Top 10 Lethal and Illegal Drugs and Their Effects

Doing drugs has cost the United States more than anything else, as drug poisoning (overdose) is the number one cause of injury-related deaths in the country. Drugs that are illegal and the ones that are being legalized (like marijuana) in some parts of the country have plagued the nation for a long.
The battle to make marijuana legal has been on. However, it has got both patronage and antagonism, making it a major national issue. Use of marijuana, or a similar drug, might become legal in the U.S., but there will always be the ones that will be forbidden. Here, we discuss 10 such drugs which are illegal, and their harmful effects:

1. Psilocybin mushroom: It is commonly known as magic mushroom and can be quite dangerous. With properties that can send one into a trance, these drugs can induce deadly hallucinations in the user, but they are different from delusions.


2. Lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD: People use it illegally to derive a high, often in illegal psychotherapy and meditation. Hallucinations from LSD are so real that it can bring a complete change to a person. The effects may vary from individual to individual, but long-term use can completely change the perspective of a person and bring about a complete overhaul of the personality.


3. Phencyclidine or PCP: This drug also induces hallucinations and is a narcotic. It has got sobriquets like angel dust and wet among addicts. The psychoactive effects of this drug remain only for a few hours. But to completely flush the drug out of the body, more than a couple of weeks are required.


4. Ecstasy: One of the most popular drugs among addicts, it is a recreational drug which heightens the awareness of the user. The senses are highly activated and the user tends to experience a clarity of mind and self-awareness. People use them before indulging in sexual activity as physical touch by others become highly pleasurable. But it is bound to can boomerang as the drug has many side effects. It can lead to increased pulse rate and jaw clenching.


5. Marijuana: Also known as cannabis or pot, its legalization has become a major issue between those who endorse it or oppose it. Derived from the plant cannabis sativa, the drug has various psychological and physiological effects. When people become dependent on it and develop resistance, they start consuming poisonous quantities of marijuana which could lead to fatal consequences. People die of heart attack after injecting this drug in poisonous amounts.


6. Opium: Opium is a narcotic drug and is found in the latex of seed pods of opium. It has similar effects on the body like morphine as it contains 16 percent of morphine. If used properly, it acts as an effective painkiller. But its abuse to derive a high is quite common. Only doctors can prescribe this in the right quantity after a surgery.


7. Cocaine: Cocaine stimulates the central nervous system and causes a sense of euphoria by increasing adrenaline in the blood stream. It results in adrenaline rush, increased heart rate, pulse rate, and the body becomes hyperactive. Because of these effects, it is often used by sportspersons illegally. It can have negative impacts like hormonal imbalance, itching and paranoia.


8. Methamphetamine: It is popularly referred to as ice or meth with effects similar to cocaine. It stimulates the brain, triggering the release of hormones like serotonin, adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine. These hormones, in turn, produce euphoric effects and give a sense of feeling of well-being, which is why people abuse it rampantly. It also has harmful side effects, like obsessive compulsive disorder, loss of appetite and withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety attacks, drug cravings and depression.


9. Crack cocaine: It is commonly known as crack. It is cocaine that is actually freebased. Crack cocaine is smoked and it gives a sense of euphoria and hallucination.


10. Heroin: It is one of the most common drugs abused worldwide and is taken through an injection. Originally created to treat people's morphine addiction, it soon turned out that this drug mimics the action of morphine in the brain and itself became a substance of abuse.