DRUG DANGERS TO OUR YOUTH
Imagine sitting down to a nice meal of...lye drain opener.
Or a side dish of...battery contents.
Most of us would think such products should never be put into our bodies. Yet the ingredients for the street drug methamphetamine are made from the deadly chemicals found in these products.
In fact, when newspapers report a “meth” lab has been found and dismantled, it is likely that the drug has been made using common household products as the starting point; things like gasoline additives, rubbing alcohol, camp stove fuel, paint thinner, matches, brake cleaner, gun scrubber, and iodine. Cold medicines containing ephedrine are also used.
And every drug maker or “cook” has a different way of synthesizing the drug, said Dean Scherf, investigator with the Itasca County Sheriff’s Department. As a result, the end product can differ, and it can contain lethal gases.
The drug can be used in several ways; by “snorting” it through the nose, injecting it as a liquid or smoking it as a chunk in a crack pipe.
Scary? It should be. In the last eight years the use of methamphetamine has risen noticeably, said Scherf; in every ten drug cases in the county, eight are related to meth. Even more worrying, when enforcement officers first started seeing meth users in the mid 1990s they were middle-aged. Now use is seen in teens as young as 14.
Effects
Why do people use the drug? It gives a quick “high,” believes Scherf. Everything seems faster to the user. What is actually happening, according to the Minneapolis Police Department initiative, “Street Drugs,” is that the person has taken a central nervous system stimulant that speeds up heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure.
What it does to the body is not pretty, according to “Street Drugs.” There can be damage to the small blood vessels in the brain which can cause strokes and is irreversible. Appetite goes down and the user can become aggressive, paranoid, depressed and irritable.
When the effect wears off, severe withdrawal symptoms lead the user to take another dose, and the addictive cycle begins.
Although methamphetamine stays in the body for a long time - up to two days, according to the publication - it becomes expensive. The average user might spend $150 up to $600 per day, estimates Scherf. It’s a potent invitation to crime in order to support the habit.
That daily dollar turnover is also a potent reason to become a dealer or manufacturer. Over the last eight years 19 meth labs have been uncovered in Itasca County alone, said Scherf. And it’s a constant battle for enforcement. For every 10 dealers arrested, 6 or 7 take their places because of its lucrative nature, Scherf pointed out.
Getting help
But for the young victim of the dealer, Scherf is not as interested in arresting them as he is in getting them help before the youth ends up with a criminal record. And here families and communities can do something. Parents can legally obtain a urine or blood test at the clinic for their child, and parents can also check their child into a treatment center such as Northland Recovery.
What are symptoms to look for? Scherf said that parents will notice a turn for the worse in their child. They might shed weight fast; suddenly begin doing poorly in school; lose interest in looking good or being clean; have open sores on their hands, back, face or neck; and acquire a new set of friends that are unknown to the parent.
Other symptoms while the drug is in the system include sweating, dry mouth, flushed skin, dilated pupils and talkative attitude, according to “Street Drugs.”
The community can help locate the points of selling and manufacturing the drug, as well. Unusual activity around a location with unknown people coming and staying only a short time can be a tip off for drug dealing.
Drug labs use common household products, but they are used in quantity.
Hundreds of matchbooks, coffee filters tinged with yellow or red, glass containers with layered liquids in them or a white corrosion, short lengths of hose and empty battery cases have to be disposed of. Aerosol cans with holes punched in the bottom to extract the ether are used.
Another indicator is a number of 20 lb. propane gas tanks with a trademark aqua colored staining around the base of the brass nozzle. The staining comes from an interaction between the brass and the anhydrous ammonia filling the tanks.
Scherf will return calls made to him at the Itasca County Sheriff’s Department at 326-3477 to answer questions or investigate incidents.
The tip line at (800) 847-8763 is also available to citizens.
Task force
But there is another way to both prevent and fight illegal drug use, and that is through a community coming together to promote awareness, education and alternate activities for teens to participate in.
The Bigfork area has just formed a citizen’s drug task force which will meet monthly. Its goal is to find ways to bring information to families, raise funds to provide programs and activities, and develop a youth center for teens. Those interested in participating in the initiative may call Tim Johnson at 832-3161 or Valerie Sobrack at 743-6750 for more information.
SOME OTHER DANGEROUS DRUGS USED ILLEGALLY
Although methamphetamine is the most prevalent drug in the area, there are others.
Ecstasy or MDMA is a highly addictive stimulant and hallucinogen that raises sensitivity of the four senses; sight, hearing, touch and smell, explained Sherf. It is usually a pill, although many confiscated pills sold as Ecstasy actually contain other drugs. Some of the effects include illusions, confusion, jaw clenching, dilated pupils, tremors and sweating, according to “Street Drugs.” It can be fatal, and research indicates brain damage can result from heavy use. Street names include beans, hugs, love drug, essence, adam, go, xtc, x and e, according to “Club Drugs,” also from the Minneapolis Police Department.
Prescription drugs like the pain killer OxyContin® are sold for $10 to $50 a pill, said Sherf. Although sold as a time release capsule, users will crush and either snort or inject it and receive the effects all at once. Ritalin is another common prescription drug which can be misused on the street. Parents using prescription drugs should keep track of the number of pills they have, suggested Sherf.
First Call for Help - 800-442-8565
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