SCOPE OF ABUSE HERE A QUESTION MARK

EDMONTON -- Within the Internet is a hidden world known only to teens
involved in the subculture of over-the-counter drug abuse.

The principle drug of choice is dextromethorphan, also known as DXM
- -- the active ingredient in popular cold remedies.

In 2004, the California Poison Control System's 24-hour hotline
received 375 calls involving teen abuse of dextromethorphan, up from
23 in 1999, according to a recent study. It is unknown how many young
people here abuse cough medicine, along with a witches' brew of other
non-prescription drugs and hallucinogenics that haven't yet been made
illegal and are touted on the Internet.

"When you are talking about cough medicine, you are talking about
DXM, and the information we have from Calgary over the past year is a
total of six young clients who report having concerns about their DXM
use," says Karen Bozocea, senior manager of AADAC's youth
detoxification service in Edmonton. "In Edmonton and area, we have
had 10 clients in the past year."

For those clients, DXM was only one of several substances they were
abusing and the scope of the DXM problem is largely unknown.

"The data on dextromethorphan isn't thick enough for us to form any
conclusions," says Staff Sgt. Ian Sanderson, head of the drug section
at the RCMP's Edmonton headquarters. "You might want to talk to the schools."

Spokespersons at Edmonton's public and Catholic school boards pleaded
ignorance when asked about DXM use among students. Whatever is going
on is being dealt with at the individual school level, they said.

"As soon as I became aware of what happened to (Ted), it increased
everyone's awareness," says the principal at Ted's school.

When Ted had emotional meltdowns at school, school officials
comforted him, and the principal met with Ted's parents. Turning
students away from DXM abuse is a job for the parents, he says.

"It has to be done through parental supervision by parents who are
not afraid to stick their noses into their children's business," he
says. "Don't listen to them whine about 'freedoms.' Parents should be
parents. They can't parent when the tail is wagging the dog."

Word-of-mouth played a big part in discouraging other teens from
following Ted's example.

"(Ted) is putting the fear of God into a lot of students," the
principal says. "A lot of kids talk a big story, a few on the
periphery may want to try it, but very few do what (Ted) does. When
they see what happens to (Ted), they back right off."