Drugs have been a problem in our society for many years. They have been used andabused by many groups, including professional athletes. It is certainly quite common to hear aboutor read about athletes and drug use. Although drugs have a lengthy history of use byathletes, they have varied effects on the body and different preventions. Much of the world’s supply of cocaine is produced in South America.
Thousands of yearsago, the ancient Incas of Peru chewed coca leaves because they made it possible for themto work in the high mountains of the land for longer periods of time. In the 1880’s Boliviansoldiers were given the drug to help them gain endurance and overcome fatigue. It wasn’t until the early years of the 20th century thatcocaine increased in popularity among athletes (“Coca”). Cocaine is a naturally occurring alkaloid, extracted from the leaves of the coca plant. . Eighty thousand tons of coca leaf will eventually produce about 200 tonsMarijuana was first smoked as a medicine as early as 2737 B.
C. E. in China. Marijuana is amixture of leaves, stems, and flowering tops of the hemp plant.
The hemp plant has thehighest cannabinoid concentration found in the flowering tops. Marijuana is referred to asgrass, pot, tea, or weed. The hemp plant grows wild through most of the world and canbe cultivated in any area with a hot season. It grows best in central Asia. The mainpsychoactive compound in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannibinal, better known asTHC, a strong hallucinogenic that passes from the lungs into the blood and the brain. TheTHC content of marijuana has increased eight fold in the last few years and some nowexceed 10 percent.
Hash oil may contain 15 to 30 percent THC. Marijuana is by far themost frequently used illicit drug in the United States(Marijuana). enhancement, anabolic-andogenic steroids are today’s sports drugs of choice. Steroids area family of synthetic compounds.
. These children were prepped with windsprints at six and steroids at 16, the “sport” vanished from sports (Rosellini 52). Cocaine was first used by doctors in the late 1800’s as an anesthetic. It was also usedduring this time to treat fatigue, alcohol, morphine addiction, impotence, stomachdisorders, asthma, and many other complaints including depression. Despite evidence thatcocaine was habit forming, it was an ingredient in many popular patent medicines, anduntil 1903 it was in Coca-Cola.
Most countries prohibit its use except for limited medicalpurposes. Cocaine is the most reinforcing drug around. . It is a hardened, very addictive form that may be smoked directly. Cocaineis very expensive.
A single dose may be as little as a quarter of a gram, but it can easilyThere are no currently approved uses for marijuana in the Unites States. However, manydoctors obtain THC from the federal government under special arrangements in order toprescribe it for cancer patients. THC is effective in reducing the nausea that cancerpatients suffer from. Marijuana may stimulate appetite. Marijuana may be smoked ortaken by mouth. The same dose of THC is about three times as effective when smoked aswhen ingested.
Marijuana is smoked in the form of a hand-rolled cigarettes, but it is alsosmoked in a variety of pipes. After smoking marijuana, the user has a “high,” including anincreased sense of well-being, relaxation, and sleepiness. Most users learn to avoidoverdosage by taking only as many inhalations as required to produce the desired “high. “Steroids may have some therapeutic value.
The United States Food and DrugAdministration has approved the use of selected steroids for treating specific types ofanemia, some breast cancers, osteoporosis, endometriosis, and hereditary angioedema, arare disease involving the swelling of some parts of the body. Steroids are used today byyoung people that are in a hurry to reach maturity or by someone that hates his skinnybody. Most of all, steroids are used by athletes to build muscle mass. They also helpmuscles to recuperate more quickly from exhaustion or injury.
These enable users to trainmore frequently and for longer periods of time at a high intensity. Athletes generally takethe drugs in dosages 10 to 100 times greater than would be prescribed for therapeuticpurposes. Furthermore, athletes often take more than one type of steroid at a time, apractice known as “stacking.” Steroids may be .
