A new Hollywood memoir is due to hit bookstore shelves soon. In some ways it is the same song, different stanza as so many tales of dashed Hollywood dreams that have come before – that of a young actor brimming with talent and promise who gets caught up in a cyclone of drugs, sex and [...]
Chris Kelly will likely forever be remembered for his pre-pubescent career as a rap star. As part of the duo Kris Kross, he and partner Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith had a No. 1 hit “Jump” that stayed there for two months in 1992. It’s hard to imagine that the kid ingrained in our minds as [...]
Harm reduction is a technique used to treat drug addiction that is aptly described by its name. The philosophy of harm reduction is to provide addicts with a safe environment in which to use, in the name of reducing the amount of harm associated with using that drug. The focus is on preventing harm to [...]
If you should happen to be perusing an article in a magazine, newspaper, or online that purports to alert the public about the dangers of the latest drug fads, it might include a mention of an obscure substance known as kratom. This little-known Asian herbal medicine, which has actually been around for decades, is now [...]
Crack is a smoke-able form of cocaine; this method of administration actually makes the potential unpleasant neurological effects much more likely. As a form of cocaine, the effects of crack are pretty much the same, but its compressed, rock-like structure means that it produces generally more intense effects. Finding out about the effects crack has [...]
Recreational drug use is a hot topic these days. One of the most controversial of all drugs is slowly becoming more and more acceptable. Marijuana is legal for medical use in most states and legal for recreation in two. With this growing legal acceptance comes the assumption that marijuana must be safe to use. There [...]
It is both astonishing and discouraging to realize the lengths to which some will go in order to get high; or to at least experience some vague approximation of a high. Most unfortunate of all it seems to be young people in particular who are willing to try just about anything, if there is even [...]
In recent years, the use of marijuana as an unofficial treatment of mental illnesses has been on the rise. The chemical properties of cannabis produce effects that can temporarily act as a mood enhancer, which may produce short-term relief of symptoms in disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety cluster disorders. The chemical composition [...]
There has long been a taboo against the use of illegal drugs, which at times has seemed to border on the hysterical. Our culture’s image of the typical drug user has been that of a deranged junkie so desperate to get a fix that he would lie, cheat, steal, and even kill if necessary, all [...]
Amphetamine and methamphetamine are chemically similar substances that stimulate the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and produce a variety of effects that include excitation and euphoria. Amphetamine is the active ingredient in a number of different medications (including Adderall and Dexedrine), while methamphetamine is an illegal street drug. People who attempt to drive [...]