Unless you spent the last decade or two in Walden-like isolation, you’ve probably had enough of ridiculous anti-drug Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ads and Above the Influence commercials that imply marijuana will turn your friend into a human pancake.
We won’t slap you in the face with any more anti-drug preaching and you’re free to draw your own conclusions. We will, however, tell you the legal consequences of getting caught plus all the other facts you need to know about each substance. So say goodbye to the days of frat stars talking about doing molly and you asking, “molly who?” and read on for a breakdown of the drugs on college campuses, in rough order of their frequency of abuse.
Alcohol
What it’s called: sometimes booze, but unless you’re trying way too hard to impress the cool kids, you’ll probably just call it alcohol.
How it’s taken: as a drink; types include beer, wine & champagne, spirits (vodka, tequila, whiskey, rum, brandy, gin), liqueurs.
What it does: Other than making you silly, alcohol is a depressant that slows your central nervous system and can poison you—perhaps fatally—in large doses. Roll your eyes all you want, but alcohol is widely regarded as the single most commonly abused drug on college campuses according to health professionals and substance abuse experts.
Risks: “Drugs are generally viewed from a ‘level of dangerousness’ paradigm with alcohol being viewed as less dangerous due to its legal status,” says Mike Durham, a mental health counselor at Kenyon College who specializes in cases of substance abuse. “This is not necessarily true, as alcohol poisoning can be lethal, and acute alcohol withdrawal can be potentially fatal.”
Legality: Alcohol is legal to consume after age 21. Minor in Possession (MIP) laws vary from state to state, as does most drug possession legislation, but the consequences of getting caught with alcohol under age may include a fine in the hundreds of dollars, several hours of community service, driver’s license suspension, and in cases of repeated offenses, time in prison.
Marijuana
What it’s called: weed, headies, piff, bud, green, dope, ganja. Baked foods that have marijuana in them are called “edibles.”
How it’s taken: smoked in a paper joint or blunt, or through a pipe, bong, hookah, vaporizer, one hitter, or other “piece.” Marijuana can also be baked into and eaten in foods like cookies and brownies.
What it does: The Huffington Post reports that marijuana has actually beaten out tobacco on college campuses in terms of frequency of use.
“Being high off marijuana isn’t something you can really explain,” says one Skidmore College sophomore of her experience smoking marijuana. “During and after it was a weird feeling, like an out of body experience.”
Amy*, a Kenyon College senior who smokes marijuana regularly, describes the effect of the drug on her mindset positively: “I feel super relaxed, and also insightful. The high lasts about three to four hours for me, and I can still go out and do things [and] interact with people fairly normally.” She does concede, however, to feeling a “slightly distorted sense of time.”
More interesting is the way in which Amy details the culture of smoking marijuana as a social one, claiming that its prevalence on college campuses trivializes its effects. “I smoke because it’s an activity I share with my friends,” she says.
Risks: Though many users describe heightened senses and anxiety relief, proven effects of marijuana’s active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), are more limited to accelerated heart rate, distorted perception, and reduced coordination.
Even frequent users can experience discomfort with marijuana. Despite Amy’s proclivity for smoking marijuana and indifference toward this artificial slowing of time, her experience with edibles has proven less enjoyable. She reports that after eating a weed brownie, “every cell in my body hurt. I couldn’t move.” While she acknowledges that friends of hers have taken to edibles, she instead felt “an aching hurt… like everything was vibrating really fast, like every part of my skin was vibrating.”
Legality: The recreational use of marijuana is prohibited nationwide, except for in Colorado and Washington where it was legalized during the election. Medical marijuana, which is the prescription of marijuana for such purposes as pain and anxiety relief, appetite increasing, and the quelling of nausea and vomiting has been legalized in D.C. and the following 18 states:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Washington
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Nicotine
What it’s called: cigarettes, cigs, boags, dip.
How it’s taken: typically in tobacco, smoked through a cigarette, cigar or pipe, or chewed.
