history of illegal drug business

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Illegal Drug Business

Intro

The illegal drug business is a global black market consisting of the cultivation,manufacture, distribution and sale of illegal drugs. While some drugs are legal topossess and sell, in most jurisdictions lawsprohibit the trade of certain types of drug.

The illegal drug business operates similarly to other underground markets. Variousdrugcartels specialize in the separate processes along the supply chain,often localized tomaximize production efficiency. Depending on the profitability of each layer, cartels mayvary in size, consistency, and organization. The chain ranges from low-level streetdealers who may be individual drug users themselves, through ethnicity-based street

gangs and contractor-like middlemen, up to multinational empires that rivalgovernments in size.

Illegal drugs may be grown inwilderness areas, onfarms,produced in indoor or outdoorresidential gardens or indoor hydroponic grow-ops, or manufactured in drug labslocated anywhere from a residential basement to an abandoned facility. The commoncharacteristic binding these production locations is that they are discrete to avoiddetection, and thus they may be located in any ordinary setting without raising notice.Much illegal drug cultivation and manufacture takes place in developing nations,although production also occurs in the developed world.

In locales where the drug trade is illegal, police departments as well as courts andprisons may expend significant resources in pursuing drug-related crime.Additionally,through the influence of a number of black market players, corruption is a problem,especially in poorer societies.

Consumption of illegal drugs is widespread globally. While consumers avoidtaxation bybuying on the black market, the high costs involved in protectingtrade routes from lawenforcement lead to vastly inflated prices.

Additionally, various laws criminalize certain kinds of tradeof drugs that are otherwiselegal (for example, untaxed cigarettes). In these cases, the drugs are oftenmanufactured and partially distributed by the normal legal channels, and diverted atsome point into illegal channels.

Finally, many governments restrict the production and sale of large classes of drugsthroughprescription systems.
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Origins

In jurisdictions where legislation restricts or prohibits the possession or sale of drugs,most commonly psychoactive drugs, potential drug buyers and sellers are unable totransact in the open. Only illegal drug trade remains an option, and when such trade

occurs a black market is created.

Since the drug transaction itself is illegal, any participants in the trade are by definitioncriminal.With no significant additional cost to being convicted of drug charges, previousconvicts hold acompetitive advantage in providing illegal drug products.

History

1921 photograph of Chinese Maritime Officers with 300lbs of smuggled morphine

shipped in cylinders ofsoda sulphate from Japan.

The Illegal drug business has existed for as long as the drugs themselves have existed.However, the trade of drugs was fully legal until the introduction ofdrug prohibition.Thehistory of the illegal drug business is thus closely tied to the history of drug prohibition.

In the First Opium War, Great Britain attempted to force China to allow Britishmerchants to trade in opium with the general population of China. Although illegal by
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imperial decree, smoking opium was common in the 1800s and was believed to curemany health problems.

Additional History

Illegal drugs trade: Evolution of Drug Markets and Variable Characteristics of

Suppliers

Notwithstanding the large number of illegal drug users worldwide and themagnitude ofthe world drug economy, the illegal drug trade is a relatively new phenomenon. In fact,only in the last three decades of the 20th century did it assume mass proportions. Untilabout the beginning of the 20th century, all psychoactivedrugs could be freely producedand consumed not only in Asia and Latin America, but also in Western countries. Theproduction, trade, and consumption of opium, coca, and their derivatives began to beseverely regulated and then largely prohibited (except for limited medical purposes) only

after the first International Opium Convention was concluded in The Hague in 1912. Thenew international drug control regime, whose enforcement was entrusted after WorldWar I to the League of Nations and after World War II to the United Nations, seemedquite successful at first. During the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s the consumption of allprohibited substances rapidly declined in the United States, Europe, and many Asiannations (scholars debate the extent to which the interwar decline is attributable toincreasing prohibition rather than other factors, above all, changing medical and publicattitudes toward drugs; see Courtwright 2001; Berridge 1999). Under pressure from theUnited States, cannabis trade and possession were also increasingly restricted and,finally, subjected to the international drug control regime in the early 1960s.

