'IT'S EVERYWHERE'

Expert On Club Drugs Provides Eye-Opening Facts

Pacifiers, lollipops, candy necklaces, light wands. The list goes on.
These are no longer merely innocent items. Nowadays they are drug
paraphernalia.

Trinka Porrata, an expert on club drugs, was a Los Angeles police
officer for 25 years, about a third of which was in the narcotics
unit. She was in Aberdeen Monday night to speak on the most popular
club scene drugs and their effects.

"It's easy for us to sit here and listen to someone from the West
Coast talk about drugs and we think we don't have it here," said Mark
McNeary of the Brown County state's attorney's office. "But it's here
and we need to deal with it."

Porrata agreed. "People think it's not a problem in our schools. Is
it happening in this state? Yes, it's everywhere."

"We've done a lousy job at providing information to kids on how to
say no to these types of drugs," she said. "That's because we've
already taught them all we know." All we know being about marijuana
and cocaine.

"Kids don't live in small towns anymore," Porrata said. "They live in
the World Wide Web and drive 100 miles to rave parties."

Porrata also said that parents need to recognize drug paraphernalia.
"Pay attention to what things say nowadays," Porrata said. She held
up a sign that read onE, meaning on E, or on Ecstasy.

She said she's heard kids ask "Where are our parents in our lives?"
"Our world is full of lonesome kids," she said. "Ecstasy is instant
acceptance."

MDMA, or Ecstasy, is a very popular drug today. "It's the alcohol for
kids this day and age," Porrata said. Followed by Gamma Hydroxy
Butyrate, or GHB, Ketamine, LSD, nitrous oxide, mushrooms,
prescription drugs and the old standbys such as marijuana and cocaine.

"GHB, most dangerous drug I've encountered (in my) 25 years as a
cop," she said. It's basically paint stripper mixed with drain
cleaner. It's an illicitly manufactured drug like methamphetamine and
cocaine. It's also known as water, easy lay and liquid Ecstasy.

"GHB has a nasty, salty taste to it," Porrata said. It's often put in
drinks or shots to disguise its flavor. GHB is odorless.

GHB can be disguised in just about everything. "If your child is at a
party, tell them not to pick up (liquid breath fresher). It could
easily have GHB in it," Porrata said.

The same goes for mouthwash, Visine, nasal spray and nail polish
remover. "Any container that can hold liquid may or may not contain
the original solution," she said.

Many club drugs can be found at raves. Raves are parties with the
attendees being primarily 12 to 35 years of age. There's loud techno
or house music and lots of lights including strobe lights that go
with the beat of the music. The light can put rave-goers on drugs
into a trance-like state. Raves usually take place in isolated areas
to avoid supervision and intervention from law enforcement. There's
usually no alcohol but a lot of drugs, Porrata said.

Rave-goers say the underlying theme is PLUR, which stands for Peace,
Love, Unity and Respect. The Ecstasy leaves them so enthralled with
touch and sensory - that's what they mean by peace, love and unity.

Kids build up a tolerance to Ecstasy and need more and more of the
drug to experience its effects.

"People think you can sleep off an overdose of Ecstasy," Porrata
said. "Those who don't are called dead."

Porrata said the biggest red flag is if your children tell you
they're going to a dance party and there won't be alcohol served.
Tammy Babcock and Karen Opp, both of Aberdeen, said the Monday night
session was an eye opening experience. There were nearly 100 people
at the meeting.

Babcock has young children, with her oldest being 12, and Opp has
teen-age kids.

Babcock said with recent drug problems in Aberdeen, she's concerned.
"I was clueless on this stuff," she said. "I wish those kids could
see how foolish they act (while on the drugs at raves)." "I wish I
would have brought my 17-year-old," Opp said. "I thought I knew about
these drugs. It's real scary."

"Watch what you put in your body," Porrata said. "Treat yourself
better than a chemistry lab flask."