The most consumed drugs in Mexico are alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, heroin, ecstasy, opioids, cocaine, crack, inhalants, LSD, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, amphetamines, methamphetamine and its derivatives, and some anorectics.
Despite its rich culture, varied cuisine and beautiful and contrasting landscapes, Mexico is also known globally for its leading role in the production, trafficking and consumption of illegal drugs, a fact that has unfortunately made it a country with high rates of violence. internal.
Numerous surveys and relatively recent investigations have determined that drug use in this country, as well as in a large number of countries worldwide, has increased significantly and that more and more young people and adolescents are starting to use these substances, legal or illegal.
According to the 2020 report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), by 2018 Mexico turned out to be the country in the world with the highest figures for the use of marijuana or cannabis, the third in terms of cocaine use. and twelfth for heroin use, which are among the three most popular illegal drugs.
Other surveys show a high consumption of LSD, but these figures do not consider the use of alcohol and tobacco, which are perhaps the two most widely used legal drugs in the world.
It is perhaps the most popular illegal drug in the world. It is of natural origin, since it is consumed in cigarettes (joints), pipes, water pipes, vaporizers or culinary preparations that contain leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of two species of plants: Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica.
This drug, considered "not very addictive", in Mexico receives a large number of names, among which are: mota, chora, Mary Jane, chabela, chíchara, green goddess, juana flower, among other names.
The psychoactive and hallucinogenic effect of this drug is due to the fact that it is rich in a substance known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Although the risk of death from severe intoxication with marijuana is relatively low, its use has negative consequences in the short and long term. Anxiety, impaired attention and memory, panic, paranoia and nausea are some of the symptoms of acute intoxication with this drug.
In the short term, that is, in the immediate time after consumption, the THC released from cannabis produces alteration of the senses and the perception of time, mood changes, limits body mobility, hinders the ability to reason and solve problems, causes hallucinations, delusions, and even psychosis.
Also known in Mexico as "cremita", "azuquitar", "chlorophyll", "fifí", "whitish", "white" and "talc", cocaine is a highly addictive drug that stimulates the nervous system and is obtained through from the leaves of a plant popularly known as "coca", of the species Erythroxylum coca, native to South America.
It is illegally marketed as a white powder with very fine crystals, but there are many cases of alteration with other substances such as flour, talc or with other stimulant substances such as amphetamines and synthetic opioids, which can increase its toxicity.
It is usually consumed in powder form, snorted (inhaled through the nose) or smeared on the gums. It is also consumed injected, diluted alone or mixed with other harmful substances such as heroin.
The active compound in cocaine is benzoylmethylecgonine, an alkaloid that, when consumed, increases the amount of dopamine in the brain, stimulating and causing feelings of pleasure, as well as the need to increase doses and maintain consumption.
Crack, also known as "base cocaine" or "rock," is a more processed form of cocaine in which it is mixed with other substances to make large crystals. It is considered a more "economical" form than pure cocaine and has much more damaging physical and mental effects than cocaine..
It produces effects very similar to cocaine, but it is much more addictive and has serious pulmonary, liver, cardiovascular and mental implications.
It is usually consumed by inhaling the gases produced by heating the crystals (alone or in tobacco or marijuana cigarettes), although a common practice is also to smoke the crystals in small glass tubes.
Its effects are much more immediate than those of pure cocaine and even than those of other injected drugs.
Tobacco is one of the most widely used legal drugs in the world. It is derived from a plant called Nicotiana tabacum, from which the leaves are used, which are harvested, dried and fermented, depending on the product for which they are used.
The most common way to use tobacco is through cigarettes or pipes, but this can also be chewed or snorted.
The active substance in tobacco is nicotine, which stimulates the production of adrenaline and dopamine, which is why it often causes addiction (dopamine causes a sensation of pleasure).
Other effects of this drug include increased blood pressure and heart rate, as well as increased breathing rate. Chewed tobacco use can also increase the risk of mouth cancer.
Although nicotine is the main compound in tobacco, regularly marketed cigarettes contain other chemicals that cause their sustained consumption to have harmful effects on health, including lung cancer, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, etc..
Alcohol is another widely used legal drug in the world. Whether in the form of beer, wine or other fermented and distilled beverages, the active principle of these substances is a compound known as ethanol or ethyl alcohol, that produces depression of the central nervous system, affecting the ability to self-control.
The common way to consume this drug is in liquid form, as a drink, because once in the digestive system, ethanol can reach the bloodstream and exert its effects for several hours.
In Mexico, the consumption of beer and other distilled beverages with a higher alcohol content (ethanol concentration) such as tequila and mezcal, obtained from plants, is common..
The most common effects of this drug are disinhibition, relaxation, difficulty communicating, lack of motor coordination, and intoxication. The abuse of these substances can cause dizziness and vomiting and, when the consumption is sustained, generates addiction.
LSD, known to the world as "acid", "dragon", "trippy", "batman", "bug", "microdot", "paper", "disney" and others, is a synthetic recreational drug that has potent hallucinogenic effects and is typically consumed in nightclubs or parties.
Its name derives from the acronym in English of the name of its active compound: lysergic acid diethylamide (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide).
It is consumed in fairly high doses and is usually sold as a liquid that can be applied to tablets, pieces of paper, sugar cubes, candies, jellies, etc., so the form of consumption is by direct ingestion..
It has many times unpredictable effects, which depend on the dose in which it is taken and the personality, mood and expectations of those who consume it..
