News (Media Awareness Project) - US CA: Editorial: 'Designer Drugs' Pose New Threat To Young |
| Title: | US CA: Editorial: 'Designer Drugs' Pose New Threat To Young |
| Published On: | 2000-10-10 |
| Source: | Redding Record Searchlight (CA) |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-03 06:04:29 |
'DESIGNER DRUGS' POSE NEW THREAT TO YOUNG PEOPLE
A new drug danger is creeping into north state communities through the
promotion of innocent-sounding parties that appeal to youths.
These all-night "raves" that feature disc jockeys playing electronic and
dance music have been around for years in cities around the country, but
organizers are taking the loosely organized revelries on the road. Several
raves have taken place in Redding, one attended by about 300 teen-agers,
and another recently was reported in Weed.
The peril lies in the "designer drugs" passed around and sold at these
parties. Redding police officers Linda Gisske and Jeff Gleason are leading
a campaign to make the community aware of the arrival of the hallucinogenic
stimulant Ecstasy and another named GHB that's notorious for use in date
rape. The rave parties are a front for distributing these drugs, police say.
Teens may tell their parents that a rave is a place to dance and have fun.
Many of the parties don't allow alcohol. That's where the innocence ends.
What parents don't hear about are the drug overdoses and potential for
brain damage.
A number of young people who have used Ecstasy have been to the Shasta
County Alcohol and Drug Program for help, Director David Reiten says. Some
90 percent of a group of teens under the age of 18 in one treatment program
report having ingested it, Reiten reported.
Although the prevalence of the designer drugs appears on the upswing, north
state authorities don't think they've reached epidemic proportions in our
schools. That's an encouraging sign. Gisske and Gleason hope their
community alert will make it harder for promoters to stage their parties.
We have enough of a problem with methamphetamine. We don't need these other
substances threatening the health and safety of our young people. The more
we know about these drugs, the better prepared we should be to keep them
out of our communities.
The message to our young people: you need to really avoid these drugs. They
can fry your brain and kill you; you are not immortal.
A new drug danger is creeping into north state communities through the
promotion of innocent-sounding parties that appeal to youths.
These all-night "raves" that feature disc jockeys playing electronic and
dance music have been around for years in cities around the country, but
organizers are taking the loosely organized revelries on the road. Several
raves have taken place in Redding, one attended by about 300 teen-agers,
and another recently was reported in Weed.
The peril lies in the "designer drugs" passed around and sold at these
parties. Redding police officers Linda Gisske and Jeff Gleason are leading
a campaign to make the community aware of the arrival of the hallucinogenic
stimulant Ecstasy and another named GHB that's notorious for use in date
rape. The rave parties are a front for distributing these drugs, police say.
Teens may tell their parents that a rave is a place to dance and have fun.
Many of the parties don't allow alcohol. That's where the innocence ends.
What parents don't hear about are the drug overdoses and potential for
brain damage.
A number of young people who have used Ecstasy have been to the Shasta
County Alcohol and Drug Program for help, Director David Reiten says. Some
90 percent of a group of teens under the age of 18 in one treatment program
report having ingested it, Reiten reported.
Although the prevalence of the designer drugs appears on the upswing, north
state authorities don't think they've reached epidemic proportions in our
schools. That's an encouraging sign. Gisske and Gleason hope their
community alert will make it harder for promoters to stage their parties.
We have enough of a problem with methamphetamine. We don't need these other
substances threatening the health and safety of our young people. The more
we know about these drugs, the better prepared we should be to keep them
out of our communities.
The message to our young people: you need to really avoid these drugs. They
can fry your brain and kill you; you are not immortal.
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