Lesson video

Hello, and welcome to our lesson today on drugs, the law, and common illegal drugs.

I'm Mr. Clarke, and I'm going to be your teacher for today's lesson, and I'm really excited to start today's learning.

Before we start, though, it is worth bearing in mind that this lesson does contain sensitive topics.

Therefore, we recommend that you make a trusted adult aware before taking part in these lessons, or that you have a trusted adult nearby.

With that in mind, let's start today's lesson.

To be able to fully participate in today's lesson, you're going to need the following items: an exercise book, or a piece of paper, and a pen.

So if you haven't got those with you now, I suggest you pause this video, and when you've got them and you're ready to start, press play, and we'll begin again.

You've already started your learning journey today by taking part in the introduction quiz.

I look forward to seeing your results at the end of today's lesson.

You'll then be today going on to learn about common types of illegal drugs, the risks in terms of health and social risk of drugs, and finally, the law, at which point you will then be ready to take part in the exit quiz, and I've no doubt that you are going to do absolutely amazing, but before we can even get to the exit quiz, we've got to go through these topics, so let's start, shall we? The keywords we're going to be looking at today are drugs, which are defined as a medicine or other substance which has a psychological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.

Psychological there normally referring to our mind and our brains and an impact on that.

At this point, I do suggest that you write down these keywords because we're going to refer to them throughout the lesson and also throughout this unit.

The second keyword today is trip, which is a psychedelic experience and it's temporarily altered state of consciousness.

So during a trip, people's perceptions of reality can become altered.

They might see things that aren't there or believe things that aren't necessarily true.

We'll explore more about what that is in the context of a trip when we look at examples of illegal drugs.

I want you now, though, to pause this video and complete the following task.

Let's explore what we already know.

So write drugs in the middle of your page, and around the outside, write down all the things that you currently already know.

This might include any names, any health impacts, and/or the law surrounding drugs.

When you've put everything that you think you possibly can on that mind map, press play again, and we'll start exploring more about the topic of drugs and illegal drugs and the law.

Firstly, we're going to look at common types of illegal drugs.

Now these are split into three main categories.

The first is stimulants.

Now, they raise levels of psychological or nervous activity in the body.

Then we have depressants, or sometimes known as downers.

They lower the neurotransmission levels, which is depressed or reduced arousal or stimulation, in various areas of the brain.

So essentially what that means is the messages that are getting sent around our brains to the rest of our body are not going at their normal pace that they are right now for you and me.

They are completely slowed down, which means messages to the brain are getting there at a much slower rate.

And then we have hallucinogens.

They alter people's awareness of their surroundings as well as their own thoughts and their feelings.

This links massively as well to that keyword we looked at earlier in terms of having a trip, which is often associated with someone taking an hallucinogen.

Let's now look at some common types of illegal drugs and where we might place them in terms of the three categories.

The first one is cocaine and crack, which gives you a confidence buzz for about 30 minutes, leaving you then craving more, which is how the idea of addiction and people always wanting more to get that buzz again comes about.

Both of these produce feelings of wellbeing, alertness, reduced appetite, and physical strength.

Now, do we think this is a hallucinogen, a depressant, or a stimulant? Point now where you think these drugs belong.

Think you've got an answer? Okay then, point to the answer that you think is correct in three, two, and one.

What do we think? Where does it belong? Absolutely, if you said stimulants, you are correct.

Cocaine and crack are a stimulant, and as we can see there in the description, it's a constant buzz.

It's a feeling of alertness.

Our brain is working overtime as opposed to some of the others, such as depressants, which we know will slow those brain messages down.

The next drug we're going to look at is magic mushrooms. Users have a trip, and people taking magic mushrooms often laugh a lot and can sometimes feel very relaxed.

Now, where do we think this would belong? Point now to the answer that you think is correct, and we'll see in three, two, and one.

What do we think? Where do magic mushrooms belong? Absolutely, well done if you said hallucinogens.

That is correct.

We know as well, as we talked about earlier, the reference between those categories of drugs and also trips.

They can give people the illusion, the thought, that they're seeing things that aren't there or that they have abilities that they can't have, which is a real risk, which we'll explore later, particularly when people feel they have superpowers of forms to be able to fly, or situations like that, and the consequences can be really upsetting for everyone.

The next illegal drug we're going to look at, and that is cannabis, or perhaps known as weed.

It depends on the type taken, but can include side effects such as feeling relaxed, laughter, talkative, to also having psychotic experiences, out-of-body experiences, feeling or seeing things that aren't there.

Where do we think this one belongs? Point to the correct answer you think in three, two, one.

What do we think? Where does cannabis and weed belong under those categories? Okay, interesting, well, this one's a little bit of a trick question, because, actually, it belongs not just there, not just there, but also there, so it does cover all three categories, and that's because there are so many different types or variants of weed, and it can be mixed or put with lots of other different drugs at times, which is where we refer to the idea of it being cut.

So when they say a weed is cut, it means it's mixed, sometimes, with other different forms of drugs, therefore it can have possibly any of these impacts, and therefore that's why it sits under all three categories.

