76 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
76 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
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THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF AMPHETAMINES
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AKA: speed, whizz, meth, crystal, sulphate, glass, ice.
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Price: amphetamine sulphate £10-£20 a gramme in America, very rarely
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available in this country.
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Form: The main type of street amphetamine is amphetamine sulphate, a
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whitish powder (it occasionally has traces of grey or pink) that is usually
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snorted through a tube or injected but can be swallowed (wrapped in a
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cigarette paper or mixed in a drink) or mixed with tobacco and smoked. Far
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less common in this country but booming in the states, particularly on the
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West Coast, is methedrine, a stronger, white powder, with more crystalline
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appearance that can be snorted, injected or smoked mixed with tobacco or
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pure in glass pipes - 'sucking the dick'. Ice is powdered methedrine
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converted into solid crystals which are the smoked.
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Duration of high: up to six hours, depending on method of taking and
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strength.
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Legal status: Class B unless in injectable form, for example methedrine
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capsules, in which case, Class A
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History: amphetmines were discovered by a German chemist in 1887 but were
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first used in the '20s as nasal decongestants. In the '30s, they were
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introduced in pill and inhaler form in the US and people soon started
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taking them recreationally. Doctors continued to prescribe the drug freely
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in succeeding decades to treat everything from depression to weight gain,
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and recreational use boomed with amphetamines like Drinamyl (purple hearts
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and blues), Dexedrine (dexies) , and Durophet (black bombers) flooding the
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illicit market. In 1964, following a press outcry, the unlawful possession
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of amphetamines was made an offence. Since the 70's. amphetamines have been
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prescribed by doctors far less frequently and street amphetamines are now
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rarely pharmaceutical, manufactured instead by amateurs in hideaway labs.
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Highs: Amphetamines elevate mood, heighten endurance (including sexual
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stamina) and eliminate the need for sleep. Often known as poor man's
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cocaine, they are one of the cheapest kicks available. As they are only a
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Class B drug (unless in injectable form) penalties for being found in
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possession are far less serious than with cocaine.
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Lows: even in small amounts, amphetamines increase pulse rate and blood
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pressure and can cause extreme anxiety, irritability, restlessness,
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impotence, and occasionally, delirium, panic, hallucinations and feelings
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of persecution (amphetamine psychosis). Through a single dose will usually
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last between three and four hours, users may be left feeling drained, tired
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and depressed for as long as two days as the 'come down'. Long-term effects
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include tolerance (users are forced to increase their dose), at which point
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side-effects are more common. These may persist, sometimes for months,
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after drug-taking has stopped. Though most people who take amphetamines
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don't experience any serious physical repercussions unless they are unlucky
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and buy some that is either unusually pure or cut with something toxic,
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overdose is an occasional possibility. Signs of overdose include extreme
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over stimulation, racing pulse or palpitations, sever chest pains,
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difficulty breathing, shaking, sweating, muscle spasms and general
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stiffness. If these symptoms occur, medical treatment may be necessary.
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Very occasionally, amphetamines have caused heart failure.
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Tips: if amphetamines do make you feel anxious or over.stimulated, don't
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take more. Try and stay calm and quiet and if you have a mild sedative in
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the house, a small amount will take the edge off. Amphetamine sulphate is
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very easy to make (the base chemical needed can be found in industrial
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cleaning agents) and, of all the drugs, is likely to be the most impure,
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generally containing only between 5 and 10 percent of the drug itself. For
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the most part, it is cut with fairly innocuous substances but occasionally
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something more toxic may be present so where possible, buy the drug from
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someone you know, preferably someone you know who has taken some of the
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same batch themselves. If injecting never share needles because of the risk
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of AIDS. All stimulants should be avoided by those with heart or blood
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pressure problems.
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From the magazine TimeOut No. 1239 May 18-25 1994
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Typed by Dr. Benway |