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Short facts in other languages

Arabiska / معلومات مختصرة عن المخدرات

Persiska

SBK / Kratak pregled činjenica o drogama

Somaliska / Warbixin kooban oo ku saabsan maandooriyayaasha

Sorani / ڕاستیی كورت له‌سه‌ر مادده‌ی بێهۆشكار

Engelska - English

ENS 2000

A drug-free Sweden 2000 was launched in 1989 and is now Sweden’s biggest campaign in terms of producing free information for all intermediate, senior and upper secondary schools in Sweden.

Down the years we have sent out newspapers, stickers, films, held competitions, awarded grants and trained more than 6,500 people from 1,500 schools. We have also sent a drugs policy and a drug prevention folder to all schools, updated free of charge four times a year.

We work hard to bring as much information as possible to our schools, and the condition is that the schools must receive all of the material free of charge and that it must be of good quality. We believe that this work is incredibly important, as drug abuse is steadily increasing and, unfortunately, has done so in recent years. Thanks to the fact that we have so many sponsors from the Swedish business community, we can offer schools first-class material that covers everything in the field of information on drugs and doping.


Cannabis

Cannabis is a collective term for hash, marijuana and hash oil. Hash is the most common drug in Sweden. Many people believe that hash is a soft drug and not as dangerous as other “harder” drugs.

Totally wrong. There are no soft or hard drugs. Drugs are drugs, end of story.

Young people who smoke hash can:

  • stunt their development
  • damage their short-term memory
  • damage their logical thought processes
  • become passive and listless
  • suffer hash psychosis
  • become schizophrenic
  • produce less sperm
  • lose their sex drive
  • disrupt the menstrual cycle
  • damage their immune defence

As the tar content in cannabis is at least 50% higher than in regular tobacco, there is an increased risk of such conditions as lung cancer.

Cannabis is therefore not a soft drug. Cannabis/hash is dope.


Heroin

Heroin belongs to the group known as opiates and has a dampening effect on the nervous system, in particular the pain centre. Heroin is taken intravenously, sniffed or smoked. Many young people put heroin on a par with hash/marijuana. But the risks are many times higher with heroin. Heroin is a the most addictive drug there is and the most difficult to stop using.

Damage:

  • reduction of bowel and kidney functions
  • loss of sexual drive
  • dryness in the mouth
  • nausea

The rush generates a sense of peace and analgesia, after which you drift into a drowsy torpor and the body feels warm and heavy. Death through overdose often occurs because the breathing function or the brain can cease to function at any time. Mortality rates are high, approx. 5 times higher than normal for the age group. 1-2 injections are enough to develop life-long addiction.

More people die from heroin than from all other illegal drugs combined. Of 100 heroin addicts, an average of 4 survive.


Amphetamine

Amphetamine is known as a stimulant, as it heightens awareness. Amphetamine affects, among other things, the brain, lungs and heart.

Damage:

  • increased respiratory and heart activity
  • increased blood pressure
  • dryness in the mouth
  • headaches
  • sweating, fever
  • trembling
  • vitamin shortage, malnourishment
  • problems with vision
  • dizziness
  • sleep disruption
  • premature loss of teeth
  • paranoia

Psychosis:

  • aggression
  • angst
  • delusions
  • hallucinations
  • hostility

Abstinence:

  • depression
  • listlessness
  • hunger
  • aching limbs
  • angst

Overdose:

  • cramps
  • breathing difficulties
  • body overheats
  • cardiac arrest

Doping

Girls suffer from anorexia, boys from megarexia. Girls starve themselves to become slim and attractive, boys take drugs to become big and muscular. But the disadvantages of doping are greater than the advantages.

Damage:

  • anabolic steroids increase irritation and aggression
  • the liver is affected in everyone who takes anabolic steroids
  • can cause blood-filled cysts and cirrhosis of the liver
  • risk of inflammation in the prostate
  • difficulty passing water
  • growth can be stunted
  • acne on the face and the upper body
  • hair falling out
  • heart attack
  • hardening of the arteries
  • kidney function is disrupted
  • sex drive increases drastically at the beginning, before fading completely
  • testicles shrivel up
  • production of sperm reduces or stops
  • young men risk becoming sterile
  • muscle cramps
  • muscle rupture

Women:

Besides the side effects described above, anabolic steroids give women a deep voice, cause the growth of facial hair and create disruption to menstrual cycles.


