Drug Law

Drugs and medicines are a complicated part of life in the Orion Spur. Depending on the jurisdiction, there may be no rules--or extreme and severe prohibitions even on the mildest of substances.

Drug Categories

Drugs can be divided roughly into several categories, depending on their danger level, uses, and availability.

Intoxicating Drinks

Often consumed socially, these drinks tend to be legal because of the ubiquity of fermented beverages throughout the history of most sapient organic species. Weakly intoxicating drinks in small quantities have little or no effect; but in large quantities or when particularly strong, they cause impaired judgment, impaired motor skills, and eventually alcohol poisoning, which can be deadly. Laws may be different for weak drinks versus strong ones; or there may be a limit on the level of intoxication allowed while doing delicate or dangerous work.

• Ethanol, otherwise known as simply alcohol, is the intoxicating drink of choice for humans. Skrell may drink it, too, but it affects them much more strongly.
• Butanol is the basis of intoxicating drinks for Unathi. Other species feel little effect unless they drink large quantities.
• Toothpaste, usually used to clean teeth, contains fluoride, which is intoxicating to Vaurca. Toothpaste is freely available to humans.
• Royal Vaurca Jelly, a slimy nutrient concentrate that has stimulant and mildly hallucinatory effects, was originally created to feed Varuca larvae. It has since been canned and distributed to other species, which generally find it to be very tasty.

Stimulant Drinks

These drinks have a mild stimulant effect, but do not cause impairment. They are safe to consume in reasonable quantities. Overdose tends to involve jitters and anxiety.

• Caffeine, found in tea and coffee and added to other beverages, is ubiquitous among humans.
• Energy Drinks, containing various stimulants (often caffeine or Vaurca jelly), are stronger than tea and coffee. Their use is regulated in some jurisdictions for safety reasons.
• Mate de Coca, originally from the Andes on Earth, is a popular drink on Mictlan. Since it is derived from the coca plant, which can also be refined into cocaine, it is illegal in some places despite its status as a safe, mild stimulant.
• Diesel is a stimulant used by Dionae. It is poisonous or indigestible to anyone else.
• Koko Reed Juice has a stimulant effect on Unathi, and is safe for other non-Vaurca species. It is sold in energy bars or drinks.

Group 6: Medication (Non-Prescription)

Group 6 is the sort of medication you would expect in a home first-aid kit. Widely available from vendors, shops, in emergency cupboards, and on request at most medical clinics, over-the-counter medication is relatively safe and requires no prescription in most places. Overdoses tend to be annoying or painful but not deadly. When they come in injectable form, they are often distributed in autoinjectors to be used by the unskilled. Particularly strict jurisdictions may require a prescription for all medications regardless of safety.

• Antidexafen. Cough syrup. Can be abused if overdosed.
• Cetahydramine. Used to treat allergies and as a sleeping pill.
• Dexalin. Phoron-based medication that encourages blood oxygenation. Available in oxygen deprivation emergency kits. Unlike most OTC medications, Dexalin can cause brain and eye damage in an overdose; but it is so life-saving that it is available nonetheless.
• Dylovene. Anti-toxin; very safe, carried and used by personnel that work with toxic substances.
• Hyronalin. Anti-radiation medication commonly available to personnel at risk of radiation exposure.
• Inaprovaline. All-purpose stabilizer and mild painkiller. Distributed in emergency kits.
• Oculine. Refined oculine is generally a prescribed medication, but carrots have been genetically modified so that eating them helps heal mild eye damage. An odd example of a medication that is over-the-counter... at the cafeteria.
• Perconol is a mild painkiller that also treats fever and inflammation. It can be abused if taken in an overdose, which causes hallucinations. Low doses are generally over-the-counter, but injectable or high-dose perconol tends to be by prescription.
• Pneumalin helps heal lung damage and can save a life if administered in an emergency to someone who has been exposed to vacuum. It is available in first-aid kits to workers in EVA jobs such as Mining.
• Regenerative-Muscular Tissue Supplements help mitigate an off-worlder human's muscle weakness in high-gravity areas. They are generally either widely prescribed or freely available.
• Tricordrazine is an older, safer, and slower version of bicaridine and kelotane. It is safe enough to be used as a food or drink ingredient. Liquid, injectable tricordrazine tends to be prescription-only, though.
• Verunol Syrup induces vomiting. An unpleasant, though effective, way to empty the stomach in an emergency.

Group 5

Group 5 is for medication that isn't generally considered abusable, but still takes skill to use properly. Generally available only by prescription, some jurisdictions allow anyone to purchase it.

Medication (Prescription, Non-Addictive, Non-Abusable)

Some medications are available only by prescription because it takes a doctor to use them correctly. It may technically be against the law to get them without a prescription, but because they're neither addictive, nor do they produce any sort of a "high", laws about possessing them tend to focus on safety. Some medications have side effects that make them unsafe to take while doing delicate or dangerous work.

