Until Mage revised, few of the books gave concrete rulings on diseases, drugs, and toxins, all of which can affect Shifters.

"Werewolves are not immune diseases but they recuperate much faster than humans do." It goes on to say that things like the flu or the cold won't be caught by a Garou, but other diseases would have an effect, they just would not do permanent harm, although they would be a carrier for a time. For drugs, if a Shifter wants it to have an effect, they need to be in their breed form (where the regenerative powers are not as effective), or Awaken the spirit of the drug. Supernatural and Wyrm tainted drugs, diseases, and poisons can have full effect, even on a stout Garou. For diseases and poisons, the effects range from an inconvenience to death.

Most diseases or drugs do bashing damage, while poisons (drugs made to kill) do lethal, and strong corrosives can do Aggravated. The Toxin Rating is the amount of damage that is taken per dose or disease manifestation and is the standard method for dealing with diseases, toxins, and drugs. Multiple doses are cumulative. Most diseases that do Lethal damage continue to do so until the patient is cured/treated, dead, or can regenerate themselves to full health.

Toxin Rating	Diseases	Poisons/Drugs
1	Cold (B)	Alcohol (B), Painkillers (B)
2	Chicken Pox (B), Measles (L), Food Poisoning (B)	Methanol (L), Special K (B), MDMA (L), Inhalants (L), Cocaine (B)
3	Flu (B), Pneumonia (L)	Ptomaine (B)
4	Tuberculosis (L)	Ammonia (L)
5	AIDS (L)	Bleach (L)
6	Black Plague (L)	Strong Acids & Alkalis(L/A)
7	Ebola (L)	Cyanide (L),
8		Tetrodotoxin (L)
9		Batrachotoxin (L)

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The following chart breaks down the game mechanics associated with many common street drugs.

Drug	Vector	Appearance	Effects
Alcohol examples: beer, wine, scotch	Oral	Liquid	Damage: 2 drinks = 1 bashing, -1 to Dex, -1 to Intelligence. Recovery: 1 drink per hour Effects: Euphoria, dizziness OD: Incoherence, unconsiousness, death
Stimulants examples: ice, speed, crank, PCP, Cocaine, Crack	Oral Inhale Injected	Pills Powders	Damage: 2 bashing per dose after high fades; -1 to all Dice Pools day after. Recovery: 4-8 hours per dose Effects: Excitability, Sharpened Perceptions, paranoia, agression, easy addiction Bonuses: 1 extra action / turn for 2 hours, +1 Str (PCP) OD: Shakes, diff breathing, loss of coordination, loss of judgement, heart attack
Depressants examples: Valium	Oral	Pills	Damage: -2 Dex, Skills, Talents:1 bashing damage Recovery: 6 hours per dose Effects:Sleepiness, Lethargy, detachment Bonuses:none OD: Extreme Lethargy, Unconsciousness, coma, death.
Hallucinogens examples: LSD, psilocybin, peyote	Oral Inhaled Contact (DMSO)	Pills Papers/Sugar Mushrooms Liquids	Damage :none, but may have 1-3 penalty on actions requiring concentration Recovery: 3-10 hours Effects: Altered Senses, Hallucinations, Loss of Concentration, or Over Focus Bonuses: may stimulate perceptions, +1 Awareness OD:Terror, Panic, hallucinations, nausea
THC examples: Marijuana, Hashish	Oral Inhale	Leaves Resin	Damage: none Recovery: 1-5s hour per dose Effects:Euphoria, Time dialation, lethargy, concentration loss Penalties: -1 to Perception OD: Panic, nausea, psych addiction, unconsciousness
Opiates examples: Morphine, opium, Heroin	Oral Inhale Inject	Resin Liquid	Damage: 1 bashing, -1 Dex Recovery: Effects: sensory distortion, lethargy, pain loss, euphoria, addiction Bonuses: -2 to Wound Penalties OD:nausea, coma, Death
GHB Date Rape	Oral	Liquid	Damage: 4 bashing damage, must soak all to remain awake Recovery: Effects: disinhibition, sedation, silliness, difficulty thinking, slurred speech Bonuses: OD:passing out, coma, death
Inhalants Butane, Ether, Nitrous Oxide, Glue	Inhale	Gas	Damage 2 lethal - brain damage Recovery Effects: Euphoria, sensory distortion Bonuses: none OD: coma, death
Ecstasy or MDMA	Oral	Pills	Damage 2 lethal - brain damage Recovery Effects: Euphoria, sexual arousal, tactile sensate, addiction Bonuses: none OD: coma, death

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Plant and Animal Toxins

Here is a list of toxins associated with venomous plants and animals.
Please note that many of these are not present in Africa, but if a venom/toxin comparison is needed, this should assist in making ST decisions.