From the 1960s onward, the demand for heroin, cocaine, and cannabis rose again, firstin the United States and then in Western Europe. At the end of the 20th century, it alsogrew in the second (former communist) and third-world countries.The postwarexpansion of illicit drug usewas caused by contingent events such as the Vietnam War,which brought thousands of young American soldiers into contact with heroin andmacrosocial changes. Among the latter, two aremost important: (1) the rise of a youthmass subculture, which resorted to illegal psychoactive substances to distinguish itselffrom the mainstreamculture, and (2) technological progress, which madecommunication, travel, and trade in both legal and illegal commodities easier and faster.

From the 1960s onward, the rising demand for illicit drugs fostered the development of

drug distribution systems able to transfer drugs fromproducers to consumers. In thebeginning, illegal drugs were imported by the consumers themselves, who used someof themand sold the restwithin a close circle of friends. Itwas a sort of ants trafficking.Soon, however, in both the United States and Western Europe the professional role ofthe drug dealer began to consolidate. In a few years, the development of a large-scaledrugmarket fostered the progressive entry of professional criminals into the drugbusiness.
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In source countries,where the state authorities are often unable or unwilling to enforcethe international prohibition regime, large organizations have sometimes emerged tocoordinate opium poppy and coca cultivation and to process heroin and cocaine. Innorthern Burma, for example, the refinement and export of heroin were first organizedby the nationalist Chinese Kuomintang Army and,more recently, by several armies

representing local ethnicminorities. Much of the coca cultivation in Colombia also takesplace in the inland areas controlled by guerrilla and paramilitary movements, particularlythe FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia). In developed countries,the constraints deriving from the illegal status of the drugs have so far prevented theconsolidation of large-scale, hierarchically organized drug-trafficking enterprises. Theseconstraints arise from two facts: all illegal market actors particularly drug traffickers anddealers are obliged to operate (1) without the state and (2) against the state.

Since the goods and services they provide are prohibited, illegal market suppliersoperate without the state; they cannot resort to state institutions to enforce contractsand have the violations of contracts prosecuted. As a result, property rights are poorly

protected, employment contracts can hardly be formalized, and the development oflarge, formally organized, enduring companies is strongly discouraged.

All suppliers of illegal commodities specifically drugs are also required to operateagainst the state, that is, under the constant threat of being arrested and having theirassets confiscated by law enforcement institutions. They therefore try to organize theiractivities to assure that the risk of police detection is minimized. Incorporating drugtransactions into kinship and friendship networks and reducing the number of customersand employees are two of the strategies that drug entrepreneurs most often employ toreduce their vulnerability to law enforcement efforts (Reuter 1985).

Empirical research confirms these insights. In Europe and North America, the greatmajority of drug deals, even those involving large quantities, are carried out bynumerous, relatively small, and often ephemeral enterprises. Especially at theintermediate and lower levels, many dealers work alone, either to finance their own drughabits or,more rarely, to earn fast money. Many drug distributors are members of ethnicminorities who either exploit direct connections to source countries or are pushed intodealing by lack of rewarding alternatives in the legitimate economy. At the retail leveland in closed settings, drugs are also often distributed by inconspicuous persons whohave no contact with the underworld.

For the same reasons, the relationships among illegal drug enterprises generally involvecompetition rather than collusion. The best evidence against control is simply the easewith which new sellers enter and the speed with which dealers depart. There may berents for various capacities, but certainly no power to exclude.Throughout EuropeandNorthAmerica, moreover, drug-dealing firms are price-takers rather than price-givers: that is, none of them is able to influence the commoditys price appreciably byvarying the quantity of the output it sells. The continuing decline of prices during the 20-year period 1985 2005 at all levels of the market in heroin and most other drugssuggests that, ifmarkets power ever existed, it has by now been dissipated.


