KILLER COMES IN MANY COLOURS, MANY NAMES

Pop-a-foxtrot, Red Rockets, MS Contin, Oxycontin -- no
matter the name, the drug can still have the same effect. Death.

After two Timmins teens died from taking the powerful painkiller
yesterday, many are questioning the drug's availability and popularity.

The pill actually comes in several different colours depending on the
doses -- 15 milligrams are normally blue, 30 milligrams are violet, 60
milligrams are orange, 100 milligrams are grey and 200 milligrams can
be green or red.

While local police say they are still trying to piece together
information, other units in the North are well aware of the drug.

According to the Tri-Force/Kenora Joint Forces Drug Unit, located near
Thunder Bay, the drug goes for about $30 to $50 per unit on the
streets in Northwestern Ontario.

On the other hand, Sgt. Joe Bourdon of the OPP communication centre in
North Bay said he knows of the drug but doesn't believe it's generally
popular among teens.

"It's a pharmaceutical drug that is highly restricted and by
prescription only," Bourdon said. "I don't know if the situation in
Timmins is unique, but it's certainly the first case that I've heard
of it."

MS Contin is the proper name for the drug. It is a controlled-release
tablet containing morphine and is normally prescribed to terminally
ill cancer patients.

People who take the drug will experience an exaggerated sense of
well-being and light-headedness, among several other more severe
effects such as nausea, depression, vomiting, anxiety and dizziness.

Like most narcotics, MS Contin is addictive and can kill if not taken
properly. While regular morphine is usually given every four hours, MS
Contin is typically taken every 12 hours -- only twice a day.

MS Contin is only available through a prescription from a
doctor.

If the tablets are chewed or crushed, a dangerously large amount of
morphine could enter the bloodstream at once, which can lead to coma
and death, according to Health Ontario information.

An overdose of MS contin can be fatal. Symptoms of an overdose include
cold, clammy skin, flaccid muscles, fluid in the lungs, lowered blood
pressure, "pinpoint" or dilated pupils, sleepiness leading to stupor
and coma, slowed breathing, slow pulse rate.

As little as half a pill, when combined with alcohol or other
depressants, can lower the respiratory system enough to kill.