The Risks of Drug Use - DrugsNot4Me Youth Drug Prevention - National Anti-Drug Stra...

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National Anti-Drug Strategy

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Drug Facts

Growing up, you have probably heard that illicit drugs can have a negative
impact on your health. Do you know how specific drugs affect your brain? Or the
way that a drug can impair your judgment and affect your personality?

In this section, you can:

• Browse through the drugs below to learn specific facts;

• Using interactive games, you can test your knowledge on drugs;
• Get a reality check and read about the truth on drugs;
• And if you think everyone's doing it, think again... the numbers don't lie.

Cocaine and Crack Cocaine

(aka Coke, Crack, Blow, Rock, Stardust, Snow)

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• Cocaine and crack cocaine are addictive.

• There is NO antidote that can reverse cocaine's effects - an overdose can be
lethal.
• Physical signs of snorted cocaine and crack cocaine use may include a red,
chapped and runny nose.

http://www.nationalantidrugstrategy.gc.ca/prevention/youth-jeunes/facts-faits/coke.html 2014/07/16
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• Used regularly, snorted cocaine can cause a hole in the wall between the
nostrils causing frequent nosebleeds.
• Psychological signs of regular use include poor school and job performance and
increased preoccupation with buying and preparing the drug.
• Short-term adverse effects of cocaine and crack cocaine use include increased
blood pressure, breathing difficulties, anxiety, paranoid thinking, hallucinations
and more.
• Long-term effects include depression, mood swings, violent behaviour,
difficulty sleeping, a loss in the sense of smell, a lack of interest in food,
potential impotence and more.
• Get the full facts on Cocaine.

Read about the risks

Date Modified: 2014-05-12

http://www.nationalantidrugstrategy.gc.ca/prevention/youth-jeunes/facts-faits/coke.html 2014/07/16