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The danger that the contemporary illegal drugs industry represents for the worldeconomy is not limited to its turnover and the number of people it involves as producers,traffickers, and users. Two further aspects need to be considered.The industry is amajor source of corruption, violence, and instability in a number of drug-producing andtransit countries its collateral effects being occasionally reinforced by the war on drugs

itself.Moreover, the international routes and networks that have been developed for thetransportation of illegal drugs from source countries to the final consumer nations (andfor bringing back the money the other way round) can be used for a plurality of otherillicit goals, ranging from human smuggling and trafficking to terrorism financing.

Illegal trade of legal drugs

Legaldrugs can be the subject of smuggling and illegal trading if the price differencebetween the origin and the destination are high enough to make it profitable, due to high

taxes or other restrictions in the destination locale. If a large price difference existswithout legal restrictions, then legal trade of drugs can take place between the twomarkets.

Alcohol and tobacco

With taxes on tobacco much higher in the United Kingdom than on mainland Europethere exists a sizable untaxed cigarette market in the UK. Likewise in other regionswhere high-tax and low- or no-tax societies exist nearby, such asCanada and parts oftheUnited States as well as variousIndian reservations.It is also illegal to sell or givetobacco or alcohol to minors in some of these areas, which is considered smuggling

throughout most Economically Developed Countries.

Prescription drugs

Some prescription drugs are also available by illegal means, eliminating the need tomanufacture and process the drugs. For example, prescription opioids such as thegroup of the fentanyl analogues are much stronger than heroin found on the street.They are sourced either from stolen or partly divided prescriptions sold by medicalpractices and occasionally from Internet sale. Benzodiazepines, in particulartemazepam andflunitrazepam,are also frequently diverted to the black market throughforged prescriptions, pharmacy robberies and doctor shopping. In Malaysia and

Singapore,there occurs similar diversion ofnimetazepam.However, it is much easier tocontrol traffic in prescription drugs than in banned drugs because the manufacturer isusually an originally legal enterprise and thus the leak can often be readily found andcountered. There might also be an advantage in reduced risk of contaminated or poor tooutright toxic produce common with illegalclandestine laboratory production.
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Internet and controlled substances

"No Prescription Websites" (NPWs) offer to sell controlled substances without a validprescription. NPWs were first recognized by the U.S. Justice Department in 1999,indicating that such sites had been operating at least through the late 1990s. NPWs

enable dealers and users to complete transactions without direct contact, meanwhilemany NPWs accept credit cards, others only accept cash thereby further reducing anypaper trail. Many NPWs are hosted in countries in which specific categories ofcontrolled substances are locally legal (e.g. prescription opioids in Mexico), but becauseof the global nature of the internet, NPWs are able to do (mostly illegal) business withcustomers around the globe. In addition to prescription opioids, stimulants, andsedatives, steroids are often widely distributed. To date, no websites have been foundselling illegal drugs like heroin, or illegal amphetamine derivatives. Some police haveuncovered several instances of drug vendors or drug rings usingCraigslist personal adsto solicit drug business using code words and phrases. All other categories of drugs areavailable online.

2004 saw the conclusion of Operation Web Tryp, focusing on companies selling so-called research chemicals, legal psychedelic phenethylamines and tryptamines on theInternet.

Foreign intervention

Some nations that criminalize drug trade have a policy of interfering heavily with foreignstates. In 1989, the United States intervened inPanama with the goal of disrupting thedrug trade coming from Panama. TheIndian government has severalcovert operations

in theMiddle East andIndian subcontinent to keep a track of various drug dealers.

Size of illegal drug trade

Some estimates placed the value of the global trade in illegal drugs at around US$400billion in the year 2000; that, added to the global trade value of legal drugs at the sametime, totals to an amount higher than the amount of money spent for food in the sameperiod of time. In the 2005 United Nations World Drug Report, the value of the globalillicit drug market for the year 2003 was estimated at US$13 billion at the productionlevel, at US$94 billion at the wholesale level, and US$322 - $400[2] billion based onretail prices and taking seizures and other losses into account.

