination, confusion, slurred speed, hypertension, slowed breathing, coma, brain damage, death.

(notes SWFASP workshop 4/2013 Ft. Myers, FL)

Communicate - Talking to Teens

Teach them how to get out of bad situations and suggest responses they can use so they don’t feel “uncool”.  Saying, “No thanks; not into it”. “Not today” “I’m not interested”.

Recognizing Warning Signs of Teen Drug Abuse

Red Flags

-Sudden and/or extreme changes in friends

-  Secrecy about actions or possessions
 

- Eating habits, sleeping patterns, physical

-Stealing need for money or an unexplained need for money

-  Appearance, coordination or  performance.  

                                                       – Medicine containers, despite a lack of illness, or drug paraphernalia.

-Loss of interest in hobbies or activities 

-Hostile or uncooperative attitude.  

-Unusual smells on your teen or from their room.

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