A -Z; Your essential guide to what they are.. and what they could be doing to YOUR children.

A IS FOR.. Acid (LSD) Amphetamines/speed Speed is the street name for a range of amphetamines, usually sold in wraps. The powder is dabbed onto the gums or snorted in lines like cocaine. Sometimes it's rolled in a cigarette paper and swallowed, called a speedbomb and can be mixed in drinks.

It makes people feel wide awake and is popular with clubbers. The effects kick in within half an hour and can last for up to six hours.

It can be highly addictive - the more times you take it, the more you need for the same buzz.

'Speedballing' is when you mix cocaine or amphetamines with heroin or morphine and inject it. RISKS: Come-down can make users depressed for two days. Taking with anti-depressants or alcohol can be fatal. Can lead to mental illness such as psychosis and paranoid feelings. Dr Checinski spokesman for drug information service FRANK says: "The most common thing is that it causes risk-taking behaviour. I also see more risk of psychosis than in cannabis and cocaine users."

B IS FOR..

Benzos (tranquillisers) Bhang, black, Blast, blow (Weed) Blotter (LSD) Blunts, buds or bush(cannabis) Bromo (2CB & 2-CT-7) Brown (heroin) Base or billy (amphetamines/Speed)

C IS FOR..

Cannabis (weed) CB (2CB & 2-CT-7) Charlie (cocaine)

Cocaine Stimulant that temporarily speeds up your mind and body. Cocaine or coke is a white powder usually divided into lines and snorted.

'Crack' is a form of cocaine made into small lumps or rocks about the size of raisins. It's usually smoked in a pipe or in foil, so it reaches the brain quicker.

It can make you feel more confident, your heart beat faster and suppress appetite. The effects of snorted coke last around 20 minutes, crack about 10 minutes. It's very addictive - even if you only take it at weekends. RISKS: The hit doesn't last long so it's tempting to take more. The come-down usually makes you depressed and flu-like. Regular users develop serious problems with anxiety and panic attacks. High doses can cause convulsions and respiratory or heart failure. Users have died from overdoses. Alcohol and cocaine together can be dangerous, producing a toxic chemical in the body. Dr Checinski says: "You feel great at first then you can come down with a crash. It empties the brain of the happy hormone serotonin. It can take 72 hours to feel normal again." Coke (cocaine) Crack (cocaine) Crazy medicine (methamphetamine) Crystal Meth (methamphetamine)

D IS FOR..

Dexamphetamine or dexies (amphetamine/speed) Dope or Draw (weed) Dots or drop (LSD) Downers(tranquillisers) Dust (cocaine)

E IS FOR..

E (ecstasy)

Eckies (ecstasy) Ecstasy/MDMA Ecstasy is usually in tablet form though it's becoming popular as a powder. It comes in all sorts of colours and some have pictures stamped into them.

Ecstasy helps you stay awake for hours, which is why it's so popular with clubbers. The effects take about half an hour to kick in and last for up to six hours.

It's possible to build up tolerance, so you need to take more to get the same buzz. RISKS: Can make you overheat and dehydrate but also cause the body to prevent urine production. So drinking too much water too quickly can be as deadly as not drinking enough - this was how Leah Betts died. There have been more than 200 ecstasyrelated deaths in the UK since 1996. Short-term effects include panic attacks, confused episodes and paranoid or psychotic states. Dr Checinski says: "It can be cut with glass, chalk, baking soda, anything." Essence (ecstasy)

F IS FOR..

Fantasy (LSD) Flash (LSD)

G IS FOR..