Long-term effects can include prolonged psychosis, schizophrenia and severe depression, but it has not been classified as an addictive drug, despite the fact that users may develop a certain "tolerance" that causes the dose consumed to increase..
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and stimulant synthetic drug. It is also known as "blue", "crystal", "ice", "met" and "speed". The synthetic compound is called deoxyephedrine and is structurally related to adrenaline and ephedrine (an alkaloid).
It is marketed in the form of crystals that look like pieces of glass or bluish and shiny stones, hence their names. It is consumed smoked, ingested as pills, snorted or injected after being diluted in water or alcohol.
The effect of this drug is fast, but does not last long, so users usually take many doses in short periods of time.
The short-term effects of this drug include increased physical activity and wakefulness, depression of appetite, rapid breathing, altered heart rate, increased body temperature and blood pressure, impaired judgment, etc..
Also known as "molly", ecstasy is a synthetic hallucinogenic drug whose active compound is 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA). Its consumption is very common among young people and adolescents, especially at parties and / or nightclubs.
Its effects include the alteration of perception and mood, increased energy, pleasure and distortion of the perception of time and the senses. Additionally, it can cause nausea, cramps, blurred vision, excessive sweating, chills, and teeth grinding..
It is normally consumed in the form of tablets, but it can also be the case of its aspiration in powder form or its ingestion in liquid form.
Excessive use or very high doses of ecstasy can throw out the control mechanisms of body temperature, which can lead to liver, heart or kidney failure and even death.
Heroin is a highly addictive, fast-acting illegal drug that is produced from the processing of morphine, a compound extracted from a plant known as “poppy” or “poppy” of the species. Papaver somniferum.
It is trafficked as an off-white powder, although the cheapest altered forms are usually darker, almost brown. It is also sold as a sticky black mass, hence the name "black tar".
It is consumed injected, snorted, snorted or smoked. It is also mixed with other powerful drugs such as cocaine and crack, but it is also easily altered with other substances, which enhances the harmful effects of its consumption..
Heroin has short-term effects that include states of euphoria and pleasure, but which are also associated with reddening of the skin, heaviness of arms and legs, nausea and vomiting, lack of mental clarity, and alternation between conscious and semi-conscious states..
In the long term it can cause insomnia, major heart conditions, abscesses, gastrointestinal conditions (constipation and colic), liver, kidney and lung complications; depressive disorders, sexual dysfunction, etc..
Opioids or opiates are drugs derived from the capsules of the plant Papaver somniferum. They include heroin (illegal), as well as a large number of legal painkillers that are for sale in pharmacies: oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, among others, which are often consumed without a prescription.
Like heroin, “legal” opioids can be highly addictive, so they are only prescribed to relieve severe pain when no other pain reliever has worked..
Although they are pain relievers, they can cause drowsiness, nausea, euphoria, confusion, constipation, decreased breathing, and even death. Addicts are at risk of overdose and often have withdrawal symptoms in those who undergo detoxification therapy.
They are usually legal synthetic drugs, as they are prescribed for the treatment of obesity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, narcolepsy, among others. Amphetamines are highly addictive and stimulate the central nervous system.
Its structure is similar to that of the adrenalin and the most common are the d-amphetamine sulfate (dexedrine) and the racemic amphetamine sulfate (benzedrine).
Its effects include increased alertness, attention, heart rate and blood pressure. It produces an increase in blood sugar levels and facilitates breathing. In the long term they produce paranoid disorders, psychosis and various heart and behavior problems.
Inhalants are all volatile drugs that enter the body through the air or nose. These are commonly the substances contained in the solvents, gases and aerosols of paints, glues, markers, fuels and cleaning products frequently found in the home..
Its effects are usually related to nausea, confusion, difficulty speaking and lack of body coordination, dizziness, euphoria, drowsiness and disinhibition. They can also cause hallucinations, delusions and headaches, heart failure, death by suffocation, seizures, coma, among others..
Eventually they can cause severe damage to the liver and / or kidneys, the bone marrow and the central nervous system..
These are "legal" drugs that are prescribed for the treatment of psychological disorders such as phobias, schizophrenia, delirium, anxiety, and others such as insomnia and stress. They are the drugs most prescribed as sedatives, as they have hypnotic, anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effects, as well as muscle relaxants..
The most common are the diazepam (called Valium), the clonazepam, the nitrazepam and the chlordiazepoxide, long acting; the Lorazepam, the temazepam and the oxazepam, intermediate action and midazolam and the triazolam, short acting.
They can have addictive effects for those who consume them and their abuse can have serious health effects, especially at the level of the liver, as they are metabolized through this organ..
Barbiturates represent another group of "legal" synthetic drugs frequently used in the medical field for the treatment of insomnia, depression and anxiety. They have sedative effects, as they depress the central nervous system.
These drugs are derived from barbituric acid and those who take them usually develop physical dependence, as they are very addictive; withdrawal syndrome from stopping can cause death.
In the short term they have calming effects, so their consumption may be due to stress, anxiety and difficulty sleeping. However, in the long term they can have negative effects on mood, cause changes in weight and appetite, etc..
Anorectics are drugs used for the treatment of obesity, as they are appetite suppressants, facilitating the reduction of calorie consumption.
Depending on the neurotransmitter by which they exert their effects, these can be of two types: noradrenergic and serotonergic..
The former stimulate the central nervous system and can cause addiction, while the latter have no stimulating action, so their risk of addiction is practically nil..
The first substances used for the same purpose were amphetamines, but today these have been replaced by these "legal" drugs..
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