Pubdate: Wed, 09 May 2007
Source: Chicago Sun-Times (IL)
Copyright: 2007 The Sun-Times Co.
Contact:  http://www.suntimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/81
Author: Jamie Stengle

DRUG DEALERS MIX IT UP FOR YOUNGER CROWD

Use Names Like 'Cheese' And 'Strawberry Quick,' Add Candy Flavoring

DALLAS -- In their quest to lure new, younger clientele, drug dealers 
are mixing their wares with over-the-counter pain remedies and other 
familiar products -- even candy -- and peddling them under 
non-threatening names.

One such concoction, a blend of black tar heroin and Tylenol PM that 
goes by the name "cheese," has been linked to the deaths of 19 
teenagers in Dallas, including two 15-year-olds.

"If you're a drug dealer you have to target a new audience all the 
time," said Garrison Courtney, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration 
spokesman. "It's Marketing 101 for drug dealers."

Examples of the drug-mixing strategy also include candy laced with 
marijuana and, in several states, flavored methamphetamine. In 
Arkansas recently, a mix of meth and strawberry-flavored powder 
normally used to create a children's milk drink turned up under the 
name "Strawberry Quick."

"They're calling it 'cheese,' they're not calling it 'heroin,' " said 
Dr. Collin Goto, a toxicologist at Children's Medical Center Dallas. 
"It becomes much more appealing to younger kids because it doesn't 
have the stigma, they're not as afraid to get started."

Dallas school district police first became aware of the heroin-mixing 
trend in 2005, and its become a disturbing local phenomenon since.

"Cheese is just a different makeup for mixing with heroin, but it's 
still heroin," said Dr. Jeffrey Barnard, chief medical examiner for 
Dallas County. "It's the heroin that's the problem."

Beyond the innocuous name, several other factors appear to be driving 
the popularity of cheese. Kids often buy the drug from other kids. 
It's affordable, selling for about $2 a dosage. And it is snorted 
rather than injected.
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