Alcohol, caffeine, aspirin and nicotine are all drugs. A drug must be able to pass from your body into your brain. ... A drug is any chemical you take that affects the way your body works.
Plant-based drugs like heroin and cocaine tend to be produced in the areas where the opium and/or coca leaves grow because the plants need special conditions. ... Synthetic drugs (including synthetic cannabis and a whole variety of 'legal highs') are often produced in China and the Far East and sold over the internet.
Different drugs have different effects on your body. ... Illegal drugs can cause things like hallucinations (seeing strange things), sickness, depression, liver and kidney problems and fits. Some illegal drugs can kill the first time the person takes them. Taking too much of any drug is called an overdose.
Drugs administered orally – by eating or drinking – are absorbed through the stomach and small intestine. The drug then passes through the liver before entering the bloodstream. ... Once the drug is absorbed through the skin, it enters the bloodstream to be carried throughout the body and to the brain.
Drug sales are typically considered felony offenses, whereas drug possession without the intent to sell may only be a misdemeanor, or even an infraction like a minor traffic ticket in states that have decriminalized marijuana.