What it does: Some of tobacco’s popularity across college campuses can be attributed to the trend of social smoking, or the tendency to smoke with friends or on a night out. “I usually only smoke [cigarettes] when I’ve been drinking,” says Amy. “[The tobacco] stabilizes you, because when you smoke, you get the rush of the nicotine. It sort of counteracts the effect of the alcohol.” Amy goes so far as to claim that smoking sober seems to affect her to a lesser degree, at least physiologically, saying, “I just feel focused for about 10 minutes, but it makes me feel queasy and I hate the smell.” When asked if she would smoke again, though, she replied with a solid “of course.”
Risks: Tobacco has earned a bad rep for having disgusting effects on your lungs and physical health in the long-term, causing several types of cancer and lung diseases. So why do people smoke or dip? Its effects—calmness, increased alertness, and reduced appetite, among others—have proven highly addictive to regular users.
Legality: Anyone 18 and over can legally purchase and consume tobacco products. Minors can try slapping on a fake mustache, but attempting to buy while underage will cost you. Penalties are different in each state, but in general, purchasing or possession of tobacco as a minor usually qualifies as a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 in fines.
Prescription pain relievers
What they’re called: The term “pain reliever” is a blanket description for morphine, codeine, and other over-the-counter medications like OxyContin, Vicodin and Valium. The most common nickname might be “Oxy” for OxyContin.
How they’re taken: Pills. Codeine is occasionally taken as a clear liquid.
What they do: They obviously relieve pain, and can also cause feelings of euphoria if taken in a high enough dosage. Durham notes that counselors and health officials “support the legitimate use of prescribed drugs,” but only under the conditions that “they are both indicated and helpful.” Taking intense pain relievers without a prescription qualifies as abuse.
Amy takes pain relievers for back pain, though she admits that she sometimes likes to “take Oxy with friends and watch movies,” describing the subsequent four to five-hour high as having a numbing effect that makes her feel “sleepy and slightly removed from reality.”
Risk: Pain relievers induce side effects like drowsiness, slowed respiration, and slowed heart rate. They are also addictive, so abusers are likely develop a tolerance and physical dependence with repeated use.
Legality: Federal penalties for getting caught with pills you weren’t prescribed are a minimum of a $1,000 fee and up to a year in prison. State penalties vary and depend on the number of pills in question, but in some cases having just four to six pills on you can mean at least three years in jail.
Inhalants
What they’re called: huff, sniff, glue, whippets, poppers.
How they’re taken: gases found in common household cleaners and substances, which are—surprise!—inhaled.
What they do: At first glance, inhalants seem to constitute the only class of drugs developed by bored middle schoolers. Nevertheless, adults continue to abuse them, reportedly to achieve a brief, exhilarating “high” followed by one or two hours of drowsiness. This in turn may be followed by an episode of iCarly and an afternoon snack of Sun Chips.
Amy’s experience with inhalants came in the form of nitrous oxide, colloquially known as laughing gas, inhaled out of a balloon. “The effect only lasted about 10 minutes,” she says, reporting that she felt disappointed in how “unexciting” the experience turned out to be. “I just felt sleepy. It’s an anesthetic, after all.” She recalls thinking to herself simply, “this smells like rubber.” Make of that what you will.
Risks: One-time use of inhalants can cause nausea, numbness of the limbs and extremities, headaches, and heart palpitations, as well as death in cases of asphyxia, suffocation, or sudden sniffing death syndrome caused by cardiac arrest. Using inhalants repeatedly can cause long-term damage to the lung, liver, brain, kidneys, and heart.
Legality: Inhalants are considered controlled substances by the federal government, so penalties for its possession include fines in the thousands of dollars and up to one year in jail. States usually tack on an extra $500 to $1,000 and between one and six months of jail time.
Ketamine
What it’s called: K, Special K.
How it’s taken: comes in a clear liquid or white crystalline powder; can be snorted, injected, smoked, or made into pills, dissolved in water, and swallowed.
What it does: Ketamine was originally developed as a veterinary anesthetic, though it is also a hallucinogen of sorts because its use can alter perception and sensation, cause hallucination, and result in memory loss. Frequent use of ketamine can also cause cravings and moderate addiction.