The final one we're going to look at in this section, and that is ecstasy, or sometimes known as MDMA.

It usually makes the user very energetic for a number of hours.

The initial rush is often followed by the user feeling calm, loving, confident, and alert.

Where do we think this one belongs? Point to the answer that you think is correct in three, two, and one.

What do you think? Where is it going? Okay, are you sure? You still got time to change your mind, or are you happy? Okay, we're going there.

Let's have a look then and see if you're correct.

It is, of course, a stimulant.

It's making the brain work overtime, sending those messages at a much faster pace.

So we've looked at drugs, and the type of illegal drugs, and where they fit under those categories.

Let's now explore the risks attached to those, both in terms of your own health and the social risk attached to illegal drugs.

All drugs carry the same risks, socially and health wise.

Do you think that's true, or do you think that's false? Do all drugs carry the exact same risks? What do we think? Point now to what you think is the correct answer in three, get ready, two, and one.

What do you think? True or false? Should we see if you're right? It's, of course, false.

While there are similarities between drugs and their risks, drugs, particularly the ones as we're referring to here, illegal drugs, are much more fatal, but all of them, though, do carry a number of risks.

So drugs are highly dangerous, and they contain uncontrolled quantities of dangerous chemicals.

They have serious short and long-term health risks.

So although they might give you a buzz in that moment, the risks and the impact it might have later on in your life can be absolutely catastrophic.

They always carry a risk of death in the first and every subsequent time they are used.

You only need to take an illegal drug once to, unfortunately, possibly lose your life, and that's really important to remember.

They can be highly addictive, and teens are particularly at a higher risk to addiction.

The reason for that is to all do with your brain and the way and the speed at which your brain develops.

Those who are teenagers and going through adolescence, the part of your brain that gives you that sense of reward and happiness when you do something positive is really quite large, and those neurons are firing around, but the part of our brain that makes you think, "Actually, is this a good idea? Should I be doing this?" and the idea of taking risks is the part that developed last, so therefore you're not thinking about your situation or thinking about the impact which these drugs can have.

Therefore it's even more important that you are aware that there is a higher chance of you getting addicted and therefore carrying a higher health risk to yourself when taking these drugs.

So which of these groups, then, of people do you think are at higher risk? Is it someone who mixes different drugs together? Is it someone who mixes drugs with alcohol? Is it someone who already has physical or mental health problems? What do we think? Which of those groups is at a higher risk, do we think, in terms of their health? Point to the answer that you you think is correct in three, two, and one.

What do we think? You sure? Let's check.

It's all of them.

As we've already mentioned, the risks associated with taking drugs is absolutely huge, no matter who you are.

However, particularly when we look at mental health problems, drugs can bring about mental health problems as well.

So not only can they make things worse if you are already, unfortunately, suffering from a physical or mental health problem, but actually they can bring about really complex and difficult mental health problems too.

Pause this video now to complete the following task, and that's looking at the social impacts in terms of illegal drugs.

So take a moment to think about what these might be and write down some answers as to what you think it could include.

Afterwards, we'll compare the answers and we'll see if we've got any that are similar, or perhaps I thought of some that you haven't.

When you've got a few answers down, so two or three answers or thoughts down, press play and we'll have a look.

Have you got some answers? Fantastic, let's now compare.

So firstly, it's worth bearing in mind how all of these social impacts come about, and it's a little bit like a cycle, is the easiest way to think about this.

So people, or groups of people, or someone, goes to buy illegal drugs, which means that ultimately there becomes a higher demand in that area or for that particular drug.

This then will lead to increased criminal activity, which is then encouraged.

We know that illegal drugs, to buy or sell them or have them on you is against the law, and we'll look at that shortly.

So when people are buying drugs from a particular area, naturally, because it's illegal, increased criminal activity is encouraged in that area.

Many drugs are also associated to gangs, which means you will also be bringing in gangs to that area, which is a huge social impact of drugs, which then links into drug trafficking, intimidation and recruitment of young people into illegal gangs.

So socially, the young people of that area of a really young age can be brought into drugs, and they'll often use to sell the drugs or to pass the drugs around to other people, and the secondary impacts would include violence, graffiti.

We've explored the health and social risks and the different categories and types of illegal drugs, but what is actually the law on it? I've explained that it's obviously against the law, but what do I actually mean by that, and what punishments can be carried from the use or carrying of illegal drugs? What is, then, the age of criminal responsibility in the UK? So that means what age could you be sentenced or face a prison sentence, or a court sentence, or all of these things, and what age is it in the UK? Is it five years old, eight years old, 10 years old, 13 years old, 16, or 18? Have a think and then get ready to point to the correct answer in three, two, and one.

Point now to the answer that you think is correct.

Okay, interesting.

Should we see if you're right? The answer is, in fact, 10, so well done if you said that.

This means that people aged 10 plus can be cautioned, trialled for a criminal offence, and gain a criminal record.

It is worth, at this point, making sure that you've got this age noted down and this information on your exercise book or piece of paper so that you can refer to it back at any point.