Violent resolutions

Because disputes cannot be resolved through legal means, participants at every level ofthe illegal drug industry are inclined to compete with one another throughviolence. Inthe late 1990s in the United States, the FBI estimates that 5% of murders were drug-related.[3]
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Many have argued that the arbitrariness of drug prohibition laws from the medical pointof view, especially the theory of harm reduction, worsens the problems around thesesubstances.

Minors and the illegal drug business

The U.S. government's most recent 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health(NSDUH) reported that nationwide over 800,000 adolescents ages 12-17 sold illegaldrugs during the 12 months preceding the survey. [1] The 2005 Youth Risk BehaviorSurvey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported thatnationwide 25.4% of students had been offered, sold, or given an illegal drug bysomeone on school property. The prevalence of having been offered, sold, or given anillegal drug on school property ranged from 15.5% to 38.7% across state CDC surveys(median: 26.1%) and from 20.3% to 40.0% across local surveys (median: 29.4%). [2]

Despite over $7 billion spent annually towards arresting [3] and prosecuting nearly

800,000 people across the country for marijuana offenses in 2005 (FBI Uniform CrimeReports), the federally-funded Monitoring the Future Survey reports about 85% of highschool seniors find marijuana easy to obtain. That figure has remained virtuallyunchanged since 1975, never dropping below 82.7% in three decades of nationalsurveys.[4]

Trade of specific drugs

The price per gram of heroin is typically 8 to 10 times that of cocaine on US streets .[5]Generally in Europe (except the transit countries Portugal and the Netherlands), apurported gram of street Heroin, which is usually between 0.7 and 0.8 grams light todark brown powder consisting of 5-10%, less commonly up to 20%, heroin base, isbetween 30 and 70 euros, which makes for an effective price of pure heroin per gram ofbetween 300 and 2000 euros.

The purity of street cocaine in Europe is usually in the same range as it is for heroin, theprice being between 50 and 100 euros per between 0.7 and 1.0 grams. This totals to acocaine price range between 500 and 2000 euros.

Anabolic steroids

According to theOffice of National Drug Control Policy,anabolic steroids are relativelyeasy to smuggle into the United States. Once there, they are often sold at gyms andcompetitions as well as through mail operations.
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Cannabis

A box of Cannabis

In World Drug report 2006 UNODC focused on The New cannabis, distribution ofstronger marijuana with moreTHC and its health effects.[4]

When cannabis is not grown in large-scale "grow ops" warehouses or other largeestablishments such as mountain ranges or grown for limited distribution in small-scale

such as under houses or backyard projects, it is usually imported from Canada, Mexicoor farther south {citation}. Most of the cannabis sold commercially in the U.S. is grown inhidden grow operations with the majority grown in the Midwest or in the California areawhich naturally has some of the world's best soil for growing crops. Much of thecannabis in the United States is imported from Mexico, however this cannabis is usuallylow quality sometimes referred to as brown bud, regs, regular, schwag, mersh, or dirtweed. The packaging methods used are often crude resulting in compressed or"bricked" weed. The cannabis imported from British Columbia in Canada, known as BCbud,is usually of higher quality than most cannabis grown in the United States (thoughcannabis from Northern California has a similar reputation) and is highly sought after.

Around 40% of US marijuana is grown inside of the country. More and more cannabis is

being grown in United States or transported from Canada while less cannabis comesfrom the Mexican border due to its low quality.

Psilocybin mushrooms

Psilocybe mushrooms grow naturally in most climates, thus this drug market isfinancially less lucrative, even though there is no doubt a certain kind of commercialgrowing of the Psilocybe mushrooms, half-legally in the Netherlands and illegally fromdifferent stages of maturity/manufacture of chewable dried mushroom tissue.Psychonauts will often grow these mushrooms or pick them for themselves as they arecommon to find in many places of the world.

