Alcohol is legal in the United States for adults over 21.

Alcohol affects the parts of the brain where decisions are made, causing a person under the influence to make poor choices or choose riskier behaviors. Alcohol is a depressant that affects your central nervous system, slowing important functions down.

Yes. When a person drinks more often, it requires more alcohol for them to feel the same way they felt when they first started drinking. People are at a higher risk of addiction if they have history of alcoholism, or if they  started drinking at a young age.

It is illegal to use prescription drugs without a prescription from a medical clinician. It's also illegal to share your prescription drugs with anyone else.

Opioid medications bind to the parts of the brain that perceive pain. Opioids cause a large release of dopamine in the brain , which makes you feel relaxed and happy. This effect can confuse the brain's reward center, and can lead to addiction.

Yes, opioids are addicting. The effects to the brain's reward center can teach the brain that it needs to opioid to survive.

It is illegal to use prescription drugs without a prescription from a medical clinician.  It's also illegal to share your prescription drugs with anyone else.

Depressants slow down activity in the brain and spinal cord. Too much of this "slowing down" can be harmful for the brain.

Yes. The use of depressants can cause dependence, when the body relies on the drug to keep the brain chemically balanced. When people who are addicted to depressants stop taking them suddenly, the person may experience extreme withdrawal symptoms which can include seizures.

It is illegal to use prescription drugs without a prescription from a medical clinician.  It's also illegal to share your prescription drugs with anyone else.

Stimulants cause a build up of two brain chemicals (dopamine and norepinephrine) that regulate your mood and behavior, resulting in a change in communication between brain cells.

The law applies to what is being vaped in an e-cig. Meaning, in Washington State, marijuana vaping is legal for adults over 21, and vaping nicotine is legal for adults over 18. As of Jan. 1, 2020 it will be illegal to sell or give tobacco or vaping products to people under age 21.

While the brain is still developing, young people are at higher risk for long-term, long-lasting effects of exposure to nicotine, including an increased risk of addiction. Nicotine can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning.

Yes. Nicotine is addicting to young people and adults. Young people's brains are growing faster than adult brains, and are therefore can get addicted more easily than adults.

Cigarettes are legal for adults 18 and over.

While the brain is still developing, young people are at higher risk for long-term, long-lasting effects of exposure to nicotine, including an increased risk of addiction. Nicotine can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning.

The nicotine you get from smoking is very addictive on its own. Cigarettes also contain other drugs that make nicotine even stronger. To make things worse, the tobacco industry spends 8.37 billion dollars a year in marketing meant to keep smokers smoking, and to get young people to start.

Smokeless tobacco is legal for adults 18 and over.

While the brain is still developing, young people are at higher risk for long-term, long-lasting effects of exposure to nicotine, including an increased risk of addiction. Nicotine can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning.

Yes, these products all contain nicotine, which is extremely addictive. Users will develop strong cravings for nicotine and will experience withdrawal symptoms when their nicotine levels drop.