Drug & Alcohol ProgramsHeroin Fast FactsAbuse and Addiction WHAT IS HEROIN?? Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. It is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as the black sticky substance known on the streets as "black tar heroin". Although purer heroin is becoming more common, most street heroin is "cut" with other drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, or quinine. Street heroin can also be cut with strychnine or other poisons. Because heroin abusers do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose or death. Heroin also poses special problems because of the transmission of HIV and other diseases that can occur from sharing needles or other injection equipment. ** If you would like more information regarding heroin, other drugs related issues, or if you would like to have someone speak to your community group or school, please contact Investigator, George Butler of the Carroll County State's Attorney's Office at 410-386-2671. ** Also available are "HEROIN KILLS" poster and bumper stickers ** What is the Carroll County Drug Treatment Court?The Carroll County Drug Treatment Court operates in the Circuit Court for Carroll County and has been specifically designed and staffed to supervise non-violent, drug dependant defendants who have been referred to a comprehensive and judicially monitored program. The Carroll County Drug Treatment Court is built on a unique partnership between the criminal justice system and the drug treatment community. This comprehensive and judicially monitored program assumed responsibility for managing cases through intensive supervision, drug treatment and rehabilitation. Defendants who participate are accountable for eliminating drug use and increasing self sufficiency. The goal of the Carroll County Drug Treatment court is to reduce drug use and drug related crime resulting in lower recidivism to correction, treatment, and social service systems. Please contact Dian Jackson, Drug Court Coordinator, at (410) 386-2851 form more information. What is Choices?Choices is a preventive education program designed to educate our youth on the effects associated with drugs and alcohol. Student s enrolled in the program will learn the consequences of substance abuse in an effort to interrupt the destructive cycle of alcohol and chemical dependency. Contact Investigator George Butler at 410-751-5327 for more information. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| NAME | PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS | WHAT TO LOOK FOR | DANGERS |
| ALCOHOL - (beer, wine, liquor) | Intoxication, slurred speech, unsteady walk, relaxation, relaxed inhibition, impaired coordination, slowed reflexes. | Smell of alcohol on clothes or breath, intoxicated behavior, hangover, glazed eyes. | Addiction, accidents as result of impaired ability and judgment, overdose when mixed with other depressants, heart and liver damage. |
| COCAINE - (coke, rock, crack, base) | Brief intense euphoria, elevated blood pressure & heart rate, restlessness, excitement, feeling of well-being followed by depression. | Glass vials, glass pipe, white crystalline powder, razor blades, syringes, needle marks. | Addiction, heart attack, seizures, lung damage, severe depression, paranoia (see Stimulants). |
| MARIJUANA - (pot, dope, grass, weed, herb, hash, joint) | Altered perceptions, red eyes, dry mouth, reduced concentration and coordination, euphoria, laughing, hunger. | Rolling papers, pipes, dried plant material, odor of burnt hemp rope, roach clips. | Panic reaction, impaired short term memory, addiction. |
| HALLUCINOGENS - (acid, LSD, PCP, MDMA, ecstasy, psilocybin mushrooms, peyote) | Altered mood and perceptions, focus on detail, anxiety, panic, nausea, synaesthesia (ex: smell colors, see sounds) | Capsules, tablets, "microdots", blotter squares. | Unpredictable behavior, emotional instability, violent behavior (with PCP) |
| INHALANTS - (gas, aerosols, glue, nitrites, Rush, White out) | Nausea, dizziness, headaches, lack of coordination and control. | Odor of substance on clothing and breath, intoxication, drowsiness, poor muscular control. | Unconsciousness, suffocation, nausea and vomiting, damage to brain and central nervous system, sudden death. |
| NARCOTICS - Heroin (junk, dope, Black tar, China white) Demerol, Dilaudid (D's), Morphine, Codeine | Euphoria, drowsiness, insensitivity to pain, nausea, vomiting, watery eyes, runny nose (see Depressants). | Needle marks on arms, needles, syringes, spoons, pinpoint pupils, cold moist skin. | Addiction, lethargy, weight loss, contamination from unsterile needles (hepatitis, AIDS), accidental overdose. |
| STIMULANTS - (speed, uppers, crank, Bam, black beauties, crystal, dexies, caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines) | Alertness, talkativeness, wakefulness, increased blood pressure, loss of appetite, mood elevation. | Pills and capsules, loss of sleep and appetite, irritability or anxiety, weight loss, hyperactivity. | Fatigue leading to exhaustion, addiction, paranoia, depression, confusion, possible hallucinations. |
| DEPRESSANTS - Barbiturates, Sedatives, Tranquilizers, (downers, tranks, ludes, reds, Valium, yellow jackets, alcohol) | Depressed breathing and heartbeat, intoxication, drowsiness, uncoordinated movements. | Capsules and pills, confused behavior, longer periods of sleep, slurred speech. | Possible overdose, especially in combination w/alcohol; muscle rigidity; addiction, withdrawal & overdose require medical treatment. |
*** Seven POSSIBLE symptoms of Drug Involvement.
1. Change in school or work attendance or performance.
2. Alteration of personal appearance.
3. Mood swings or attitude changes.
4. Withdrawal from responsibilities/family contacts.
5. Association with drug-using peers.
6. Unusual patterns of behavior.
7. Defensive attitude concerning drugs.
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