Pubdate: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel (CA) Copyright: 2002 Santa Cruz Sentinel Contact: http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/394 Author: Jondi Gumz DESIGNER DRUGS HIT HOME SCOTTS VALLEY - When parents here see headlines about GHB or other designer drugs, they think they don't have to worry. They're wrong. Sgt. Donna Lind said she has found kids in Scotts Valley are using "ecstasy," a drug popular at raves, and abusing Coricidin, an over-the-counter cold tablet. Police also have confiscated water bottles filled with vodka from students at Scotts Valley High School. One parent is so concerned about his son's drug use that he is considering turning him in, Lind said. Most parents, however, think drugs are something that are available somewhere else - not in Scotts Valley, which has a reputation of being the safest city in the county. For Lind, that is the biggest problem. "Parents don't think about having to deal with it," she said. The following includes some of the situations she's encountered in the past year: * Police broke up a party on Granite Creek Road last April, but they didn't learn until much later that party-goers were using ecstasy. * A baggie full of ecstasy was seized from a young man trying to find a rave party. Police say rave parties tend to be held just outside the city limits, like Mount Hermon or Glenwood Drive. * Girls at Scotts Valley Middle School told a school nurse they had bruises from attending a rave. * Parents found out that their daughter was getting ecstasy from a neighbor boy, but when they told the boy's parents, their complaint was dismissed as "Kids will be kids." * A girl at Scotts Valley Middle School was airlifted to a hospital after taking too many "red devils," the street name for Coricidin. Other teens admitted to officer Mark Lopez they had taken the cold tablets, which can have hallucinogenic effects. All this makes Lind determined to get the word out to parents, who probably are familiar with marijuana and LSD but may not know the latest in drug use. Even Lind, who has been a police officer since 1978, said she had no idea what "red devils" were. "I had to ask," she said. Other signs of drug problems include baby pacifiers and Vicks VapoRub. Pacifiers help relax teens who clench their jaws after using ecstasy, Lind said, and Vicks intensifies the effects of ecstasy. One new tool in her educational campaign is a video provided by Diane McNiel, whose son grew up in Scotts Valley and died of GHB addiction. Parents sat in total silence after seeing the video, Lind said. When one mom asked if the video would be shown to students, Lind said yes. "Good," the mom replied. "I want my kids to see it." Lind hopes more parents will want to educate their children. "We're trying," she said. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh