Illegal stimulants are prevalent drugs of abuse. According to the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, the number of people trying illegal stimulants for the first time tripled between 1991 and 2000. Worse, many of these people continued to use drugs. For example, the office of National Drug Control Policy says that in 2001 there were almost 2 million occasional cocaine users and an additional 1.7 million people who used the drug on a regular basis. Though all stimulants have the potential for misuse, nicotine, cocaine, and amphetamines are the most commonly abused and the most dangerous. Long-term usage of any of the three can seriously damage the heart, blood vessels, and lungs and lead to prolonged illness.

These drugs are also the most addictive stimulants.

The ABCs of Addiction

Addiction is a condition in which a person compulsively uses a substance, or repeats a...