Ganja (weed) Gear (heroin) Glass (crystal meth)

Gold dust (cocaine) Grass(weed) Green (ketamine) GBL (gamma-butyrolactone) GBL is a dangerous drug with sedative effects, also known as 'coma in a bottle'. It can kill you and is particularly dangerous when mixed with alcohol or other drugs. Hester Stewart, 21, hit the headlines earlier this year when she died after taking GBL with alcohol. Dubbed a "party drug", it's a colourless liquid commonly used in paint stripper. It produces a feeling of euphoria and can reduce your inhibitions. RISKS: Can cause loss of consciousness, coma and death. Evidence that taking with alcohol or other sedative drugs adds to risk. Because it can knock you out it's been linked to drug-assisted sexual assault.

H IS FOR..

H (heroin) Hash or hashish (weed) Hawk(LSD) Hemp (weed) Herb (weed) Heroin, an opiate derived from morphine, is a very strong painkiller. In its pure form it's a white powder that can be smoked or dissolved in water and injected - or, if high purity, snorted.

Street heroin sold as 'brown' is sometimes used by clubbers as a way to chill out and some wrongly think it's not as addictive. Most users get a feeling of warmth a few minutes after taking it. Bigger doses can make users sleepy and very relaxed. Highly addictive. RISKS: Overdoses can lead to coma and death from respiratory failure. If taken with other drugs, including alcohol, overdose is more likely. There's a risk of death due to inhaling vomit as heroin stops the body's cough reflex working properly. Sharing needles, puts you in danger of infections like hepatitis B or C and HIV. Dr Checinski says: "Heroin is less common in teens but there are clever drug dealers out there who want to get you hooked. People start by inhaling it - 'chasing the dragon'. "But because you become intolerant to it very quickly, you soon switch to injecting." Home-grown (weed) Horse (heroin)

I IS FOR..

Ice ( Methylamphetamine/ crystal meth)

J IS FOR..

Jellies (tranquilisers)

K IS FOR..

Ketamine is a general anaesthetic that stops you from feeling anything. It is used on animals. Legal ketamine is liquid and usually injected. Illegally produced, it's often a white powder that's snorted. Can give a floating feeling, causes hallucinations and reduces bodily sensation. It lasts up to an hour. RISKS: Can cause panic attacks, depression, and in large doses, can make existing mental health problems worse. You can injure yourself without knowing it because you can't feel any pain. A high dose can knock you unconscious and lead to death. Dr Checinski says: "Some mix ketamine with coke to make a drug called Party Line. But taking multiple drugs multiplies the risks."

L IS FOR.. Liquid acid (LSD) LSD A hallucinogenic drug commonly called acid. A 'trip' can take up to an hour to start and usually lasts about 12 hours. Once it's started you can't stop. How a trip goes can be affected by your mood, so can be good or bad. Usually sold as tiny pieces of paper with pictures on.

RISKS: Trips feed off a person's imagination. If panic sets in, the experience can be terrifying. Flashbacks - when part of the trip is remembered weeks or months after taking it - sometimes occur. Dr Checinski says: "It can give you hallucinations, sometimes pleasant and sometimes not. Users can think they can fly, then it's too late."

M IS FOR..

Mand Ms (ecstasy) Micro dot (LSD) Marijuana (weed) MDMA (ecstasy) Methamphetamine (crystal meth) Part of the group of stimulant drugs called amphetamines. It makes you feel more awake and can bring on a feeling of exhilaration. Smoking crystal meth produces a very intense rush similar to crack cocaine but longer-lasting - four to 12 hours. Highly addictive.

RISKS: Can rapidly increase your heart rate. Paranoia, confusion and violence. Overdoses can lead to stroke. Lung, kidney and gastrointestinal damage can develop, and coma and death can occur as can methamphetamine-induced psychosis - where you lose touch with reality. Dr Checinski says: "This is the poor man's crack cocaine. It makes your blood pressure rise and can put a lot of pressure on the heart and can precipitate a stroke in some people."

N IS FOR.. New Yorkers (ecstasy)

Nexus (aka 2C-B and 2C-T-7) These two drugs are hallucinogens and can cause changes in your emotions. They're not widely available here but have been reported in several European countries. A bit like ecstasy, users feel really aware of colours, sounds and smells. Effects can last two to four hours. Sold as white powder or tiny 5mg pills.

RISKS: Depression. Can bring on headaches, nausea, vomiting, panic attacks and, particularly at high doses, more serious confused states.

Northern Lights (weed)

O IS FOR..

Opium (similar effects as heroin)

P IS FOR..

Paper mushrooms(LSD) Paste (amphetamines/speed) Pills (ecstasy) Pot (weed) Puff (weed)

R IS FOR..

Resin(weed) Rhubarb and custard (ecstasy) Rugby balls (tranquillisers)

S IS FOR..

Sinsemilla/Sensi (weed) Skag (heroin) Skunk (weed) Smack (heroin)

Smilies or Stars (LSD) Smoke or Spliff (weed) Snow (cocaine) Soap or Soapbar (weed) Special K (ketamine) Speed(amphetamines) Sugar (LSD) Sulph (amphetamines/speed) Super K (ketamine)

T IS FOR..

Tab (LSD) Temazzies (tranquillisers) Tems(tranquillisers) Tina (crystal meth) Too (cocaine) Tops (weed) Tranquillisers Prescription drugs to treat anxiety, depression and insomnia. There are hundreds of types but most common are Benzodiazepines. Can be highly addictive and it's illegal to possess them without a prescription. They have a sedative effect and are often used as chill-out drugs, sometimes to come down off acid, speed or ecstasy after a big night. RISKS: If taken with other depressive drugs like alcohol, can lead to an accidental overdose. Can cause shortterm memory loss. Withdrawal can cause unpleasant symptoms like a pounding headache, nausea, anxiety and confusion. Sudden withdrawal after big doses can cause panic attacks and fits.

There's been a big increase in sex crime involving tranquillisers like rohypnol. Trips (LSD)

U IS FOR..

Uppers (aka amphetamines)

V IS FOR..

Vallies (tranquillisers) Vitamin K (aka ketamine)

W IS FOR..

Weed (cannabis) The most widely used illegal drug in Britain. It is made from parts of the cannabis plant and is a mild sedative and hallucinogen. Most smoke cannabis by mixing it with tobacco. Others put it in a bong pipe or stick it in food such as cakes.

Can make you feel chilled out, or giggly and more talkative. Some hate the strong smell and find one puff makes them feel sick. It can also make you feel hungry - "getting the munchies". Stronger joints (such as when skunk or sinsemilla is used) are more powerful.

If you smoke cannabis regularly it can be difficult to stop - withdrawal symptoms can include mood changes, difficulty sleeping, sweating, shaking and diarrhoea. You also risk getting addicted to nicotine if you smoke it with tobacco. RISKS: Long-term or heavy use can cause lung disease and possibly cancer, especially if mixed with tobacco. Frequent use can affect fertility. Can make you anxious or paranoid. Associated with an increase in the risk of developing psychotic illnesses including schizophrenia. Dr Checinski says: "Cannabis doesn't deserve its innocent reputation. Skunk, which is between four and eight times stronger, is now the most common form and has a two or three times greater risk of psychosis than cannabis."

White (cocaine) White doves(ecstasy) Whizz (amphetamines/speed) Window (LSD)

X IS FOR..

XTC (ecstasy)

Y IS FOR..

Yaba (crystal meth)

Z IS FOR..

Zero (cannabis)

Do you recognise these drugs? Would you know what your child was using if you saw it? Check how well you know your drugs - answers at the end ANSWERS: 1 Ecstasy 2 Amphetamines /speed 3 Heroin 4

Marijuana 5 Keta-mine powder 6

GBL Methampheta-mine crystal meth)

8

Tranquillisers 9

LSD tab 10

Liquid ketamine Paper Paste ( Pills ( Pot ( Puff YOUR KIDS & drugsWHAT YOU NEED TOKNOW Smilies Stars Smoke Snow ( Soap or