Alcohol

In some areas of the world, particularly in and around the Arabian peninsula, the tradeof alcohol is strictly prohibited. For example, Pakistan bans the trade because of itslarge Muslim population. Similarly, Saudi Arabia forbids the importation of alcohol intoits kingdom, however, alcohol is smuggled in very high quantities. FugitiveCassandraDickerson was a noted crminal smuggler responsible for 90% of the alcohol being
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smuggled into Saudi Arabia in 2003.[6] In other areas it is considered like any otherbeverage, and is legal. In still other areas, there is an age limit for consumers, and alicense is necessary to sell alcohol.

Pure alcohol or liquids with high alcohol content over a certain percentage or proof,

calculated by volume or weight, are also banned in many countries. In Russia, forexample, rubbing alcohol is a scheduled drug on par with heroin, and theoretically hasthe same legal penalties.

Tobacco

The illegal trade of tobacco is motivated primarily by increasingly heavy taxation. Whentobacco products such as name-brand cigarettes are traded illegally, the cost is as littleas one third that of retail price due to the lack of taxes being applied as the product issold from manufacturer to buyer to retailer. It has been reported that smuggling onetruckload of cigarettes within the United States leads to a profit of 2 million U.S. dollars.

[7]

The source of the illegally-traded tobacco is often the proceeds from other crimes, suchas store and transportation robberies.

Sometimes, the illegal trade of tobacco is motivated by differences in taxes in twojurisdictions, including smuggling across international borders. Smuggling of tobaccofrom the US into Canada has been problematic, and sometimes political where trans-national native communities are involved in the illegal trade.

The kingdom of Bhutan made the sale of tobacco illegal in December 2004, [8] and

since this time a flourishing black market in tobacco products has sprung up. In 2006,tobacco andbetel nut were the most commonly seized illicit drugs in Bhutan.[9]

Opium

International illicit trade in opium is relatively rare. Major smuggling organizations preferto further refine opium into heroin before shipping to the consumer countries, since agiven quantity of heroin is worth much more than an equivalent amount of opium. Assuch, heroin is more profitable, and much stronger, because heroin metabolizes directlyinto the main naturally-occurring psychoactive substance in opium - morphine.

Heroin/Morphine

Heroin is smuggled into the United States and Europe. Purity levels vary greatly byregion with, for the most part, Northeastern cities having the most pure heroin in theUnited States (according to a recently released report by the DEA, Elizabeth andNewark,New Jersey,have the purest street grade A heroin in the country). Heroin is avery easily smuggled drug because a small, quarter-sized vial can contain hundreds ofdoses. Heroin is also widely (and usually illegally) used as a powerful and addictive
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drug that produces intense euphoria, which often disappears with increasing tolerance.This 'rush' comes from its high lipid solubility provided by the two acetyl groups,resulting in a very rapid penetration of the blood-brain barrier after use. Once in theblood stream, heroin is rapidly converted to morphine. The morphine then binds to theopioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, causing the subjective effects. Heroin and

morphine can be taken or administered in a number of ways, including snorting andinjection. They may also be smoked by inhaling the vapors produced when heated frombelow (known as "chasing the dragon"). Penalities for smuggling heroin and/ormorphine are often harsh in most countries. Some countries will readily hand down adeath sentence for the illegal smuggling of heroin or morphine, which are both,internationally, Schedule I drugs under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Invarious Asian countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, heroin and morphine areclassed by themselves and penalities for their use, possession, and/or trafficking aremore severe than all other drugs, including other opioids and cocaine.

Methamphetamine (Meth)

In some areas of the United States, the trade of methamphetamine is rampant. Becauseof the ease in production and its addiction rate, methamphetamine is a favorite amongstmany drug distributors.

