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Harm Reduction

What is a drug?

There are four main catergories of drugs: Stimulants, Depressants, Opiates and Hallucinogens. A drug can be defined as:

"A chemical which can cause changes in the way the human body functions either mentally,
physically or emotionally".

This chemical affects the way your body works. A drug must be able to pass from your body into your brain. Once inside your brain, drugs can change the messages your brain cells are sending to each other, and to the rest of your body. They do this by interfering with your brain's own chemical signals, Neurotransmitters.

A drug can be:

In the UK, The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is the principle piece of legislation for the control and classification of drugs. It places restrictions upon the possession and supply, production, import and export of any controlled substance. The Misuse of Drugs Act lists the drugs that are subject to control and classifies them according to the level of harm associated with their misuse.