MORE ABOUT ANTI - DRUGS CAMPAIGN

Different drugs, different effectsDrugs affect the body's central nervous system. They affect how a person thinks, feels and behaves. The seven main types are depressants, psychedelics, stimulants, empathogens, opioids, cannabinoids, and dissociatives.
Depressants slow down the messages travelling between the brain and the body. They can reduce arousal and stimulation, making a person feel relaxed or drowsy.Psychedelics affect all the senses, altering a person’s thinking, sense of time and emotions. They can also cause a person to hallucinate—seeing or hearing things that do not exist or are distorted.Stimulants are a class of drugs that speed up messages travelling between the brain and body. They can make a person feel more awake, alert, confident or energetic.Empathogens increase a person’s feeling of empathy and kindness towards others, as well as feelings of being socially accepted and connected.Opioids include any drug that acts on opioid receptors in the brain, and any natural or synthetic drugs that are made from or related to the opium poppy. Opioids slow heart rate and breathing and provide sensations of pleasure and pain relief.Cannabinoids are chemical compounds found in all parts of the cannabis plant. They are responsible for the psychoactive effect when cannabis is consumed. They can make a person feel happy, relaxed, anxious or paranoid.Dissociatives (also referred to as 'dissociative anaesthetics') can cause people to feel separated or detached from reality. They can also cause hallucinations or other changes in thoughts, emotions and consciousness.