Tobacco

Where to get help?If you or a friend needs help or for more information:Log on: www.ourguideto.co.ukText: 07781 472 746Tel: 0121 569 2201 Email: dqa1000@hotmail.com

Some nicknames for cigarettes are: fags, ciggies, fakes, burns, tabs. A nickname for tobacco is: baccy.

What it’s like

Tobacco comes from the dried leaves of the tobacco plant. It is found in cigarettes, cigars and other products.

Tobacco is usually smoked but can also be chewed.

Cigarette smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, including arsenic, tar, ammonia hydrogen cyanide and nicotine.

After 20 minutes: •Bloodpressureandpulse

rate return to normal•Circulationinhandsandfeet

improve

After 8 hours:•Chancesofaheartattack

start to fall

After 1 day: •There’snomorecarbon

monoxide left in your body•Lungsstarttoclearout

mucus and other debris

Nicotine is a physically addictive drug. It is one of the reasons people find it so difficult to give up smoking.

Smokers also get used to smoking and it becomes part of their daily routine. This makes it very hard to stop.

When you smoke, nicotine reaches your brain in 7-10 seconds.

It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under age 18.

After 2 days: •Senseoftasteandsmell

improve

After 3 months: •Coughsandbreathing

problems get better•Yellowtobaccostainson

the teeth disappear

After 18 months: •Lungshavecompleted

their task of clearing out tar and other poisons

THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!The benefits of giving up smoking START as soon as you STOP!

Illegal CigarettesDid you know that there are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke! And that’s the ones we can regulate in the shops, illegal ones contain even more! Remember it is illegal to buy cheap cigarettes from other countries then bring them back here to sell on to others. Not only can that person be arrested and/or fined but they are also doing their buyers a lot of harm. Therearestrictrulesonhowcigarettesaremadeandwhatgoesintothemandsomeofthecheapone’sdon’talwaysfollowthesamerulesmeaningtheycancontainanythingatall!Peoplewhosmokethesecigarettes are putting themselves at more risk of getting smoking related illnesses.

Giving Up...There are lots of ways to stop smoking and lots of people who can help! If you are 12 and over you can get Nicotine Replacement Therapy to help with your cravings. This could be patches, nicotine gum and many more.Soifyou’rethinkingaboutstoppingsmokingwhynothavea chat with a learning mentor at school or even the school health nurse. They will be able to put you in touch with someone who can help and might even be able to offer you support themselves!Ifyou’reworriedabouttalkingtosomeoneatschool you can always get in touch with DECCA directly to arrangeanappointment,justseethe‘Wheretogethelp?’sectionatthebottomofthepage,anddon’tforgetweare a confidential service.

If you smoke tobacco it can make you:•Feellightheaded•Feelasthoughyouare

more relaxed•Feeldizzy•Feelsickandthrowup

Top Facts •Oneintwosmokersdiefromasmokingrelatedillness.

•Manyhousefiresarecausedbycarelesslydiscardedcigarettes.

•Smoking20cigarettesadayforayearcostsabout£1750.

•Itisillegaltosmokeinenclosedpublicandcertainotherplaces.

•Feellackinginenergy•Unwell/illmuchmoreoften

It can also make your:•Fingersandteethyellow•Breathsmell•Bodyandclothessmell

•Senseoftasteandsmellworse•Friendsnotwanttobearound

you because you smell•Someoneyoufancynotwant

to go near you as you smell and taste bad

•Musclesweaker

BigGuideto...Cannabis,Tobacco and Volatile Substances

The DECCA Team

DECCA (Drug Education, Counselling and

Confidential Advice) areSandwell’sYoung

People’s(18&under)drugservice.

Cannabis Some nicknames are: skunk, bud, black, draw, weed, grass, ganja, marijuana and boo-da.

Top FactsCannabis can make you:•Chillout•Actsilly•Feelparanoid•Feelrelaxed•Feelhungry(munchies)•Throwup•Laughatnothing(giggly)•Passout•Vulnerabletobeingattacked•Fallover•Dosomethingstupid

The effects depend on loads of different things and can be different each time you use.