Risks: Aside from the primarily sought-after hallucinatory effect, ketamine can cause numbing of the limbs, unconsciousness, and loss of control over one’s body. Frequent users can develop cravings for and mild to moderate physical addiction to ketamine.
Legality: Federal penalties for ketamine max out at $250,000 and five years of jail time, although state penalties for the possession of ketamine usually include up to a $1,000 fine and two years in jail.
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LSD
What it’s called: acid, Lucy.
How it’s taken: vials, capsules, tablets, or small droplets on a sheet called “blotters” or “tabs”.
What it does: Consuming a normal dosage of lycergic acid diethylamide (LSD) induces trips of about 12 hours that alter a user’s sensations and perceptions of time and themselves. While emotions and senses are more subject to change, visual hallucinations are also possible in high doses. Using acid even once can also cause users to have flashbacks and perhaps make beautiful music about their experience well after the trip ends.
To many, these results may seem intimidating, though they often pique the interest of potential users. “I was scared but mostly just really curious,” reports one college junior of her incentive to try LSD for the first time. “People told me I’d see patterns on the walls, that I’d perceive the ceilings to drop down.”
So did they drop down? “All [my friends and I] did was just lie on the floor, which felt really mushy. We listened to music, but there were patterns in the air and on the walls, sort of a mixture of different, opaque shapes.” Further, she describes her mental state as “very intensely introspective. You just have big thoughts.”
LSD is best known for its hallucinogenic effects, to which Amy can attest. “The second time I took LSD, I remember looking into the mirror and seeing that everything around me had become glass, but malleable glass, like water,” she says. “I turned the faucet on and the water just came shooting out, rainbow-colored with floating bubbles all around. And I believed it was real.”
Risks: Arguably the greatest risk associated with hallucinogens, particularly those as strong as LSD, is loss of touch with reality. “I wouldn’t go out into the forest and drop acid,” says Amy, citing fear that she would inadvertently put herself or someone else in danger. “I always want to have as much control over my experience as possible.” Physically, LSD can cause increased heart rate and blood pressure, convulsions, loss of coordination, coma, and occasionally heart and lung failure.
Legality: LSD is a Schedule I drug, which means the penalty for its possession includes up to seven years in prison and fines around $1,000. State penalties vary between just one and almost 20 years in jail, depending on the amount in question.
Psilocybin mushrooms
What they’re called: shrooms.
How they’re taken: eaten fresh or dry, or made in tea.
What it feels like: Psilocybin has similar effects to those of LSD and frequently causes users to confuse fantasy and hallucinations with reality. Motor skills can also be impaired, and behavior is subject to change.
“It is impossible for someone who has never taken shrooms to completely understand what it is like,” says one Johns Hopkins University senior. “Mentally, I experienced visual hallucinations, [a] very enhanced sense of taste, general feeling of euphoria, extreme introspection and self-honesty, loss of awareness of where exactly I was, time seemed to slow down, and at times intense focus on things.”
That shrooms induce bizarre experiences comes as no surprise, but the experiences themselves are difficult to imagine: “I thought my Blackberry was a bar of chocolate that looked like a Blackberry and put it in my mouth [during a conversation] before I realized it was my phone. While video chatting with a friend, I forgot what I was doing and thought I was watching a news show on my computer.”
Risks: One of the most alarming risks associated with shrooms is misidentification of the substance itself. The accidental ingestion of poisonous mushrooms with similar hallucinatory effects can lead to severe stomach pain and vomiting; some toxic mushrooms can be lethal. Shrooms themselves, though, can cause physical effects like anxiety, sweating, and facial numbness, and all hallucinogens carry the risk of inducing a “bad trip”—hallucinations that are unpleasant or frightening.
Legality: Shrooms qualify as a Schedule I drug, and both federal and state penalties usually span up to one year in prison for first-time possession.
MDMA
What it’s called: Ecstasy, E, X, molly/mali (a variant of ecstasy).
