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You’d be hard pressed to meet someone whose life hasn’t been impacted in some way, shape, or form by drugs. Whether it’s a personal battle with addiction or a loved one who has fallen victim, drugs and their impact on our lives are felt from coast to coast.
According to American Addiction Centers, nearly 47 million people over 12 have battled with some form of substance abuse within the past year. That’s flirting with 17 percent of the United States’ entire population.
Below we discuss the most commonly abused drugs in regard to illegal narcotics.
America’s 5 Worst Illegal Drugs
Over the decades we’ve seen a variety of different drugs take over. From the coke-filled 80s, to the ecstasy-driven raves of the 90s, to the aughtie’s endless Oxy scripts, to the fentanyl zombies or recent years, to tranq – an extremely addictive combination of fentanyl and xylazine that’s currently running rampant across the county.
Here are five of the very worst mind-altering substances to be produced. To date, anyway.
#1 Xylazine (Tranq)
Xylazine is a tranquilizer being increasingly detected in the illegal drug market in the US and is connected to fatalities from overdoses. Xylazine hasn’t gotten approval for human use and can pose life-threatening risks according to the CDC. It’s particularly risky when mixed with opioids such as fentanyl.
Because of its role in the opioid crisis, fentanyl mixed with xylazine has been named an emerging threat by the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy. On July 11, 2023, the White House put out a National Response Plan to tackle the rising threat of fentanyl combined with xylazine.
A recent report from the CDC’s State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS), covering 20 states and Washington D.C., showed that the monthly percent of deaths with illegally produced fentanyl (IMF) where xylazine was found, rose from three percent in January 2019 to 11 percent by June 2022.
#2 Fentanyl
Fentanyl is a strong synthetic opioid medication that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in pain relief and anesthesia. It’s about 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin when it comes to relieving pain.
Fentanyl can be snorted, smoked, taken orally by pill or tablet, dripped onto blotter paper patches, sold alone or mixed with heroin and other substances. It’s been found in counterfeit pills pretending to be pharmaceutical drugs like oxycodone.
Like other opioid painkillers, fentanyl causes effects including relaxation euphoria, relief from pain sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, and nausea.
An overdose may lead to stupor, altered pupil size, cold clammy skin, cyanosis, coma, and respiratory failure that can result in death. The appearance of three symptoms like coma, pinpoint pupils, and respiratory depression is a strong indication of opioid intoxication.
#3 Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a potent, very addictive stimulant that impacts the central nervous system. It appears as a white odorless bitter-tasting crystalline powder which dissolves easily in water or alcohol.
Methamphetamine was developed early in the 20th century from its parent drug, amphetamine. It was initially used in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers. Like amphetamine, methamphetamine leads to increased activity and talkativeness, a decrease in appetite, and a pleasurable sense of well-being or euphoria.
However methamphetamine is different from amphetamine because at similar doses much more of the drug enters the brain making it a stronger stimulant. It also has effects that last longer and are more damaging to the central nervous system. These features make it a drug with a high potential for extensive misuse.
Methamphetamine is labeled as a Schedule II stimulant by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, meaning it can only be obtained legally with a non-refillable prescription. It’s sometimes prescribed for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and as part of weight-loss treatments for a short period, but these instances are rare and the doses prescribed are much lower than what is often misused.
#4 Cocaine
Cocaine is a highly addictive stimulant that affects the brain directly. It’s been called the drug of the 1980s due to its widespread popularity and usage in those times. However, cocaine isn’t a new substance; it’s actually one of the oldest drugs known. The pure chemical form, known as cocaine hydrochloride, has been misused for over a century, while coca leaves – from which cocaine is derived – have been consumed for thousands of years.
Essentially, there are two types of chemical forms when it comes to cocaine: the hydrochloride salt and the “freebase”. The hydrochloride salt which is also known as powdered form of cocaine dissolves in water. When misused, it can be injected intravenously (through the vein) or snorted intranasally (in the nose). Freebase on the other hand refers to a compound that hasn’t been neutralized by an acid to create the hydrochloride salt. This freebase form of cocaine can be smoked.
Crack is a street term for the freebase version of cocaine, which is transformed from powdered cocaine hydrochloride into something you can smoke. The name “crack” comes from the crackling noise it makes when smoked.
#5 Prescription Opioids
Prescription opioids are often utilized to manage moderate to severe pain and are commonly prescribed after surgery or an injury, or for health conditions like cancer. In recent years there’s been a significant rise in the acceptance and use of prescription opioids for managing chronic non-cancer pain such as back pain or osteoarthritis, even though there are serious risks involved and a lack of evidence regarding their effectiveness over the long term.
Opioids attach to and activate opioid receptors on cells found in various parts of the brain, spinal cord, and other organs within the body, particularly those related to feelings of pain and pleasure. When opioids bind to these receptors they block pain signals being sent from the brain to the body and release significant amounts of dopamine all over the body.
Anyone taking prescription opioids can develop an addiction to them. According to the CDC, up to one in four patients who are on long-term opioid therapy in a primary care environment wrestle with opioid addiction.
Once someone is addicted, stopping can be challenging. In 2016 over 11.5 million Americans reported that they had misused prescription opioids in the previous year, as per the CDC. Deaths from overdosing on prescription opioids often also include benzodiazepines. These are drugs that calm the central nervous system, used for sedation, inducing sleep, preventing seizures and easing anxiety.
When misusing prescription opioids, an individual can take the medication in its usual form. At times, individuals crush the pills or open up capsules to dissolve the powder in water and then inject this liquid into a vein. Some might even snort the powder.
What’s Causing American’s Substance Abuse?
Wondering what the leading causes of drug and alcohol use are? Research has shown that genetics, environmental factors, and mental health issues are the main reasons people fall into a life of addiction.
1. Genetics play a big role. The effect of someone’s environment on how genes are expressed, make up around 40 to 60 percent of an individual’s risk for addiction. Extremely unfair, when you think about how many have a genetic handicap from birth.
2. Factors in the environment that could raise someone’s risk for addiction include a disordered household and maltreatment, how a parent uses drugs and their views on drug use, peer pressure, how liberal the community you live in is, and poor grades.
3. Teenagers and individuals with mental health issues are at a higher risk for using drugs and becoming addicted compared to other groups.
Getting Help for Illegal Substance Use
Individuals can recover from an addiction, especially when they receive the necessary support to ease withdrawal symptoms, handle triggers and implement positive changes. Studies on addiction science and the treatment for substance use disorders have resulted in the development of evidence-based strategies. These help individuals cease drug use and return to productive activities, often referred to as being in recovery.
Like therapy for other long-term illnesses like heart disease or asthma, treating addiction isn’t a cure – it’s a method to manage the condition. Treatment helps individuals counter the disruptive impact of addiction on their brain and behavior, allowing them to take back control over their lives.
Studies indicate that for treating opioid addictions (prescription painkillers or substances such as heroin or fentanyl), medication ought to be the primary treatment option, often paired with behavioral therapy or counseling and after drug detox.
For individuals addicted to substances such as stimulants or marijuana, there are no current medications that can help in treatment. Thus, treatment is focused on behavioral therapies. It’s important that the treatment is customized to meet each patient’s specific patterns of drug use and any medical, mental, and social issues related to their drug consumption.
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