Toxin	Source	Type	Toxin Rating	Effect
Animals
Cobra Venom	Cobra	Neurotoxin	6(L)	Onset: Painless. <60 minutes Effects: stiffness, muscle aches and spasm of the jaw, pain in the bitten limb, blurred vision, drowsiness and respiratory paralysis. OD: Death
Sea Snake Venom	Sea Snake	Neurotoxin	7 (L)	Onset: Painless. <30 minutes Effects: stiffness, muscle aches and spasm of the jaw, pain in the bitten limb, blurred vision, drowsiness and respiratory paralysis. OD: Death Most potent snake venom
Tetrodotoxin	Blue-Ring Octopus Puffer Fish	Neurotoxin	8 (L)	Onset: Painless <30 minutes Effects: Paralysis OD: Respirator failure/Death. One pufferfish can kill 30 people.
Mytotoxins	Box Jellyfish	cardiotoxic neurotoxic dermatonecrotic	9 (L)	Onset: Painful: Immediate Effects:Skin necropsy, cardiorespiratory arrest or arrythmias, difficulty with breading, speech or swallowing and extensive skin lesions OD: Death <5 minutes
Black Widow Venom	Black Widow Spider	Neurotoxins	5(L)	Onset: <30 : Immediate Paine Effects: These include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, pyrexia (fever) OD: paralysis, death (rare)
Brown Recluse Venom	Brown Recluse Spider	Necrotoxins Hemolytics	5(L)	Onset: Effects: severe mechanical damage expressed in necrotic lesions, destroys the walls of blood vessels causing nasty skin ulcers that take long to cure. OD: Necrotic Lesionins, Death (rare)
Batrachotoxin	Poison Dart Frog	Neurotoxin	9(L)	Onset: Effect:Nausea, vomiting, vasoconstriction, cardio-pulmonary paralysis OD: Death: <600 mg
Scorpion Toxin	Scorpions	Neurotoxin	5(L)	Onset: Immediate: Pain Effects: fever, excessive salivation, involuntary tearing, nausea or vomiting, confusion OD: coma, convulsions, increased or decreased heart rate, body temperature disregulation, and pulmonary edema (wet lungs), respiratory failure Deathstalker Scorpion is 7(L)
Natriuretic peptides	Platypus	Neurotoxin	7(B)	Onset: Immediate Pain that is not treatable Effects: Local Tissue Damage, swelling, overstimulation of all pain receptors Swelling develops and the victims may be unable to move their limbs for days. OD: In experimental animals, death has occurred because of respiratory failure.
Plants
Digitalis	Foxglove Plant	alkoloids cardiac glycoside	7(L)	Low Dose: Cardiac Stimulant Lethal Dose (2 mg IV): arrhythmia and cardiac arrest "the leaves of the upper stem are particularly potent, with just a nibble being enough to potentially cause death"
Conin, Alkaloid	Hemlock Plant	alkaloid	6(L)	Lethal Dose: 0.15 g. Effects: nausea, vomiting, movement- and speech retardation; the pupils dilate OD: Paralysis of the limbs, thoracic muscles, leading to death.
Oleander	Oleander	alkaloids cardiac glycoside	5(L)	Lethal Dose: 1 leaf to a child Effects: nausea, vomiting, accelerated or retarded heartbeat, and cardiac arrest. It is thought that a handful or 10-20 leaves consumed by an adult can cause an adverse reaction, and a single leaf could be lethal to an infant or child.
Atropine	Nightshade	alkoloids	7(L)	Effects: dizziness, dry mouth, flush, nausea and vomiting, visual impairment, increased heart frequency, agitation and raving OD: weakness and sleepiness, breathing compression and death. Lethal Dose: Three berries or one leaf is a lethal dose.
Delphinine	Delphinium	alkaloids	5(L)	Effects: vomiting when eaten, and death in larger amounts. In small amounts, extracts of the plant have been used in herbal medicine This plant is present in Africa.