Adrenaline Adipemcina Alkysine* Arithrazine Asinodryl Bicaridine Butazoline Cataleptinol Clonexadone Coagzolug Cryoxadone

Cytophenolate Dermaline Dexalin Plus Ethylredoxrazine Fluvectionem Helmizole Inacusiate Kelotane Leporazine Lipozine Lithium*

Peridaxon* Polysomnine* Pulmodeiectionem Rezadone Ryetalyn Saline Plus Serotrotium* Soporific* Steramycin Synaptizine Thetamycin

*Causes impairment.

Medication (Prescription, Addictive, Non-Abusable)

These physically addictive medications are used to treat mental illness. Patients taking these medications tend to develop a tolerance, becoming unable to function normally without them. To prevent tolerance, doctors may prescribe these medications for short periods and at low doses--but tolerance may be an acceptable trade-off for some patients treating long-term mental illness. If they need to stop taking the medication, patients reduce their dose gradually under a doctor's supervision to avoid painful, unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous withdrawal symptoms.

• Emoxanyl: Treats concussion, anxiety, depression, and epilepsy.
• Minaphobin: Treats anxiety disorders.
• Neurostabin: Anti-psychotic; also treats muscle weakness.
• Orastabin: Treats anxiety disorders and speech impediments.
• Parvosil: Treats anxiety disorders, phobias, and social anxiety.

Group 4: Medication (Prescription, Addictive, Abusable)

Group 4 includes medication that has a medical use, but can also be used recreationally. Where it is illegal to purchase without a prescription, black markets often divert it from medical clinics to the addicted public.

• Corophenidate is prescribed for ADHD and narcolepsy. It is also used as a "smart drug" by students and workers.
• Tranquilizers Nerospectan and Neurapan are prescribed for mental illness, but also used for their calming effects.
• Narcotic painkillers come in different strengths. Here they are listed from weakest to strongest; the stronger, the more addictive and dangerous:
  • Mortaphenyl, the most commonly used but weakest of the narcotics, treats moderate pain.
  • Morphine, which can be refined from poppies, and its synthetic cousin Tramarine, treat severe pain.
  • Oxycomorphine, is a last-resort painkiller for extreme pain, often in dying patients. It is phoron-based, which makes it more expensive.

Group 3: Recreational Drugs (Mild)

Without a medical use, but also without much danger, these drugs are generally legal. Some particularly strict governments may ban them regardless.

• Ambrosia Extract is a fairly strong relaxant commonly found in Ambrosia plants. It's one of the most widely available drugs in human space.
• Caromeg is a stimulant commonly found in oracle products. It encourages sociability and pleasure, but in high doses can promote paranoia, severe fever, and brain damage.
• Nicotine is an ancient stimulant and relaxant commonly found in small amounts in tobacco products. It is highly toxic in large amounts.
• Co'qnixq Wuxi, or Co'qnixq Nootropic, has existed since before Glorsh, and was developed as a cognitive enhancer for Skrell with dementia. Taking the substance provides a mild energy boost and heightens one's consciousness greatly. Frequently used as a 'smart drug' by students and scientists.
• Mercury Monolithium Sucrose, or MMS, is a synthetic relaxant that lasts twice as long when inhaled. It is both abused and used as a chemical precursor for medication.
• Psilocybin is a strong psychotropic derived from certain species of mushroom.
• Raskara Dust is a powdery narcotic found in the gang-ridden slums of Biesel and Sol. It is a relaxant that can cause trance-like states when inhaled. Casual users tend to snort or inhale, while hardcore users inject.
• Wulumunusha Extract, the extract of the wulumunusha fruit, can cause hallucinations and muteness.
• Xu'Xi Gas is a recreational drug hailing from Qerr'Malic. It produces a mild high similar to Wulumunusha and is known to make users susceptible to persuasion. Most forms of Xu'Xi Gas found outside of the Nralakk Federation are cheap, synthetic substitutes. Only works when inhaled.

Group 2: Recreational Drugs (Dangerous)

In an overdose, these drugs can cause serious damage. They are often illegal, or used only in specific circumstances.

• Hyperzine
• Spectrocybin
• Krok Juice
• Nightlife

Group 1: Recreational Drugs (Deadly)

These drugs are responsible for a significant number of deaths among users.

• Impedrezene
• Kilosemine
• Cocaine
• Contemplus
• Heroin
• Joy
• Mindbreaker Toxin
• Sparkle
• Spotlight
• Stimm

Dangerous or Unethical Substances

Some drugs are simply not categorized. Their use tends to come under laws addressing medical malpractice, the use of dangerous chemicals, police misbehavior, or war crimes.

• Condensed Capsaicin
• Sanasomnum
• Tremble
• Truth Serum
• Bluespace Dust
• Paxazide
• Aphrodite
• Red Nightshade