Submitted by Submitted to

Ymmanuel Samson Mr. Romy De Castro

Research in Health
What are illegal drugs ?

Illegal drugs are drugs which have limitations on their ownership

or use by a government, and are illegal in certain situations
(meaning a person is not allowed to have them). A drug is any
chemical that affects the human body or mind when it is
swallowed, breathed in, or consumed in another way. A
psychoactive drug is a drug that affects the brain. Some controlled
drugs are allowed if you have permission (called a "prescription")
from a doctor Examples are gateway drugs
Republic act 9211
AN ACT REGULATING THE PACKAGING, USE, SALE, DISTRIBUTION
AND ADVERTISEMENTS OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
It is the policy of the State to protect the populace from
hazardous products and promote the right to health and instill
health consciousness among them. It is also the policy of the
State, consistent with the Constitutional ideal to promote the
general welfare, to safeguard the interests of the workers and
other stakeholders in the tobacco industry. For these purposes,
the government shall institute a balanced policy whereby the use,
sale and advertisements of tobacco products shall be regulated in
order to promote a healthful environment .
 Gateway drug theory (alternatively, stepping-stone theory,
escalation hypothesis, or progression hypothesis) is a
comprehensive catchphrase for the medical theory that the use of
a psychoactive drug can be coupled to an increased probability of
the use of further drugs. Possible causes are biological alterations
in the brain due to the earlier drug and similar attitudes of users
across different drugs (common liability to addiction). Scientific
investigation of the possible causes is considered important for
health policy concerning education and law making
General concept
The concept of gateway drug is based on observations that the
sequence of first-time use of different drugs is not random but
shows trends. On the basis of established techniques of
longitudinal studies such trends can be described precisely in
terms of statistical probability. As to the interpretation of the
observed trends, it is important to note the difference between
sequence and causation. Both may – but need not – be coupled, a
question which is subject of further research, e.g., by physiological
experiments.
Examples of trends
From a sample of 6,624 persons who had not used other illegal
drugs before their cannabis consumption the overall probability of
later use of further illegal drugs was estimated to be 44.7%.
Subgroup analyses showed that personal and social conditions,
such as gender, age, marital status, mental disorders, family
history of substance abuse, Ethnicity.
Alterations in the brain
In animals it is relatively simple to determine if consumption of a
certain drug increases the later attraction of another drug. In rats,
cannabis consumption – earlier in life – increased the self-
administration of heroin,[8] morphine,[9] and also nicotine.
Nicotine is a potent parasympathomimetic stimulant and an
alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants. Nicotine acts as
a receptor agonist at most nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
(nAChRs),[4][5] except at two nicotinic receptor subunits
(nAChRα9 and nAChRα10) where it acts as an receptor
antagonist.[4] Nicotine is found in the leaves of Nicotiana rustica
in amounts of 2–14%, the tobacco plant Nicotiana tabacum,
Duboisia hopwoodii and Asclepias syriaca

Nicotine's mood-altering effects are different by report: in

particular it is both a stimulant and a relaxant.[23] First causing a
release of glucose from the liver and epinephrine (adrenaline)
from the adrenal medulla, it causes stimulation. Users report
feelings of relaxation, sharpness, calmness, and alertness.[24] Like
any stimulant, it may very rarely cause the often uncomfortable
akathisia. By reducing the appetite and raising the metabolism,
some smokers may lose weight as a consequence
 A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is
an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to
the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular
metabolic processes. Several radioactive substances are
considered carcinogens, but their carcinogenic activity is
attributed to the radiation, for example gamma rays and alpha
particles, which they emit. Common examples of non-radioactive
carcinogens are inhaled asbestos, certain dioxins, and tobacco
smoke. Although the public generally associates carcinogenicity
with synthetic chemicals, it is equally likely to arise in both natural
and synthetic substances.[1] Carcinogens are not necessarily
immediately toxic, thus their effect can be insidious.

Cancer is any disease in which normal cells are damaged and do

not undergo programmed cell death as fast as they divide via
mitosis. Carcinogens may increase the risk of cancer by altering
cellular metabolism or damaging DNA directly in cells, which
interferes with biological processes, and induces the uncontrolled,
malignant division, ultimately leading to the formation of tumors.
Usually, severe DNA damage leads to apoptosis, but if the
programmed cell death pathway is damaged, then the cell cannot
prevent itself from becoming a cancer cell.
Illegal drugs are not allowed in our modern community because of
its effects on certain people and the causes of its consumption .
either it damages the brain or the body itself , by using it, it will
damage our bodies directly so do not use drugs and study like our
life depends on it . Some parents use drugs to escape reality ,
reality that they have responsibilities , reality that they need to
suffer , so like a wise man said “ It’s not the drugs that make a
drug addict, it’s the need to escape reality”.