The abuse of narcotic and hallucinogenic substances and stimulants.
They are classified generally as (1) most harmful: heroin, morphine, opium, and other narcotics; cocaine, a powerful, dangerous stimulant and its relative, crack; hallucinogens, such as mescalin and LSD; and injectable amphetamines, such as methedrine; (2) less harmful: narcotics such as codeine and marijuana; stimulants of the amphetamine type, such as Benzedrine; and barbiturate sedatives; and (3) least harmful: milder drugs of the amphetamine type. “Designer drugs”, for example ecstasy, are usually modifications of the amphetamine molecule, altered in order to evade the law as well as for different effects, and may be many times more powerful and dangerous. Crack, for example, became available to drug users in the 1980s. Sources of traditional drugs include the “Golden Triangle” (where Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand meet), Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, China, Pakistan, and the Middle East.