Pubdate: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 Source: Sault Star, The (CN ON) Copyright: 2004 The Sault Star Contact: http://www.saultstar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1071 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) EDUCATE YOUTH ABOUT RECREATIONAL DRUGS Educators across Algoma are wisely reinforcing their warnings about recreational drug use after two youths died in Timmins from apparent ingestion of a pharmaceutical. Parents have to do the same, using the shocking deaths to point out that teens are not invincible and that taking substances procured on the street is deadly dangerous. The two young men in Timmins, one 17 and the other 19, are believed to have succumbed after using a prescription drug that was not prescribed for them. Another youth has been charged with manslaughter after investigators said they discovered that red pills containing a time-released morphine compound were distributed in the area. The first message to teens must remain a general warning to avoid all mind-altering drugs, from alcohol to street drugs to prescription pills. Even if they don't kill you outright, they can contribute to dangerous conditions that can injure or kill you in the longer term. But youth being what it is, chances are that many teens will at least experiment with substances. They have to be given specific education about which dangers rank highest, and why. We need to make youngsters realize that they don't know what they are getting in street drugs. Besides the dangers of the substances themselves, there is no way to gauge contamination with anything from feces to deadly chemicals -- inadvertent or deliberate, as might happen if the added material were a more potent or addictive second drug. After all, it's not as though illicit substances are being subjected to rigorous government inspection. Some teens might also be under the mistaken impression that it is much safer to take pharmaceuticals made by reputable manufacturers and prescribed for someone else. They need to be reminded that public safety is the reason these substances are supposed to be used only under a doctor's care. There could be underlying health or genetic conditions that make a drug dangerous for one person though it is safe for another. The same applies to people already taking medication for another condition -- adding something else to the mix could be very harmful. Dosage is critical. The method of taking a drug is also important. Some can have unintended effects if they are tampered with, such as breaking a time-release capsule. Two people have already died much too young. Using their tragedy to educate others might help prevent repetitions. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek