Drug Effects - Amphetamine-type Stimulants (ATS)

Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS)

ATS can be divided into two subgroups, namely CNS stimulants and hallucinogenic ATS. In 2002, the Forensic Science Laboratory of the South African Police Service (SAPS) analysed more than 500 000 dosage units in connection with more than 1 600 ATS-related cases. The police also raided several illicit ATS production facilities during the same year in response to an increase in the illicit manufacturing of methcathinone. The ATS listed below are controlled in South Africa and are listed as Undesirable Dependence-Producing Substances in Part III of Schedule 2 of the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, 1992 (Act No 140 of 1992).

CNS Stimulants

The main drugs in this group are -

• amphetamine (street names: Bennies, Dexies, Benzedrine);
• methamphetamine (street names: Ice, Meth, Crystal); and
• methcathinone (street name: CAT).

The effects of CNS stimulants

The sought-after effects of these drugs are -

• a feeling of well-being, exhilaration and euphoria;
• increased alertness and energy;
• delayed hunger and fatigue; and
• an enhanced ability to perform manual and intellectual tasks.

The possible short-term effects of these drugs are -

• loss of appetite;
• faster breathing;
• increased heart rate;
• raised blood pressure;
• dilated pupils;
• strange, erratic, at times violent behaviour;

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The possible effects of large doses are -

• hallucinations;
• talkativeness;
• a sense of power or superiority;
• restlessness;
• hyperexcitability; and
• irritability which can lead to anxiety and paranoid psychosis.

The possible effects of excessive doses are -

• convulsions;
• seizures;
• death from respiratory failure;
• stroke;
• cerebral haemorrhage; and 
• heart failure.

The possible long-term effects of these drugs are -

• destruction of the tissue in nose if the drugs are sniffed;
• respiratory problems if the drugs are smoked;
• contraction of infectious diseases if the drugs are injected;
• abscesses if the drugs are injected;
• malnutrition and weight loss;
• disorientation;
• indifference;
• confusion and exhaustion due to a lack of sleep;
• an increased tolerance to the drugs;
• a psychological dependance on the drugs; and
• paranoid psychosis.

When a person stops using these drugs, he/she will go through a period of excessive sleeping followed by a period of depression.

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Hallucinogenic ATS

The main drugs in this group are -

• 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (street names: Ecstasy, XTC, E, Adam and various names catalogued in the 2003 Logo Index);
• 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) (street names: Ecstasy, XTC, E and various names catalogued in the 2003 Logo Index); and
• 3,4-Methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) (street names: Ecstasy, XTC, E, Adam and various names catalogued in the 2003 Logo Index).

The effects of hallucinogenic ATS

The sought-after effects of these drugs are -

• a feeling of emotional closeness to others (empathy);
• increased sociability; and
• increased physical and emotional energy.

The possible short-term effects of these drugs are -

• fatigue and depression after use of the drugs is stopped;
• restlessness, anxiety and intense visual and auditory hallucinations with larger doses;
• nausea and vomiting;
• a rise in blood pressure and heart rate; and
• death from heatstroke.

The possible long-term effects of these drugs are -

• damage to nerve tissue;
• brain damage; and
• liver damage.

Chemical safrole used as a precursor in manufacturing hallucinogenic ATS is reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen, that is, a substance that can cause cancer, according to the Ninth Report on Carcinogens (PB2000-107509, 2000).

References

Terminology and Information on Drugs, Revised Edition, United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, New York, 1999.

Merck Index, 13th Edition, Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station NJ, 2001.

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