HAZARDS
OF ILLEGAL DRUGS
A person who becomes dependent on a drug
exposes himself or herself to multiple risks. First, dependence is
associated with increased use of the drug so that eventually it has to
be taken many times every day; and since most of these drugs may, at
least for a time, substantially impair performance of activities such as
working or attending school, the drug user may soon find himself or
herself outside the mainstream of society.
Second, illegal drugs are obtainable only through
illegal sources and are therefore expensive. Regular drug users often
turn to crime or prostitution to finance their habits.
Third, and most important, a person who is
dependent on illegal drugs endangers his or her health. Illegal drugs
are of variable quality and purity, and poisonings and overdoses are
common and often fatal. Drugs dealers often dilute a drug with a
hazardous substance to increase profits. If the drugs are infected
intravenously, the drug user risks bacterial or viral infection of the
lungs, heart, brain, kidneys and other organs if he or she uses or
shares contaminated needles and syringes. This puts the drug user at
high risk of hepatitis and infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency
virus, which causes AIDS). Even if precautions are taken to avoid
sharing contaminated needles and syringes, repeated use of illegal drugs
often leads to loss of appetite, malnutrition and a progressive decline
in health.
Finally many psychoactive drugs of
abuse, such as amphetamines or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), produce
visual and auditory hallucinations. Which may lead to irreversible
psychoses in the user.
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