So how many classes of drugs are there, then, in the UK? Classes stands for classification.

So do you think there are two classes of drugs in the UK, three classes, or four classes of drugs in the UK? Point now to the answer that you think is correct in three.

So how are they categorised? How many categories do we have? Two, is it two, three, or four, or one? And show me now.

What do we think? How many classes of drugs are there in the UK? I'm not sure what we think.

Should we see if you're right? There's four.

Now, interestingly, lots of people always think there are three, but actually they're the most common in terms of the three that we know, but there are four: Class A, B, and C.

You might've heard of those before, but there's also another class, which is the temporary class drugs.

So the government can ban any new drug that comes into the country or people are made aware of for one year under a temporary banning order, and this will allow them to decide how the drugs should be classified and what the impacts and effects of those drugs are, so the temporary class drugs banned is always changing.

We're going to look at now what drugs come under each class, what the sentencing might be in terms of if you have it on possession, so if you're carrying that drug, what criminal sentence might you be facing in terms of a fine or perhaps a prison sentence, and the same again for supply and production.

It's a good idea now to make sure you're copying this grid along with me as we go through it, so I would suggest that you just pause the video now to set up your table, and when you're ready, we'll go through this together.

So let's now look at Class A.

These are the drugs that come under Class A.

Some of these we've explored previously in this lesson, but what do we think is the criminal offence for having possession of these drugs? What could you face, do you think? Do we think maybe a year in prison, maybe two years, or do we think it's going to be higher? What do you think? Is it going to be higher than two years? I don't know, should we find out? So if you have any of these drugs on you, you could be facing seven years in prison and an unlimited fine.

Now, it'll always vary with possession how much is on you, but this is the time you could be facing.

So if possession is seven years for a Class A, what do we think if you're supplying it or you're making it, what could you be facing? Do you think it's going to be higher than seven years in prison or lower? What do we think? Absolutely right if you said higher.

Of course, it's going to be higher if you are supplying or producing any form of drug.

So you could actually face up to life in prison, or an unlimited fine, or both.

So for supplying and producing any of those Class A drugs, the sentence is really, really high, and that's because it's the highest banned class of drug.

So let's now look at Class B.

These are drugs that come under Class B.

We've looked at some of these already.

What do we think, then, possession is? So if Class A is seven years in prison, what do we think for possession in Class B? Do we think it's going to be seven years again, or do we think it's going to be lower or higher? What do we think? So do we think seven years, higher than seven years, or lower than seven years, we think? Okay, well, it is, in fact, five years in prison or an unlimited fine, or, the difference here, both.

You could achieve both.

So now let's look at supply and production.

Class A with up to life.

Do we think it's going to be up to life again for Class B or do we think it's going to be a lower sentence? What do you think? The same or lower? Okay, it's up to 14 years in prison, so lower than life, but still a hefty, long sentence.

It's up to 14 years in prison or an unlimited fine, or, again, both could be faced.

And finally, we have the Class C.

These are types of drugs that come under Class C.

You'll notice that some of these are also prescription drugs, and we will look at prescription drugs later on in this unit.

So possession, then, if you have possession of these drugs and you're not meant to, what could you face? Well, the answer is two years in prison or an unlimited fine, or, in fact, both.

When we look at supply and production, then, so that for Class A, up to life, for Class B, up to 14 years in prison.

Class C, what do we think? How many years are you going to guess? Okay, should we see? It's up to 14 years again in prison or unlimited fine, or, in fact, both.

Now, you'll notice I haven't included the temporary class drugs on this table, and that's because, as explained earlier, they are constantly changing and constantly being adapted in terms of their sentencing and possession, but we can see there that any class of drug, including the temporary class, would include, potentially, a prison sentence and/or a fine as well.

At this point, it's a really great idea to make sure you've got this down in your table, so if you do need to pause the video to catch up, that's no problem, and when you are ready, press play, and we'll look at the next slide.

Time to go back to our very first mind map we created at the start of this lesson.

We have covered so much in terms of drugs, illegal drugs, and the law.

So go back to that mind map you created, and around the outside, add anything new that you've learned from today's lesson, and when you've filled your mind map with as many new things as you possibly can until there's no space left on that paper, press play and I'll give you some things that I wrote on my mind map.

So hopefully you've got a super full up mind map, and here are some of the ones that I've put just in case you need to add any more.

So you could have included the different categories that we talked about there.

You could have included some of the names of the common illegal drugs that we explored during one of the activities.

You could have included the idea of the prison sentence or fine faced in terms of possession punishments, and also a little bit more information about each of the different classes, Class A, B, and C, and perhaps also mentioning about the temporary class as well.

Well done for working so hard today.

We covered so much content, and you've done really well to get all that information down.

Don't forget, though, that it doesn't stop there, because you need to now make sure you complete the exit quiz, which, as I already said, you're going to do amazing at, no doubt.

Don't forget also to join us for our next lesson in this unit as well.

Until then, best of luck in the exit quiz, and I hope to see you soon, bye-bye.