Cocaine

Cocaine is related to amphetamine, with the difference that cocaine is a powerful local anaesthetic.

Cocaine can be taken through inhalation or by “snorting” through the nose, injected or placed directly on the mucous membranes in the mouth, the rectum or the vagina.

Damage:

  • running nose, bleeding nose
  • the nasal cartilage is attacked and can lead to holes appearing in the dividing wall
  • fainting fits
  • epileptic fits
  • weight loss
  • loss of energy
  • trembling
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • increased heart activity
  • more rapid breathing
  • fever
  • sweating
  • constipation
  • impotence
  • hallucinations
  • sleeplessness

Overdose:

  • cramps
  • high fever
  • death as a result of cardiac arrest or stroke

LSD

LSD is a hallucinogenic drug that affects perception even in extremely small doses (approx. two grains of table salt). The drug became extremely popular during the flower power era. An LSD trip starts around 15-60 minutes after consumption and lasts for about four hours. Under the influence of LSD you no longer have control of your actions. You believe that you can stop trains, fly from the top of buildings, etc.

LSD can cause serious psychological illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Overdose:

  • longer, more powerful trips
  • abnormal behaviour

GHB

GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) is actually a medical anaesthetic.

Available in powder form or as a liquid, the odour is similar to that of a swab.

Side-effects:

  • abnormal weariness
  • fainting
  • vomiting
  • tremors and cramps
  • GHB is life-threatening in high doses and when combined with alcohol or other drugs

GHB is classified as a pharmaceutical and since 1 February 2000 it has also been classified as a drug. This means that any non-medical use of GHB is a criminal offence.

GHB has been banned in the USA since 1990, when it was discovered that the drug caused many deaths and serious illnesses.

GHB is addictive, causes withdrawal symptoms and affects tolerance (i.e. the dose has to be increased to achieve a given effect).


Ecstasy

Ecstasy is a strong nerve agent that can cause serious psychological damage. The drug became very popular in England in the 1980s. Ecstasy is cheap and fairly easy to produce. It is taken in the form of pills and has various names: Adam, XTC or the yuppie drug. You become hyperactive and can dance as long as you like.

Overdose:

  • cramp attacks
  • heat-stroke
  • thrombosis
  • kidney failure
  • high fever
  • coma
  • death

Pharmaceuticals

E.g. Rohypnol, Valium, Sobril

Tranquillisers are often highly addictive. These medicines have the effect, among other things, that reaction times are worsened, you become listless and tired. About 60 of them are classified as drugs.

Combining alcohol, tablets and drugs is one way, for both curious young people and hardened drug abusers, of extending and increasing the effects of the rush. Many deaths have been caused, as the results are often unpredictable.

In recent years there has been much talk about drugs such as Rohypnol. This has become popular in criminal circles because one of the effects is that you feel no empathy for others, so that you can be more ruthless when committing crimes and acts of violence.

Rohypnol is also known as a “date rape” drug, when it is used to drug intended rape victims.

Some of the manufacturers of Rohypnol have now added a colouring agent to the tablets, which is released when you dissolve it in a liquid, making it more difficult, for example, to slip the pill into a drink.


Sniffing

Sniffing has once more become an issue. Common substances used are thinners, solutions, glue and lighter fluid (liquid butane or propane). The intoxicating effect comes very quickly and gives a sense of unreality and hallucinations. All sniffing damages the central nervous system and the brain. Serious damage is also caused to the liver and kidneys. If a person loses consciousness immediate medical attention is required, and it is important to state that it is a case of sniffing.

A person who sniffs can be taken into care in accordance with the Swedish Care of Young Persons Act (LVU) or the Swedish Care of Abusers Act (LVM).