Pubdate: Mon, 28 Mar 2005
Source: Ogdensburg Journal/Advance News (NY)
Copyright: 2005 Johnson Newspaper Corp.
Contact: : P.O. box 409 Ogdensburg NY 13669
Website: http://www.ogd.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/689
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Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n516.a07.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/opinion.htm (Opinion)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States)

DANGEROUS WEEKEND

St. Lawrence County Sheriff investigators have warned area hospital
emergency rooms to be on the lookout for more teen overdose victims.

An estimated 30 to 40 Fentanyl patches are still missing in the
Ogdensburg area. So is a quantity of Oxycontin pills stolen in a
Friday burglary.

The Fentanyl patches are a potent painkilling narcotic that is 80
times more powerful than morphine. Like a nicotine patch, it's applied
to the skin to release a steady supply of painkiller to patients
suffering from chronic pain. Teens apply them to their skin or boil
them to make a "morphine" tea.

Oxycontin is also a powerful narcotic painkiller. The pills can be
taken orally, crushed and snorted or melted or injected like heroin.

Both Fentanyl and Oxycontin can induce vomiting, seizures, cramps,
coma and inhibit breathing.

When deputies arrived at the homes where the teens had taken the drugs
Saturday, they found one teen unconscious and near death. The other
two teens were suffering from chest pains, breathing problems,
vomiting and nausea.

Yet, they refuse to identify who else might have the drugs or where
they could be found.

Investigators are hoping someone will tip them off on who has them
before someone dies.

While St. Lawrence County's pro-drug lobby will argue in their next
letter to the editor that these are all just scare tactics aimed at
keeping responsible adults from enjoying their God-given right to get
stoned, the reality is that too many children in this county are
learning from alleged adults that there's nothing wrong with
experimenting with drugs.

Most teen drug and alcohol abusers are introduced to their problems by
alleged adults who show by example that there's nothing wrong with
spending their lives in search of new ways to get high.

Our court system is littered with the broken lives of those who follow
their example.

Parents need to sit down with their children to make them understand
the risks some of their peers are facing.

If they don't, next weekend could be a deadly one for some area teens.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin