(Image From http://blogs.abcnews.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/07/06/cheese_main_2.jpg)
After reading the title of this post you're probablly thinking something along the lines of, "Cheese?...But cheese isn't dangerous, in fact it's really good on crackers!" Unfortunately I'm not talking about the yummy stuff we buy at the supermarket, I'm refering to a deadly drug mixture that has appeared in the last few years and is killing teens right here in the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex.
Cheese is an innocent name for a dangerous and deadly drug that is being used by young adolescents, it is coined "starter heroine" by DISD. This recreational drug is made by cutting black tar heroine with crushed forms of OTC medications that contain diphenhydramine and acetaminophine, such as Tylenol PM. The result is a cheap version of the drug heroine that can be snorted through the nose. Kids are able to purchase "bumps" (a single-dose) of cheese for $2. Between 2005 and 2007 cheese was connected to over 20 adolescent overdose deaths in the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex. This "Tylenol with a smack" as sometimes called, is a very dangerous and highly addictive drug that holds appeal to younger teens because of its availability and low cost. According to Dallas police detective Monty Moncibais, cheese produces "a double whammy - your getting two downers at once...you start slowing everything down...eventually your going to slow down the heart until it stops, when it stops, you're dead." Their is the risk of overdose or adverse effects with the combination of other body depressants which can cause respiratory arrest and subsequent death. The symptoms of the drug that parents as well as health care providers should be aware of are drowsiness, lethargy, euphoria, excessive thirst, disorientation, and hunger. Withdrawal symptoms can follow a "hit" as soon as 12 hours later, these are headaches, chills, nausea, muscle pain, muscle spasm, anxiety, agitation.
Three years ago 19 North Texas teenagers were treated for "cheese heroine" addiction at the cost of the Texas State Health Department. That number is now up to 135. That's a 600% increase. There needs to be awareness made, so that this trend does not continue.
If you or someone you know needs help call:
Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse Treatment Hotline - (214) 522-8600
For further questions call:
Dallas Police Narcotics - (214) 671-3120
For further information you can visit:
http://www.tascaz.org/pdf/20070402_PS_cheese.pdf
7 comments:
This name "cheese" makes me wonder how many of the young people that take this drug know what's in it. How many actually know that they are first of all taking two downers, which is very dangerous alone, but that one of those is the dangerous drug heroine. The youth are so influential, it's so sad that this drug targets that age group. I saw a news report on a young boy who had died because of taking this drug "cheese" and the mother blamed the school district. I can understand her anger but I think most of the responsibility for teaching about anything especially drugs falls on the shoulders of the parents. I hope more parents become aware and really get involved with keeping their kids safe. Parental involvement is the most effective in reaching kids.
I agree! Parents have to get involved, otherwise the influence can only be minimal. Schools, churches, public programs; they can only do so much on their own. It's vital to talk to our kids about these kinds of dangers that are out there for them. We also have to be aware of those kids that come from bad homes, they definitely need more outreach then the rest, because what they get at home could be nothing.
I remember when I was young we had the DARE officer come talk to us. Unfortunately I was more fascinated by his dog and the fact that their was an uniformed police officer in school, that really in what he had to say. All I really got was "Just Say No", but none of the details. I remember going home and telling my mother about it and what we talked about at that time stuck with me, and influenced me the most. I knew that I could communicate with my mother about these things, regularly and without fear, and that was more important. So yes the school helped a bit, but it was my mother's willingness to snatch that opportunity to teach and communicate that helped keep me safe. So I am going to agree parent involvement is vital to long term avoidance and education on drugs.
I never realized how easy it is to make something very bad out of seemingly harmless OTC drugs. Is it realistic to try harder to regulate / monitor usage in order to minimize the abuse that occurs? Are there studies that compares the abuse versus the good?
I think it is a scary thing that something like this is so easily accessible to our youth & the fact that it's only $2 for a dose makes it easy for a kid to use their lunch money on something that could kill them. Adolescents aren't always given the knowledge to know better & that is the scariest thing of all.
It so sad many kids are dying because of the drug "cheese". Parents should be involved and get informed as much as possible about this situation.
I honestly have never heard of "cheesing". I wonder how easy it is to make, or how wide spread the use of cheese is in the US?
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