Cannabis comes in different strengths. If you use a type that is stronger than you are used to it can have a totally different effect than you expected.

There have been reports in the press that cannabis can trigger underlying mental health problems. This would mean that some people who use cannabis are increasing their chance of having a mental health problem. Some people might smoke (or use other drugs)becausetheydon’tfeelgood anyway. The trouble is that they run the risk of making a bad situation even worse. Perhaps you have heard people say that there are no risks with cannabis. It is worth remembering that NO drug is risk free and that definitely includes cannabis.

Important FactsPeople who use cannabis dailyandfeeltheycan’tgowithout it have reported these symptoms to us:•Paranoia •Depression •Lethargy •Voluntaryexclusionfrom

society•Lackofinterestinanything •Sweatsandshakespriorto

first spliff of the day•Nightterrors •Nightsweats •Insomnia •Suddenlyshakingawake

throughout the night•Aggression •Violenceandthreatening

behaviour when in need of cannabis (especially to family/friends in order to get money to buy cannabis).

What it’s like

Cannabis comes from the hemp plant. It can come as the dried form of the plant (1), as a resin (2) or as an oil (not pictured). It can be eaten or smoked.

A cannabis cigarette is known as a spliff or joint. These are hand rolled cigarettes with cannabis and usually tobacco in them. Remember tobacco kills over 100,000 people each year and is a physically addictive drug. Some people believe tobacco is the biggest danger of smoking a spliff or joint but cannabis comes with risks as well.

1 2

THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!Cannabis is ILLEGAL!There’salwaysalotoftalkaboutwhatclassit should be.

Itdoesn’tmatterwhatyoucallit;weed,skunk,cheese,bud,chronicand all the other names, it is still cannabis and it is still illegal. Forthemostuptodateinformationvisit:www.ourguideto.co.uk

Volatile SubstanceSome common ones are butane (lighter and aerosol gas), some glues, nail varnish/remover and petrol.

Top FactsIf you use volatile substances they can make you:•Feellightheaded•Feelafalsesenseof

confidence•Laughalot(oftenatthingswhicharen’tthatfunny)

•Saythingsyouwouldn’tnormally

•Becomeoverfriendlyandtoo trusting of others

•Becomestupidandsilly•Feelsickandthrowup•Havedoublevision•Loseyourbalanceandmake

you unsteady on your feet•Cry and get upset•Feeloversensitiveto

harmless comments•Makeafoolofyourself•Fallasleepandpassout•Becomedepressed•Becomeaggressive•Becomeangry•Becomeviolent•Haveanaccident

e.g. get run over, fall over and hurt yourself

•Haveahangover(thisisrare)

•Seeandhearthingsthataren’tthere(hallucinate).

THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION!WhenVSareusedforthepurposetheyareintended,suchasdeodorant to make you smell nice, they are pretty safe. When they are misused or used to try to get high the following can happen:

Butane(thegasinaerosols)makestheheartmoresensitivetoadrenalin. If your body releases adrenalin (and this can happen with as little as moving around) it can stop the heart and may cause death. This is known as Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome.

It can cause fatal accidents as it can make people do things they wouldn’tusuallydoandmakethemunsteadyontheirfeet.

VS kill more people under the age of 15 than any other drug. They also kill more first time and experimental users than any other drug. It doesn’t matter how many times you have used, each time is as risky.

The top 4 causes of death from VS since 1972 are: 1. DirectToxiceffects(heartfailure) 53.5% 2.Trauma/Accidents 16.2% 3.Inhalation(choking)onownvomit 14.5% 4. PlasticBag/Suffocation 11.4%

What it’s likeVolatileSubstances(knownasVS)arethecollectivenameforchemicals that can be inhaled to get high.

There are hundreds of different typesofVS.

They come as liquids or gases that give off fumes.

The sale of lighter refill (butane) gas and some types of glue is illegal to under 18’s.

Shop keepers can also refuse to sell to anyone they believe will misuse the product(s).