According to the Community Epidemiology Work Group, the numbers of clandestinemethamphetamine laboratory incidents reported to the National Clandestine LaboratoryDatabase decreased from 1999 to 2004. During this same period, methamphetaminelab incidents increased in midwestern States (Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio), and inPennsylvania. In 2004, more lab incidents were reported in Illinois (926) than in

California (673). In 2003, methamphetamine lab incidents reached new highs in Georgia(250), Minnesota (309), and Texas (677). There were only seven methamphetamine labincidents reported in Hawaii in 2004, though nearly 59 percent of substance abusetreatment admissions (excluding alcohol) were for primary methamphetamine abuseduring the first six months of 2004

Methamphetamine is sometimes used in an injectable form, placing users and theirpartners at risk for transmission ofHIV andhepatitis C

publication of the study. In the sixth meeting of the B committee the US representativethreatened that "If WHO activities relating to drugs failed to reinforce proven drug

control approaches, funds for the relevant programmes should be curtailed". This led tothe decision to discontinue publication. A part of the study has beenrecuperatedAvailable are profiles of cocaine use in 20 countries.
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PHOTOS

Heroin

Heroin is an opiate processed directly from the extracts of the opium poppy. It was

originally created to help cure people of addiction to morphine. Upon crossing the blood-brain barrier, which occurs soon after introduction of the drug into the bloodstream,

heroin is converted into morphine, which mimics the action of endorphins, creating a

sense of well-being; the characteristic euphoria has been described as an orgasm

centered in the gut. One of the most common methods of heroin use is via intravenous

injection.
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Cocaine

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca

plant. It is both a stimulant of the central nervous system and an appetite suppressant,giving rise to what has been described as a euphoric sense of happiness and increased

energy. It is most often used recreationally for this effect. Cocaine is a potent central

nervous system stimulant. Its effects can last from 20 minutes to several hours,

depending upon the dosage of cocaine taken, purity, and method of administration. The

initial signs of stimulation are hyperactivity, restlessness, increased blood pressure,

increased heart rate and euphoria. The euphoria is sometimes followed by feelings of

discomfort and depression and a craving to experience the drug again. Sexual interest

and pleasure can be amplified. Side effects can include twitching, paranoia, and

impotence, which usually increases with frequent usage.

Methamphetamine

Methamphetamime, popularly shortened to meth or ice, is a psychostimulant and

sympathomimetic drug. Methamphetamine enters the brain and triggers a cascading
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release of norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin. Since it stimulates the mesolimbic

reward pathway, causing euphoria and excitement, it is prone to abuse and addiction.

Users may become obsessed or perform repetitive tasks such as cleaning, hand-

washing, or assembling and disassembling objects. Withdrawal is characterized by

excessive sleeping, eating and depression-like symptoms, often accompanied by

anxiety and drug-craving.

Crack Cocaine

Crack cocaine, often nicknamed crack, is believed to have been created and made

popular during the early 1980s . Because of the dangers for manufacturers of using

ether to produce pure freebase cocaine, producers began to omit the step of removing

the freebase precipitate from the ammonia mixture. Typically, filtration processes are

also omitted. Baking soda is now most often used as a base rather than ammonia for

reasons of lowered odor and toxicity; however, any weak base can be used to make

crack cocaine. When commonly cooked the ratio is 1:1 to 2:3 parts

cocaine/bicarbonate.

LSD
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Lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD, LSD-25, or acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug

of the tryptamine family. Arguably the most regarded of all psychedelics, it is considered

mainly as a recreational drug, an entheogen, and a tool in use to supplement various

types of exercises for transcendence including in meditation, psychonautics, and illegal

psychedelic psychotherapy whether self administered or not. LSDs psycholog ical

effects (colloquially called a trip) vary greatly from person to person, depending on

factors such as previous experiences, state of mind and environment, as well as dose

strength. They also vary from one trip to another, and even as time passes during a

single trip. An LSD trip can have long term psychoemotional effects; some users cite the

LSD experience as causing significant changes in their personality and life perspective.

Widely different effects emerge based on what Leary called set and setting; the set

being the general mindset of the user, and the setting being the physical and social

environment in which the drugs effects are experienced.

Ecstasy
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Ecstasy (MDMA) is a semisynthetic psychedelic entactogen of the phenethylamine

family that is much less visual with more stimulant like effects than most all other

common trip producing psychedelics. It is considered mainly a recreational drug thats

often used with sex and associated with club drugs, as an entheogen, and a tool in use

to supplement various types of practices for transcendence including in meditation,

psychonautics, and illicit psychedelic psychotherapy whether self administered or not.

