DRUGS

What are drugsAny chemical or biological substance used to cure organisms

Types of drugs1- Alcohol

2- Tobacco

3-Marijuana

4-Methamphetamine

5-Prescription drugs

AlcoholAlcohol is a depressant that is sold as beer, wine or liquor. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, one in two teenagers consumed alcohol in the past year. Although many teenagers consider it fun, it is very dangerous. The effects of alcohol on your body depend on your size, weight, sex, age and the amount of food you have consumed.

TobaccoTobacco comes in the forms of cigarettes, cigars or smokeless tobacco. Many teenagers also use water pipes – or hookahs – to smoke tobacco. This is just as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. Nicotine is the stimulating chemical in tobacco that makes it addictive. However, there are also more than 4,000 other chemicals in tobacco that are also poisonous. Some people think smokeless tobacco is healthier – but it is not. According to the American Lung Association, three to four times the amount of nicotine is consumed from smokeless tobacco than from a cigarette. About 500,000 Americans die each year from tobacco use, which is more than all other drugs combined.

MarijuanaMarijuana goes by a variety of nicknames such as: dope, grass, Mary Jane, pot, reefer, weed, skunk, chronic and ganja. Call it what you want, but marijuana has dangerous effects. Marijuana comes from the cannabis sativa plant. There is a chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana that makes it a mind-altering substance. People use marijuana in several ways. One way is rolling marijuana into a cigarette called a joint. Another way is emptying cigars and filling them with marijuana. Others smoke marijuana through a water pipe called a bong. Lastly, some people mix it with food (brownies are commonly used) or brew it into their tea.

MethamphetamineMethamphetamine, commonly called speed, meth, glass, or crystal, is an addictive stimulant. Methamphetamine is taken orally, injected, or snorted. It is also, like cocaine, turned into a crystal that is smoked. Methamphetamine is often produced in labs, either legal or illegal, which harm the environment.

Prescription drugsPrescription drugs are highly beneficial – for the people to whom they are prescribed. When unnecessarily taken, these drugs are very dangerous. Prescription pill use can be categorized by three types: pain relievers, sedatives and tranquilizers, and stimulants.

The latest drug abuse report produced this year by the Ministry of

Health shows drug addiction in Cairo to be at record high levels, with

five to seven percent of the population believed to be addicted to

some form of drugs. That figure translates to between 1-1.4 million

people, and the drugs most likely to cause addiction are heroin and

Tramadol, a synthetic opiate pharmaceutical.

“This statistic is not casual users, which is 25-30 percent of the

population and includes consumers of hashish and alcohol, it means

five to seven percent are abusing drugs harmfully and are

dependent, which is incredibly high,” says Emad Hamdi-Ghoz, the

head of psychiatry at Cairo University and the leader of the team that

conducted the study.

These statistics also make Cairo the country’s drug abuse capital, as

data from other governorates show a 1.6 percent addiction rate, and

a 10 percent casual user rate.

Conclusion“In a country where 50 percent of the male

population smokes tobacco, and most don’t see it

as necessarily harmful, you’re already halfway to

trying hashish or bongo,” he says. Doctor Habiby

furthers this view in his belief that hashish and

bongo are a major problem in Egypt, because the

majority of the population does not see them as a

problem, unlike alcohol, which is generally

considered haram (sinful).

He believes that the city needs serious

campaigning, not only in schools and universities,

but in poorer areas where access to information

and education is limited. “Awareness is practically

non-existent where we need it most,” he says. Ancient Egypt