Q.Amphetamines are stimulants of the CNS, whereas barbiturates are ---- a) CNS stimulant b) both a and b c) hallucinogenic d) CNS depressants

Adolescence (roughly age 12–19) begins with the physical/sexual changes of puberty and is also a period of significant psychological and social change, making adolescents vulnerable to peer pressure that can push them toward experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Drug abuse is defined as taking a drug for a purpose other than its normal clinical use, in an amount/frequency that impairs physical, physiological or psychological function. Alcohol itself is a psychoactive depressant that slows nervous-system activity and affects mood and behaviour.

Commonly abused drug categories include: opioids (bind CNS/gut opioid receptors; heroin is diacetyl morphine, made by acetylating morphine from the opium poppy, and is a widely abused depressant/painkiller); cannabinoids (from Cannabis sativa — marijuana, ganja, hashish, charas — which interfere with dopamine transport and stimulate the CNS); coca alkaloids (cocaine, from Erythroxylum coca leaves, causing hallucinations and paranoia); and hallucinogens (Atropa belladonna, Datura, and synthetic LSD, which distort perception). Barbiturates, amphetamines and tranquilizers are also commonly abused, despite being legitimate medicines for depression/insomnia when used clinically. These are organized into five effect-based groups: stimulants (accelerate brain activity — amphetamines, cocaine, nicotine, tobacco), d …