The primary effects of MDMA include an increased awareness of the senses, feelings of

openness, euphoria, empathy, love,happiness, heightened self-awareness, feeling of

mental clarity and an increased appreciation of music and movement. Tactile

sensations are enhanced for some users, making physical contact with others more

pleasurable. Other side effects, such as jaw clenching and elevated pulse, are common.

Opium

Opium is a resinous narcotic formed from the latex released by lacerating (or scoring)

the immature seed pods of opium poppies (Papaver somniferum). It contains up to 16%

morphine, an opiate alkaloid, which is most frequently processed chemically to produce

heroin for the illegal drug trade. Opium has gradually been superseded by a variety ofpurified, semi-synthetic, and synthetic opioids with progressively stronger effect, and by

other general anesthesia. This process began in 1817, when Friedrich Wilhelm Adam

Sertrner reported the isolation of pure morphine from opium after at least thirteen

years of research and a nearly disastrous trial on himself and three boys.

Marijuana
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Cannabis, known as marijuana in its herbal form, is a psychoactive product of the plant

Cannabis sativa. Humans have been consuming cannabis since prehistory, although inthe 20th century there was a rise in its use for recreational, religious or spiritual, and

medicinal purposes. It is estimated that about four percent of the worlds adult

population use cannabis annually. It has psychoactive and physiological effects when

consumed, usually by smoking or ingestion. The minimum amount of THC required to

have a perceptible psychoactive effect is about 10 micrograms per kilogram of body

weight. The state of intoxication due to cannabis consumption is colloquially known as a

high; it is the state where mental and physical facilities are noticeably altered due to

the consumption of cannabis. Each user experiences a different high, and the nature of

it may vary upon factors such as potency, dose, chemical composition, method of

consumption and set and setting.

Psilocybin Mushrooms
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Psilocybin mushrooms (also called psilocybian mushrooms) are fungi that contain the

psychedelic substances psilocybin and psilocin, and occasionally other psychoactive

tryptamines. There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin mushrooms, the most

common being magic mushrooms or shrooms. When psilocybin is ingested, it is broken

down to produce psilocin, which is responsible for the hallucinogenic effects. The

intoxicating effects of psilocybin-containing mushrooms typically last anywhere from 3 to

7 hours depending on dosage, preparation method and personal metabolism. The

experience is typically inwardly oriented, with strong visual and auditory components.

Visions and revelations may be experienced, and the effect can range from exhilarating

to distressing. There can be also a total absence of effects, even with large doses.

PCP

PCP (Phencyclidine) is a dissociative drug formerly used as an anesthetic agent,

exhibiting hallucinogenic and neurotoxic effects. It is commonly known as Angel Dust,

but is also known as Wet, Sherm, Sherman Hemsley, Rocket Fuel, Ashy Larry,

Shermans Tank, Wack, Halk Hogan, Ozone, HannaH, Hog, Manitoba Shlimbo, and

Embalming Fluid, among other names. Although the primary psychoactive effects of the

drug only last hours, total elimination from the body is prolonged, typically extending

over weeks. PCP is consumed in a recreational manner by drug users, mainly in the

United States, where the demand is met by illegal production. It comes in both powder

and liquid forms (PCP base dissolved most often in ether), but typically it is sprayed

onto leafy material such as marijuana, mint, oregano, parsley or Ginger Leaves, andsmoked. PCP has potent effects on the nervous system altering perceptual functions

(hallucinations, delusional ideas, delirium or confused thinking), motor functions

(unsteady gait, loss of coordination, and disrupted eye movement or nystagmus), and

autonomic nervous system regulation (rapid heart rate, altered temperature regulation).

The drug has been known to alter mood states in an unpredictable fashion causing

some individuals to become detached and others to become animated.
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Alcohol

Tobacco

history of illegal drug business

Documents