The 6 Most Addictive Substances on Earth

A number of studies have been made as to which substance on earth is the most addictive. The results vary a little, but most are in agreement as to which should occupy the top spot. And we believe you’d be surprised, because it’s not heroin, cocaine, or any other notorious substances. What’s more, half of the substances on this list are legal. Read on to find out which one is the most addictive of them all.

6. Marijuana

Often described as a “gateway” drug, marijuana or cannabis is the largest cash crop in the USA. While not addictive to many casual users, marijuana can make dependents out of 10 to 14 percent of regular users. Its active chemical compound, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), produce psychoactive effects, including increased appetite, feelings of relaxation, and a feeling of slowing of time. Impaired concentration, increased heart rate and lower blood pressure are some of its physiological and neurological effects.

5. Caffeine

Caffeine is everywhere. Often referred to as the world’s most widely used drug, caffeine is found in so many products it’s not easy to find one that doesn’t contain the substance. Classified as a stimulant, caffeine is most commonly consumed in the form of coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate and energy drinks.  Those who can be classified as caffeine addicts often feel that without caffeine, they feel they can’t get through the day or they find it hard to concentrate. But regular consumption of caffeine often leads to dizziness, headaches, high blood pressure, increased respiration rate and insomnia.

4. Alcohol

Yet another legal addictive substance, alcohol is generally consumed in the form of beer, wine and spirits. As a relaxant, it lessens inhibitions and anxiety in the user, as well as generates feelings of cheerfulness. Eventually, however, erratic and unpredictable behavior would pop up and more often than not mess things up. Alcohol, when abused in the long term, also takes its toll on the liver, pancreas, and the heart. And it becomes downright dangerous when mixed with other drugs like heroin, cocaine or barbiturates.

3. Cocaine

Extracted from the leaves of the coca plant, cocaine is one of the most profitable illicit drugs in the world, with revenues reaching billions upon billions of dollars annually. The second most popular illegal recreational drug in the U.S., which, incidentally, is also its biggest consumer, cocaine attacks the central nervous system and toys with its ability to reabsorb dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is associated with pleasure. With this, cocaine makes the user euphoric, confident, alert and hyper-stimulated. These effects, however tend to be short lived, and withdrawal symptoms ranging from aching muscles and bones to diarrhea and vomiting may set in in as little as one to two hours from the last dose.

2. Heroin

While heroin only occupies the second spot, it’s definitely one of the most dangerous drugs in the world. Processed from morphine, heroin often looks like a white or brown powder. When ingested, it instantly gives the user a euphoric sensation, as it goes straight to the brain where it tinkers with your ability to feel pleasure. But the pleasure doesn’t last long. In as little as one to two hours from the last dose, users may experience withdrawal symptoms, ranging from muscle and bone pain to diarrhea and vomiting.

1. Nicotine

Nicotine gets the top spot in this list, and rightly so. The main reason why tobacco is so addictive, nicotine is widespread, readily available and worst of all, very legal. Smoking and chewing tobacco are the common ways of ingesting nicotine. Smokers, now numbering 1.2 billion worldwide, often pick up the habit during their teen years, and as years of smoking go by, they eventually become addicted and in most cases become smokers for life. And there’s no question about the deadly effects of long-term use:  lung cancer, oral cancer, heart disease, strokes and emphysema are just some of the dire consequences of smoking.

10 Inventive But Ultimately Failed Drug Smuggling Methods

As drug trafficking laws in many countries get tougher than ever, drug dealers are finding more and more creative ways of smuggling their illicit merchandise past authorities. Unfortunately for them, they almost always get caught, however ingenious or even outrageous their efforts at concealment may be. On a sobering note, more and more drugs still do make it through, and that fact makes you wonder about the level of creativity those smugglers might have employed to successfully get their illicit merchandise past the most stringent of security measures.

1. Bugs

A total of 300 grams of cocaine were found stuffed inside 100 dead beetles, discovered by customs officials in Amsterdam inside a package from Peru.

2. Baby’s diapers

In Germany, a young mother was arrested for trying to smuggle 15 grams of amphetamines and 46 ecstasy pills into a local prison, stashing the drugs inside her daughter’s diaper.

3. Human hair extensions

Namibian authorities caught a 21-year-old Angolan student attempting to smuggle cocaine lightly spread over 76 packets of human hair extensions.

4. Vibrator

Svetlana Ivanyshka, a 26-year-old Ukrainian woman, never thought customs officers at Kiev Airport would thoroughly check the contents of her luggage, particularly a certain sex toy that she brought along. But they did, and eventually found a bag of hashish stuffed inside the battery compartment of her vibrator.

5. Holy water

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials arrested 50-year-old Warren Maynard of Brooklyn, NY, for trying to smuggle 42 bottles of liquid ketamine into the United States from Canada. Maynard tried to pass the drugs off as “holy water”.

6. Statue of Jesus Christ

Stashing drugs inside religious statues is an old trick. Making religious statues out of drugs, however, is not. A statue of Jesus Christ made from plaster mixed with cocaine was intercepted by U.S. customs officials at the border crossing in Laredo, Texas in 2008. The woman who was carrying the 6.6 pound statue managed to escape back to Mexico, but a 61-year-old Mexican man suspected of paying the said woman to carry the statue was arrested.

7. Purebred puppies

Drugs smuggling has gone to the dogs, literally. The DEA arrested in 2006 members of a Colombian drug organization for smuggling heroin into the U.S. through various means, including cutting open purebred puppies and placing heroin packets inside them.

8. Leg cast

A 66-year-old Chilean man was arrested by airport authorities in Barcelona, Spain after they discovered that the cast on his fractured left leg was made out of cocaine. Police also said the man may have intentionally fractured his left leg to make the use of the cocaine cast real. Now that’s dedication to one’s work.

9. Pringles

In 2006, Austin, Texas cops found 168 grams of cocaine inside a drug suspect’s can of Pringles. But the really creative part here is that the cocaine was made to look like actual Pringles crisps.

10. Suitcases

Nope, we’re not talking about drugs hidden in suitcases. In the case of a woman trying to fly from Chile to Spain, the suitcases were the drugs. Chilean airport police intercepted the woman carrying two suitcases which was later found out to be made of cocaine.  According to one of the officers, cocaine was combined with resin and glass fiber to make the suitcases, which aroused suspicion because they were heavier than their contents.

Image Sources

WeirdlittleBiscuit MadeInChina EasyBizChina CBP TheStranger DEA ApartmentTherapy