How it’s taken: pills or capsules, usually colored.
What it does: Ecstasy is best known for the sense of euphoria it causes you—hence the name—though not every experience turns out to be so pleasant.
“Physically and mentally it freaked me out,” says a Florida A&M University junior who tried MDMA her sophomore year of high school. “I was sweaty and hot, and my heart was hurting the whole time. I also felt like my body and my mind were in two different places. It was a freakish and uncomfortable out of body experience.” She adds that “it was a horrible experience” and plans never to try MDMA again.
Meanwhile, Amy speaks well of her experiences with ecstasy and molly. “I felt really energetic and elated,” she says, adding that she wouldn’t mind trying it again “if the situation were appropriate.”
Ecstasy is often described in this way, as a drug specifically geared toward use at high-energy parties and raves. “[My friends and I] went to a hotel room, dropped the X, and went to the rave,” adds Amy. “I just had a lot of fun.”
She speaks similarly of molly, which she took before an Avicii concert. The effects were delayed, but eventually she felt them kick in: “All I could do was like listen to Katy Perry and eat bananas. I was powerless.” (We thought that could happen sober? No?)
Risks: MDMA is a nervous system stimulant, so its effects include increased heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature, as well as sweating and loss of appetite. In some cases, ecstasy can cause severe anxiety, trouble sleeping, depression and confusion. Typical long-term consequences of frequent use include damage to the liver and neurons.
Legality: MDMA is a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. State fines for its possession are usually in the thousands of dollars but range anywhere from $500 to $750,000. Some states do not specify a maximum.
Psychostimulants
What they’re called: Vivanse, Ritalin, Adderall or addy.
How they’re taken: in pills and slow-release capsules, which are swallowed or can be crushed and snorted.
What they do: Psychostimulants cause increased heart rate and blood pressure. Durham points to a trend of “increasing awareness of prescription drug abuse, specifically the stimulants that are prescribed for legitimate attention deficit disorders.” Durham adds that psychostimulant abuse for academics “is similar to an athlete using steroids to increase athletic performance,” which is why it has gained such popularity as a study drug among college students under high pressure to achieve.
Grace*, a senior at the Ohio State University, admits to using adderall as a boost while studying, stating that her primary purpose in taking any of the aforementioned psychostimulants is “to get work done.” She describes the long, often all-day or approximately 12-hour high that follows as a feeling of high energy and focus. “You don’t really eat; you just sit down and focus on one activity, even forgetting that you have other priorities and not noticing how quickly time seems to pass.”
Risks: Despite their reputation, psychostimulants can’t turn Pinky into the Brain; they just keep you awake. Their side effects arguably outweigh their perceived benefits, as they decrease appetite and are sometimes abused for weight loss. Adderall is often snorted and/or mixed with alcohol consumption to achieve a briefer, stronger high, though such abuse can result in respiratory, circulatory and cardiac problems as well as changes in attitude and level of aggression.
Legality: Psychostimulants qualify as Schedule II drugs, so the federal penalty for their misuse is no more than five years of prison time. States penalties for possessing unprescribed psychostimulants are typically around $1,000 in fines and a maximum of one year in jail.
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Cocaine
What it’s called: blow, bump, coke, snow.
How it’s taken: often refined using a razor blade or other sharp edge, separated into lines, and snorted in a white powder. Can also be smoked as a rock crystal, a form called crack cocaine.
What it does: Cocaine is a stimulant, acting as a mood booster and energizer and serving as a catalyst for great celebrity mugshots since the beginning of Hollywood.
“The high doesn’t last that long,” says Amy of her experience with cocaine, “but I felt really clear-headed and efficient. It’s like Adderall times 100.” Cocaine has a reputation for its ability to rope first-timers into regular use quickly: “It’s instantly addictive,” she adds, saying that she and her friends make sure to watch out for each other to avoid risking overdose. “It feels great,” she adds. “In one night, you can go through a sac of about eight lines easily.”
Risks: Cocaine increases heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure, and as illustrated by the above statements, is highly addictive. Overdoses can be fatal and are typically related to seizures, cardiac arrhythmias, or respiratory failures.
