Question

Which one of the following is a stimulant?
a. LSD
b. Cocaine
c. Opium
d. Heroin
e. Cannabis

Answer 1

Hint: Stimulant is a drug or substance capable of creating a stimulus that boosts up the levels of physiological or nervous activity in the body. In other words, it 'stimulates' the central nervous system and increases the blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature.

Complete answer:
Psychoactive drugs are substances that alter the bodily function of mood, perception, thinking process and/or behavior. It includes drugs for therapeutic, ritual, or recreational purposes. These are used as prescribed medicines like painkillers and sleeping pills, legal drugs such as nicotine and alcohol, and illegal drugs such as LSD and heroin.

There are different kinds of psychoactive drugs according to their effects.
> Depressants are drugs that slow down the activity of the brain, reduce anxiety, and induce drowsiness. Examples of depressants include alcoholic beverages, sleeping pills and opioids such as codeine and heroin.
• Opium is a highly addictive narcotic drug acquired from the seed capsules of the opium poppy.
• Heroin is also a depressant drug which is obtained from the morphine alkaloid found in opium.
• Cannabis is also a psychoactive drug which has many depressant effects and can be regarded as a depressant.

> Stimulants are drugs that raise the level of brain activity and increase alertness and wakefulness. Stimulants are obtained from sources such as the seeds, nuts or leaves of coffee, kola, and cocoa. The most common type of stimulant drugs include caffeine, cocaine, nicotine, amphetamines like Adderall.
• Cocaine is one of the strongest highly addictive illegal drugs which acts as a stimulant to bring out the state of euphoria and alertness by stimulating the nervous system. It is procured from the leaves of the coca plant.
• Nicotine is regarded as a stimulant and it is the natural ingredient found in cigarettes and other tobacco products cigarettes and other tobacco products.

> LSD is a Hallucinogen or “psychedelic” drug that causes hallucinations and other perceptual anomalies of reality. They also cause alterations in the user's thoughts, emotions, and consciousness. It is also an illicit, or illegal, drug.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Not all psychoactive drugs are illegal. Caffeine is perhaps the strongest stimulant found in coffee, tea and energy drinks which is consumed by people every day who want to stay awake and able to concentrate. The presence of caffeine in such drinks stimulates the central nervous system and relieves pain, as well as act as a remedy for headache. Small amount of caffeine may reduce the risks but if it is consumed in large amounts it may lead to sleep interruptions, and cardiac arrest.