Helpful Resources from DrugAbuse.gov
This series is designed to encourage young people in grades five through nine to learn about the effects of drug abuse on the body and the brain.

Marijuana - You may have heard it called pot, weed, grass, ganja or skunk, but marijuana by any other name is still a drug that affects the brain.

Opiates - Maybe you've heard of drugs called heroin, morphine or codeine. These are examples of opiates. If someone uses opiates again and again, his or her brain is likely to become dependent on them.

Inhalants - Hair spray, gasoline, spray paint -- they are all inhalants, and so are lots of other everyday products. Some people inhale the vapors on purpose.

Hallucinogens - Hallucinogens cause people to experience - you guessed it - hallucinations, imagined experiences that seem real.

Anabolic Steroids - Anabolic steroids are artificial versions of a hormone that's in all of us -- testosterone. Some people take anabolic steroid pills or injections to try to build muscle faster.

Stimulants - Stimulant drugs such as cocaine, "crack," amphetamines, and caffeine are substances that speed up activity in the brain and spinal cord. Stimulants often influence a person to be more talkative and anxious and to experience feelings of exhilaration.

Nicotine - When tobacco is smoked, nicotine is absorbed by the lungs and quickly moved into the bloodstream, where it is circulated throughout the brain.

Methamphetamine - Methamphetamine comes in many different forms and is snorted, swallowed, injected, or smoked. Methamphetamine can cause lots of harmful things, including inability to sleep, paranoia, aggressiveness, and hallucinations.

Teacher's Guide - The Teacher's Guide is used in combination with the magazines in the series to promote an understanding of the physical reality of drug use, as well as curiosity about neuroscience.

Other Helpful Resources
FEMA for Kids
www.fema.gov/kids/index.htm