Pubdate: Mon, 29 Oct 2007 Source: Leaf-Chronicle, The (US TN) Copyright: 2007, The Leaf-Chronicle Contact: http://www.theleafchronicle.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1601 Author: Jamie Dexter Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education) OFFICERS EDUCATE ON THE SEEDY SPECIFICS OF DRUGS A table in front of Citizen Police Academy students was covered in drugs -- everything from Ecstasy to LSD, along with paraphernalia used to do drugs and common items people use to hide them. Agents Daryl Pace and Brad Crowe gave the students a crash course in drugs, beginning with a video of police using undercover agents to bust several sales. Crowe, who worked 12 years with the Clarksville Police Department Drug Unit, said that no matter what anybody thinks, drug use "is a problem." "I don't care what area of town you live in, there are drugs in your neighborhood," he said. Cocaine Crowe said the most abused drug in Clarksville is cocaine, which can come in a powdered form or a rock form called "crack." The powder form is typically snorted, injected or taken orally, and the effect of a small amount can last 20 to 40 minutes. The rocks are smoked with a pipe. As the rock melts, the vapor goes into the brain, giving the user a feeling of euphoria. But each high a user receives will never be as intense as the one before it, which leads to people buying more and more crack and getting money for it in any way they can -- including theft. After doing the drug so much, users require it to get back to a normal state. "I've seen it bring down some high-profile people," Crowe said. Getting off cocaine, Crowe said, is difficult to do because it requires an entire change in lifestyle to prevent the addict from wanting to use again. Prescription drugs Prescription drugs are also widely used. Crowe said these are particularly dangerous because people are taking the pill without the advice of a doctor, who knows how the person's body will respond. Those who aren't prescribed the drugs usually get them from someone who sells them to cover their cost of living, often by stealing them from terminally ill patients or drugstores. An example, Crowe said, is when a local drug store was robbed of OxyContin, a powerful pain pill. Drug stores rarely carry the painkiller anymore. "It's a case where this drug can really help people in pain, and people abuse them and cause things like that to happen," Crowe said. Ecstasy Ecstasy, known as a party drug, is a "touchy-feely" drug that is taken orally and can be common on or near college campuses. The tablets look like normal pills. The drug raises the body temperature and can "cook the brain" if the user doesn't drink enough water. And it can cause the user to grind his teeth, which explains why many rave-goers are seen with pacifiers hanging around their necks. Marijuana Marijuana, which is a green plant that is smoked, gives the user "a euphoric feeling" and "allows them to relax." The drug also changes the user's perception -- from sight to hearing, taste and smell -- and the user might "find everything funny or raid the refrigerator." A low dose, Crowe said, causes mild enchantment, and higher doses can lead to paranoia. During a controlled burn, students got to smell marijuana smoke -- a distinctive odor. LSD LSD, otherwise known as acid, alters the user's awareness and senses and can give the user hallucinatory visions such as the walls changing colors or "breathing," and the visions often don't leave when the user closes his eyes. Crowe said when someone does LSD, a small molecule remains in the body and can work its way to the brain several months or years down the road, causing a "flashback," or returning feeling of being on the drug. Meth Methamphetamines usually are created in a lab in someone's home using ingredients such as lithium from batteries, anhydrous ammonia and other caustic materials. "People often say that the best way to find a meth lab is to wait for one to blow up," Crowe said, noting the explosive chemicals involved. The user may lose interest in sex and have welts on the skin. Users also may become violent or have suicidal urges. Roots of crime The effects of drugs on the community, Crowe said, can be seen in a 2002 study where 56 percent of local inmates who committed robberies said they did so while on drugs, 56 percent with weapons charges said they were on drugs and 55 percent with charges of burglaries or motor vehicle theft said the same. Fighting crimes caused by drug users, Crowe said, is "a never-ending battle that these guys fight every day." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom