An introductory text reads, Recreational use of psychoactive drugs is not only dangerous; it can have disastrous personal and financial consequences for users, families, and society as a whole. Summarized below are some common effects and negative outcomes seen with drugs belonging to three board categories: depressants, stimulants, and hallucinogens. Note that responses can vary from person to person.
A question reads, what are the possible consequences?
Depressants:
Effects: Euphoria, decreased pain, drowsiness.
Potential harm: Coma, liver disease, suffocation in sleep.
Stimulants:
Effects: heightened energy, suppressed appetite, increased endurance.
Potential harm: Seizures, tooth decay, and stroke/heart attack.
Hallucinogens:
Effects: Emotional Rollercoaster, distortion of time, hallucinations.
Potential harm: long-term flashbacks, memory impairment, and depression.
The second panel is titled, A country in crisis: the Opioid epidemic. Text reads, the United States is experiencing an unprecedented epidemic of opioid misuse.
The Opioid Epidemic in the U S in 2016/2017 is as follows:
11.4 million people misused prescription opioids.
2 million people misused prescription opioids for the first time.
42,249 people died from overdosing on opioids.
2.1 million people had opioid use disorder.
886,000 people used heroin.
17,087 deaths attributed to overdosing on commonly prescribed opioids.
19,413 deaths attributed to overdosing on nonmethadone synthetic opioids.
81,000 people used heroin for the first time.
15,469 deaths attributed to overdosing on heroin.
Data from Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (A S P A), U S Department of Health and Human Services (2017).
A graph shows overdose deaths involving opioids, by type of opioid, in the United States, during the period 2000 to 2017.
The horizontal axis ranges from 2000 to 2017 in increments of 1 and the vertical axis plots deaths per 100,000 population ranging from 0 to 15 in increments of 1. The approximate data from the graph are as follows:
The curve labeled heroin starts from (2000, 0.7), slightly increases over time to (2010, 1), then dramatically increases to (2017, 4.9).
The curve labeled methadone starts from (2000, 0.5), peaks at (2006, 1.9), then steadily declines to (2017, 1).
The curve labeled other synthetic opioids (example: fentanyl, tramadol) starts from (2000, 0.3), slowly increases to (2013, 1), then dramatically increases till (2017, 9.1).
The curve natural and semisynthetic opioids starts from (2000, 1) and steadily increases till (2017, 4.5).
The curve labeled any opioid starts from (2000, 3), steadily increases to (2013, 7.9), then dramatically increases till (2017, 14.9).
All data are approximate.
Data from: C D C/N C H S, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality (2016); Hedegaard, Warner, and Miniño (2018).