Legality: Cocaine is a Schedule II substance. Federal penalties for first-time use and possession include up to one year in prison and a fine ranging anywhere from $1,000 to $100,000; further repercussions may be added based on state legislation.
Rohypnol
What it’s called: roofies, the forget-me pill, date-rape drug.
How it’s taken: orally by pill, though it can be dissolved in water.
What it does: Initially, rohypnol causes a similar sort of inhibition as alcohol, as well as sedation and muscle relaxation. In high doses, it can limit motor skills and induce sleep for several hours. Most college students know rohypnol as the date rape drug that can be slipped into drinks and punches at parties.
Risks: Rohypnol causes a more intense intoxication than alcohol; a dose of about 2 milligrams is comparable to a six-pack of beer. Frequent or high-dosage use can cause dizziness, loss of bodily control, amnesia, muscle pain, and physical and psychological dependence.
Legality: Rohypnol is a Schedule IV substance. Federal and state penalties for its possession are similar: up to three years in jail and between $1,000 and a whopping $250,000 in fines.
GHB
What it’s called: liquid ecstasy, Georgia Home Boy.
How it’s taken: swallowed in a clear liquid, or more rarely, a white powder.
What it does: GHB has similar effects to Rohypnol, which is what has earned them the reputation of being “date rape drugs.”
Risks: The difference between eliciting a high and overdosing on GHB is difficult to measure. While minimal amounts of GHB are often used to achieve a sense of euphoria as well as lowered inhibitions and drowsiness, exceeding the limit can cause severe effects like nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, seizures, coma, and respiratory arrest.
Legality: Though GHB is often compared to Rohypnol, it was classified as a Schedule I substance in 2000. Federal penalties for its use and possession include up to four years in prison and $250,000 in fines.
Methamphetamines
What it’s called: meth.
How it’s taken: a powder whose color depends on the purity of the sample; meth is injected or snorted.
What it does: Meth induces a release of dopamine in the brain, the source of the “rush” that many users describe and the reason it can become addictive. Users frequently describe euphoria and increased energy during the high.
Risks: Other effects induced by meth include increased heart rate and blood pressure, reduced appetite, irritability, anxiety, and trouble breathing. In extreme cases or with repeated use, meth is capable of causing hypothermia, convulsions, and heart and brain damage.
Legality: Methamphetamine is a Schedule II drug, which means up to five years in prison according to the Controlled Substances Act, plus around $1,000 in fines, depending on the case. State penalties for the possession of even a minimal supply of meth usually include up to $10,000 in fines and upwards of two years in prison.
Heroin
What it’s called: dope, smack, China white, H, horse.
How it’s taken: white or dark brown powder. Heroin is most often injected as a liquidated form of that powder, but it can also be inhaled or smoked, either alone or in a joint or cigarette.
What it does: As depicted in the (masterpiece) film Trainspotting, users of heroin experience intense euphoria. Heroin is arguably the most addictive of commonly used drugs, and addiction can develop after just one use.
Risks: Less desirable side effects like dry mouth, flushed skin, and a clouded mental state, not to mention the potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms that result from frequent abuse.
Legality: Heroin is a Schedule I substance and is arguably considered the most serious drug in this list. The typical consequences for first-time use and possession of heroin are between one and seven years in prison and a fine ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, depending on the case.
No matter how (or what) you roll, know what you’re getting involved with: “I ask students to consider the perceived benefits versus the potential consequences of drug use,” says Durham. “There are biological, psychological and social consequences, and beyond all that, potential physical or psychological dependence.”
Looking for more information on the substances littering your campus? Like clicking buttons? Check out one of the links below.
– Commonly abused substances fact chart from the National Institute on Drug Abuse/
– Facts about prescription drug abuse from the National Council on Patient Information and Education.
– A drug fact breakdown from DrugFree.org.
– A list of controlled substances and scheduling.
– A detailed outline of federal and state penalties for sale and possession.
*Name changed.