People use many different kinds of drugs.
These drugs may be legal or illegal, helpful
or harmful. Every drug has a side-effects
and risks, but some drugs have more risks
than others, especially illegal drugs.
Different drugs create different problems
For different people. These problems need
Different answers. To begin to understand the
Problem, you have to know what is happening
In the life of the person who is using the and
What drug they are using.
In this article we look at the problem of illegal
Drug use. The most commonly used illegal
Drugs are cannabis, ecstasy, heroin and cocaine.

Why Do People Use Drugs?

There are of course legal drugs which we all come
across everyday. For example, you may take medicine
When you are sick, alcohol to help you relax or coffee
To help you stay awake. What we are talking about in
This article are illegal drugs. You may experiment with
Illegal drugs because of curiosity, because your friends
Are doing it or to escape boredom or worries. You may
Take certain drugs to change how you feel. You may
Believe it’s a fun or fashionable thing to do.
You may continue to use a drug because you enjoy it,
or because it’s part of your social life or culture. This
Is often called “recreational” drug use.
Sometimes drug use can become an important part of
your life. This may be because of emotional, psychological
or social problems you are experiencing. Some drugs
can make you addicted or dependent, where you lose
control over the drug use and feel you cannot function
without the drug.

Some people use more than one drug at the same time -
This is known as “Polydrug use”. Mixing drugs can be
Dangerous because the effects and side-effects are added
Together. This includes mixing illegal drugs with legal
Drugs such as alcohol or medication. For example, taking
Alcohol with cocaine increases your risk of irregular
heart rhythms, heart attacks and even death.

What You Need to Know About Drugs

There are five main kinds of drugs that can change your
Mood or how you behave. Most of these drugs come
Under a law called the Misuse Of Drugs Act. They
Are known as “controlled drugs” and are listed in different

Groups called schedules. The schedules group drugs to
How useful they are and what is needed to control there use.
For example, schedule one covers drugs that have no medical
Use – drugs such as LSD and “Designer rugs” such as ecstasy.
This is different from the UK where drugs are grouped in classes.
(A,B,C) according to how the law deals with them.