DRUGS OF CHOICE

Teen use of alcohol, marijuana more prolific than designer
drugs

From the sounds of it, you'd think every kid in metro was downing a
boatload of designer drugs between algebra classes.

Raves might have brought substances like ecstasy to the fore, but
police and teens say parents ought to worry more about pot and liquor
than the pills popped at parties.

Halifax Regional Police Sgt. Bill Moore, who works in the drug
section, said marijuana is the most readily available illegal drug in
metro - but it's changed since the '60s, and has a higher active component.

"Some teachers I've been speaking to say marijuana is replacing booze
as the drug of choice. What used to be kids coming to the high school
dance with their six-pack and going into the woods, is now kids going
to get high before the dance," Moore said.

Hard drugs such as cocaine and the so-called designer drugs like
ecstasy get the most media attention, but Moore said it's far more
likely a teen will start drinking or smoking pot.

The most recent drug-use survey, a 1998 study of 3,838 Nova Scotia
students, found alcohol was still the most used drug, followed by
cigarettes and cannabis - the plant used to make marijuana. Cannabis
use had gone up the most of the three, though. In 1996, 32.1 per cent
of students had used it at least once during the year. By 1998, that
figure had jumped to 37.7 per cent.

"I don't know if it's the case in all the schools, but in our school,
alcohol is a much bigger problem," says Heather Donovan, a Grade 10
student at St. Patrick's High School, which canned its dances last
fall after a few boozy brawls.

"Lots of the time it's much more obvious, too."

Drugs are out there, but most go for the "traditional" offerings like
pot or occasionally crack cocaine, says fellow Grade 10 student
Stephen Beaton, who's quick to point out he hasn't indulged.

Another student at the same school, who didn't want to be named, says
acid or magic mushrooms are the drugs of choice for partygoers he knows.

Finding out how big the whole underground scene, however, is like
trying to get to the bottom of an urban legend. Everyone seems to have
heard about a friend of a friend who has tried ecstasy or roofies, but
first-hand experience is relatively rare.

"I'm 16, I'm in Grade 11 at St. Pat's and I just think the whole drug
thing is blown way out of proportion," one girl huffily concludes.

`I just wanted to try it, then it got worse'

Grace Watson didn't think she'd ever kick her teenage daughter out of
the house.

But she'd spent more than a year watching Anne become angry, violent
and rebellious. In December 1998, when the girl tried to kick her
father in the groin, Watson phoned police, telling them to take her to
a group home.

And while other mothers enjoyed their flowers and cards last Mother's
Day, Watson was resolving not to speak to her daughter until she
straightened out.

Anne had started smoking pot and drinking regularly in Grade
9.

"She was drinking, she was driving, and she didn't have a licence,"
the metro woman told The Sunday Daily News. "She stole our neighbour's
van and did $2,200 worth of damage to it. We'd ask her to do the
dishes, and more would end up broken than washed."

Watson and her daughter are identified here by pseudonyms.

At first, Watson didn't think her daughter was doing
drugs.

"If we approached her and said, `It smells like drugs,' she'd always
say, `Some of my friends were doing it, but not me,'" Watson said.

"We believed her. She'd never lied before."

But she had been lying. She defied her parents, spending more time
with her friends and cutting classes. It took seven months at a group
home, countless counselling sessions and a friend's suicide before she
finally decided to stop.

Now 16 years old and clean, Anne explained how she would skip school
to get high when she was depressed or wanted to forget her problems.

"I don't even remember when I got started," she said. "It wasn't
really peer pressure. I just wanted to try it, and then it got worse
and worse."

She estimates 60 per cent of the students at her high school have at
least tried drugs. Each time she cut class to drink and smoke pot, she
was part of a group of about 50 students. She was offered harder
drugs, but was too afraid to try them.

Designer drugs

Here's a guide to some of the drugs available on the
streets:

Dilaudid: powerful opioid related to morphine, used legally to relieve
pain and treat severe cough. Also known as dillies or DS. Produces mild
euphoria, lightheadedness, mild anxiety or fearfulness and difficulty
concentrating. Long-term effects can include mood instability,
constipation, reduced libido, menstrual irregularity and breathing
problems. Popular because of its relatively easy availability, low cost
and high degree of purity. In pure form, Dilaudid is a fine, white
odourless powder that dissolves in water or alcohol.

Ecstasy: best-known rave drug whose medical name is MDMA or 3, 4
methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Catchier handles include E, XTC and the
hug drug. First produced as an appetite suppressant, ecstasy is a
hallucinogen with stimulant properties and is related to amphetamine.
Users experience euphoria and feel more sociable. They may have blurred
vision, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. Paranoia,
hallucinations, insomnia and muscle stiffness can follow. Effects can
last up to eight hours. Regular users can suffer weight loss,
exhaustion, jaundice, flashbacks or irritability. Confusion,
depression and anxiety may last several weeks after a single dose. Can
even cause long-lasting psychiatric complications and may cause
permanent damage to neurons. Kidney failure and some deaths have been
attributed to ecstasy overdoses. Sold on the streets in gelatin
capsules, tablets or as a loose white powder. Restricted in Canada
since 1976, the drug was once used in psychotherapy but has no approved
medical use. A herbal form of the drug is also available, but experts
say it's not necessarily safer.

GHB: Like "roofies," gamma hydroxy butyrate has also been used in date
rapes. Usually an odourless, colourless and nearly tasteless liquid.
Available as a powder or in a capsule. Street names include G, easy
lay, everclear and Georgia home boy. Sometimes called liquid ecstasy
but is not to be confused with regular ecstasy (see above). Originally
developed as an anesthetic, GHB was withdrawn because of unwanted side
effects. The only legal use has been in experimental narcolepsy
treatment. Popular at raves as alternative to ecstasy. Easily
home-brewed in basement chemistry labs and often used in conjunction
with alcohol. In small doses, GHB reduces social inhibitions and
increases libido. At higher doses, sedation sets in. Symptoms include
vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness and seizures. Some people pass out,
suffer irregular breathing, have tremors, or fall into a coma after
excessive use.

Rohypnol: sedative similar to Valium but about 10 times stronger.
"Roofies" are known as date-rape drug because they're normally sold as
odourless, clear pills that are easy to slip into drinks undetected.
Victims generally black out and may have no memory of the incident.
Manufacturers Hoffman-Laroche have begun to produce coloured versions
to deter such use. Roofies are smuggled into North America from Mexico,
where they're commonly prescribed as a sleeping pill.

KETAMINE: street name Special K, a fast-acting anesthetic used by
doctors and vets. Another popular club drug said to enhance the
musical, visual and dance experience of raves by producing euphoria
and "mystical" revelations, as well as hallucinations and pleasant
sensations of floating and stimulation. Related to PCP, or angel dust,
and is also known as baby food or G-d. Comes in capsules, powders,
crystals and solutions that users can snort, sniff or inject. Can
raise blood pressure and make heart race. It decreases responses to
pain and environment, as well as producing temporary amnesia.

- - Sources: Centre for Addiction & Mental Health (Toronto) and The
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (Rockville, Md.)