This entry gives information on the five categories of illicit drugs - narcotics, stimulants, depressants (sedatives), hallucinogens, and cannabis. These categories include many drugs legally produced and prescribed by doctors as well as those illegally produced and sold outside of medical channels. Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is the common hemp plant, which provides hallucinogens with some sedative properties, and includes marijuana (pot, Acapulco gold, grass, reefer), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, Marinol), hashish (hash), and hashish oil (hash oil). Coca (mostly Erythroxylum coca) is a bush with leaves that contain the stimulant used to make cocaine. Coca is not to be confused with cocoa, which comes from cacao seeds and is used in making chocolate, cocoa, and cocoa butter. Cocaine is a stimulant derived from the leaves of the coca bush. Depressants (sedatives) are drugs that reduce tension and anxiety and include chloral hydrate, barbiturates (Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal, phenobarbital), benzodiazepines (Librium, Valium), methaqualone (Quaalude), glutethimide (Doriden), and others (Equanil, Placidyl, Valmid). Drugs are any chemical substances that effect a physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral change in an individual. Drug abuse is the use of any licit or illicit chemical substance that results in physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral impairment in an individual. Hallucinogens are drugs that affect sensation, thinking, self-awareness, and emotion. Hallucinogens include LSD (acid, microdot), mescaline and peyote (mexc, buttons, cactus), amphetamine variants (PMA, STP, DOB), phencyclidine (PCP, angel dust, hog), phencyclidine analogues (PCE, PCPy, TCP), and others (psilocybin, psilocyn). Hashish is the resinous exudate of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Heroin is a semisynthetic derivative of morphine. Mandrax is a trade name for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant. Marijuana is the dried leaf of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Methaqualone is a pharmaceutical depressant, referred to as mandrax in Southwest Asia and Africa. Narcotics are drugs that relieve pain, often induce sleep, and refer to opium, opium derivatives, and synthetic substitutes. Natural narcotics include opium (paregoric, parepectolin), morphine (MS-Contin, Roxanol), codeine (Tylenol with codeine, Empirin with codeine, Robitussin AC), and thebaine. Semisynthetic narcotics include heroin (horse, smack), and hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Synthetic narcotics include meperidine or Pethidine (Demerol, Mepergan), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), and others (Darvon, Lomotil). Opium is the brown, gummy exudate of the incised, unripe seedpod of the opium poppy. Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the source for the natural and semisynthetic narcotics. Poppy straw is the entire cut and dried opium poppy-plant material, other than the seeds. Opium is extracted from poppy straw in commercial operations that produce the drug for medical use. Qat (kat, khat) is a stimulant from the buds or leaves of Catha edulis that is chewed or drunk as tea. Quaaludes is the North American slang term for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant. Stimulants are drugs that relieve mild depression, increase energy and activity, and include cocaine (coke, snow, crack), amphetamines (Desoxyn, Dexedrine), ephedrine, ecstasy (clarity, essence, doctor, Adam), phenmetrazine (Preludin), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and others (Cylert, Sanorex, Tenuate). Country
Illicit drugs
Afghanistan
world's largest producer of opium; poppy cultivation
decreased 22% to 157,000 hectares in 2008 but remains at a
historically high level; less favorable growing conditions in 2008
reduced potential opium production to 5,500 metric tons, down 31
percent from 2007; if the entire opium crop were processed, 648
metric tons of pure heroin potentially could be produced; the
Taliban and other antigovernment groups participate in and profit
from the opiate trade, which is a key source of revenue for the
Taliban inside Afghanistan; widespread corruption and instability
impede counterdrug efforts; most of the heroin consumed in Europe
and Eurasia is derived from Afghan opium; vulnerable to drug money
laundering through informal financial networks; regional source of
hashish (2008)
Albania
increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian
opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to
a lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western
Europe; limited opium and expanding cannabis production; ethnic
Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in
Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional
trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens
Angola
used as a transshipment point for cocaine destined for
Western Europe and other African states, particularly South Africa
Anguilla
transshipment point for South American narcotics destined
for the US and Europe
Antigua and Barbuda
considered a minor transshipment point for
narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an
offshore financial center
Argentina
a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe,
heroin headed for the US, and ephedrine and pseudoephedrine headed
for Mexico; some money-laundering activity, especially in the
Tri-Border Area; law enforcement corruption; a source for precursor
chemicals; increasing domestic consumption of drugs in urban
centers, especially cocaine base and synthetic drugs (2008)
Armenia
illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic
consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium
and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser
extent the rest of Europe
Aruba
transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some
accompanying money-laundering activity; relatively high percentage
of population consumes cocaine