How deadly really are illicit drugs?
January 9, 2010 - 6:20 pm
I have been around a lot of Meth, Ecstasy, Cocaine, prescription drugs, and have only known 1 person to die from Heroin (it was actually a histamine reaction to morphine present)…but have at the same time known tons of people to die in Iraq or on motorcycles. How deadly are illicit drugs really and does the danger come from the processing or contaminants present and not the actual illicit drug?
January 9th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Your’e kidding right?
I’ve planted plenty of people who wanted to get high “Just one more time” And you are foolish enough to compare it to a war…thousands of people have died in Iraq in nearly a decade…between booze and illegal drugs that many die each week in America alone…
But I dont know why I’m wasting my time…
Wake up.
January 9th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
well, they’re not harmless and all of the drugs you listed tend to increase tolerance over time. Heroin users need more and more and eventually to get high, they need so much their heart may stop due to its muscle relaxing properties.
January 9th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
Heroine and meth are the only really dangerous ones. Weed is harmless and needs to be legalized. It has not killed anyone and STILL remains illegal. Hmm something smells fishy, it probably has something to do with greedy old men and money.
January 9th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
Your comparing illegal drugs to patriotism….
The soldiers fighting in Iraq are fighting to protect their country. They choose to put their lives on the line so that we can sleep safely in our beds at night. They are all patriots. Drug users are risking their lives for nothing except their own selfish endeavors. They are the pathetic losers of society that could easily spend their money on something that could help them in the future instead of something that destroys more and more brain cells by the second. Today this day it fascinates me that people pay outrageous sums of money to harm themselves. They need to grow a spine, grow up, and realize the world isnt such a sad place, its worth experiencing to it’s full not in an alley or worn down house filled with bongs, needles, etc.Didn’t you learn all this in school?
January 9th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
This depends on the drug.
Heroin addicts die of two things. One of which is overdose due to tolerance to the drug. Excessive doses result in respiratory depression – they pass out, stop breathing and asphyxiate. The second is due to complications arising from the route it’s administered. Heroin addicts invariably end up administering the drug by IV injection, frequently with non-sterile technique and equipment. This repeatedly introduces bacteria to the normal sterile blood, and over the years damages the heart and cardiovascular system severely. It’s extremely rare for a heroin addict using via IV to live past 40. Many who start earlier do not live to see 30.
Meth and cocaine damage arises from two things. One is the extreme strain these drugs place on the cardiovascular system – large blood pressure spikes and so on. This can damage the cardiovascular system, and there can be neurological complications due to interrupting the blood supply to parts of the brain – basically miniature strokes. Larger strokes, heart attacks, embolisms and so on are not uncommon with these drugs. The direct effect of the drugs can also damage cells in the brain, presumably due to excitotoxicity. These present as psychiatric complications – and are generally only seen in patients who abuse high doses, for lengthy periods of time.
Ecstasy has become somewhat notorious because it is directly damaging to the central nervous system through serotonergic excitoxicity, though wether this is due to damage to serotonergic neurons themselves, or innervated glutamate neurons is unclear. The consequences of this are not seen directly after the use of the drug, but generally some time down the line. The issues seen in ecstasy abuse are remarkably uniform, generally appearing first as mild social phobia and inhibition, progressing to panic attacks and constant anxiety and eventually severe agoraphobia. Dealing with ecstasy related psychiatric complications is notoriously difficult – as the neurons medications typically act at are no longer alive, intact or healthy. Serotonin syndrome, a frequently lethal condition can result from ecstasy, particularly when combined with other drugs.
The issue of contaminants is more of an immediate threat, rather than the long term damage seen.
Prescription drug abuse varies depending on what drug is being abused. Contamination is not particularly an issue due to the drugs being manufactured under extremely stringent conditions in frequently inspected facilities. However, when these are diverted they can be contaminated intentionally. You’ll have to be a bit more specific about which ones you wish to know about.
January 9th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
they can be pretty deadly (except weed)
i know a lot of people who got addicted and went to rehab but i dont know anyone whos ODed or anything like that
i’ve done my fair share of illegal drugs and nothing has happened to me, but that doesn’t mean everyone is going to be safe
a lot of street drugs can have deadly things added to them like e for an example usually has a lot of extra chemicals added to it that aren’t so good for you…
but i’m not saying that all drugs are bad and that you should never do them, just be careful and know what your putting into your body