Pubdate: Fri, 28 Jan 2005
Source: Advocate, The (LA)
Copyright: 2005 The Advocate, Capital City Press
Contact:  http://www.theadvocate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2
Author: Bob Anderson, Florida parishes bureau
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

DEATHS HIGHLIGHT DANGERS OF DRUGS

A dvising teenagers to stay off drugs is similar to advising them to
abstain from sex. No matter how good that advice might be, it's not
enough in itself.

Many teens may not just take the advice of Mom and Dad. For sex, one
of the dangers is unplanned pregnancy. For drugs, one of the dangers
is death.

A number of young people in Livingston Parish just got that painful
message.

It may be a message they'll never forget, but it's probably a message
to which many teenagers elsewhere will pay little heed.

For some young people, being told to stay away from street drugs is
enough. For some, hearing the horror stories will be sufficient.

Other teenagers will experiment, despite advice and stories. They may
have good grades, be involved in religious activities and be "great
kids" whom adults never suspect of taking street drugs.

The more they learn about the dangers, the more likely they are to
survive to become adults.

All youths need to get the message. Talking to young people about
drugs should be something done not only by parents, but by coaches,
teachers, doctors, older siblings and anyone else in a position to be
a mentor. Sometimes, teenagers will listen to one person when they'll
tune out another.

One of the things all teenagers need to know is how dangerous it is to
take an unknown substance.

Methamphetamine, which has become a common street drug, is made of
several poisonous substances including drain cleaner, acid and camp
stove fuel, says Kearney Foster, chief detective for the Livingston
Parish Sheriff's Office.

Aside from the potentials for overdose and addiction, the drug can
cause brain damage, and authorities have to wear protective gear just
to clean up clandestine methamphetamine labs, he says.

Drugs from pharmacies can also be deadly if abused. A check with a
pharmacy reveals that liquid methadone comes in three strengths, and
one of those strengths is a concentrate that far exceeds the others.

Livingston Parish Coroner Ron Coe says the concentrated form is
particularly dangerous.

A single ounce is equal to 60 5-milligram methadone tablets. Doctors
prescribe as little as a half of a 5-milligram tablet for severe pain.

Dr. Coe sees too many fatal overdoses, and one of the things he points
out is that people who obtain drugs on the street can't be sure of
what strength drug they're getting and what dose will kill them.

Drugs such as cocaine usually get greatly reduced in strength to
maximize profit to dealers, but sometimes people get a deadly surprise
when they get a batch of the drug that hasn't been "stepped on,"
Carpenter says.

A single rock of crack cocaine sometimes kills, he
says.

Alcoholic beverages can greatly increase the danger of a drug, Coe
points out. And because a drug is liquid and flavored doesn't mean
that it can't be deadly, the coroner says.

Sometimes, drug users don't feel an immediate effect even at overdose
levels and take more, he says.

Coe also says that even young people who wisely stay away from street
drugs should know the dangers they pose and what to do if a friend
overdoses.

The answer is not to leave the person to sleep it off, because
narcotics and even alcohol tend to repress the respiratory system,
causing a person who has had a fatal dose to stop breathing, he says.
Before that fatal point, a person who has overdosed may begin to snore
loudly.

Dealing with an overdose of drugs or even alcohol is something adults
should make sure teenagers think about now. That way, if they are
faced with a drug emergency, they won't just assume the situation
isn't serious or panic and leave the victim, Coe says.

People who think someone has overdosed on drugs or alcohol should call
911 immediately, while there is still time to save a life, the doctor
says.

Bob Anderson covers the Florida Parishes for The Advocate.
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