ISSUES
: Drugs
Chapter 1: Drug issues
12
but, with the high, can come panic,
irritability and a paranoid sense
that everyone is looking at you.
Smoking a version of speed called
methamphetamine (crystal meth)
can give an intense and prolonged
high but a severe comedown, when
feelings of hopelessness and sadness
are common.
Long term:
There’s no research on
the long-term heavy use of speed.
Professor Nutt has seen users,
especially those who have injected
speed regularly, who appear to
be permanently depressed. They
have difficulty thinking straight,
remembering things, problem solving
and coping with their emotions.
Steroids
Short term:
Steroids pump upmuscle
mass but can bring on ‘roid rage’, with
users becoming physically violent and
sexually abusive. Steroids can make
sleep difficult and cause confusion,
depression and paranoia.
Long term:
They can lead to
psychological dependence, where
people become convinced they
cannot perform well without the drug.
Tranquillisers
(benzodiazepines)
Short term:
Tranquillisers such as
Valium are sedative drugs. They are
used to relieve anxiety and aid sleep.
Some drug users take them to help
a comedown from drugs such as
cocaine or speed.
Long term:
The body quickly gets
used to benzodiazepines and soon
needs more to get the same effect.
It’s possible to become addicted in
just a few weeks and withdrawal can
be difficult and make people feel sick,
unable to sleep and very anxious.
Sudden withdrawal from high doses
can be very dangerous and result in
serious convulsions (fits).
9 October 2014
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The above information is reprinted
with kind permission from NHS
Choices. Please visit
for further information.
© NHS Choices 2016
Thousands of children
kicked out of school for
drink and drugs, says
Centre for Social Justice
T
here are more than 7,000
exclusions in schools in
England each year for drugs
or alcohol, the Centre for Social
Justice (CSJ) has said.
The damning new statistics,
revealed by CSJ analysis of new
government data, show how alcohol
and drug abuse are daily realities in
some of England’s state schools.
Christian Guy, former Director of
the CSJ, said: “These new figures
show many schools are struggling
to cope and pupils are being hit
by drugs and alcohol and an early
age.”
Many individual local authorities
had several hundreds of pupils
excluded for drugs and alcohol –
with the highest number in Kent,
where there were 272 exclusions.
In total there were 7,400 drug-
and alcohol-related exclusions in
England, 360 of them permanent.
The CSJ is urging the Government
to scrap the drugs information
website, FRANK and develop an
effective replacement programme
to send a strong signal to young
people about the dangers of drug
and alcohol abuse.
The figures also show that there
were 2,550 exclusions from school
for sexual misconduct, while there
were 3,790 exclusions for racist
abuse.
Shockingly there were also tens
of thousands of cases of physical
assault which led to expulsions,
including 52,620 expulsions for pupils
physically assaulting another pupil,
and 17,680 expulsions for physical
assault against an adult.
Mr Guy added: “School provides the
perfect opportunity to improve life
chances and help children fulfil their
potential.
“It is alarming so many schools
succumb to these problems which
can have such a damaging and long-
lasting impact.”
The figurescome fromtheDepartment
of Education, and cover the latest
recorded academic year, 2012/13.
They relate to all state primary,
secondary and special schools.
29 January 2015
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The above information is reprinted
with kind permission from the
Centre for Social Justice. Please
visit
org.uk for further information.
© Centre for Social Justice 2016
