DRUG DEATHS RAISE RED FLAGS

A rash of drug-related incidents involving Gilbert teenagers in the past
weeks -- including two deaths -- has reignited questions about how
pervasive illicit substances may be inside local schools and the social
circles of East Valley youths.

Police, school officials and substance abuse counselors agree that
marijuana, alcohol and methamphetamine continue to rank at the top of
substances abused by teenagers.

On Feb. 29, 15-year-old Jillian Cleary of Chandler died two days after
taking methamphetamine at a party in Gilbert.

Wednesday, Christopher Manciet, 18, of Gilbert died after ingesting a
packet of cocaine to avoid being caught by police. Mesquite High School
officials sent a letter to parents about the death, but made no reference
to drug use.

Manciet was riding in a car with friends March 26 when a Gilbert police
officer stopped them for a traffic violation, Cmdr. Tim Dorn said Friday.
The officer did not notice anything out of the ordinary, Dorn said.

Friends later told police there was cocaine in the car, and that Manciet
swallowed a packet in a panicked attempt to hide it from the officer.

Later that night, Dorn said fire crews were sent to treat Manciet for
seizures at a Gilbert apartment complex in the 300 block of Civic Center
Drive. He was taken to Banner Desert Medical Center in Mesa. Police are
still waiting for toxicology results.

The Gilbert Unified School District is contending with other incidents on
campuses involving prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

Mesa police and fire officials confirmed Friday a 15-year-old girl at the
Gilbert district's Desert Ridge High S chool was hospitalized Thursday on
suspicion she had taken the muscle relaxant carisoprodol, brand name Soma,
and painkiller Vicodin, or hydrocodone. The girl admitted taking both
drugs, but denied she was distributing them, said Mesa police Sgt. Chuck
Trapani.

In early March, 29 Gilbert high school students were suspended for buying,
using or possessing a muscle relaxant on campus, and two girls overdosed on
cold medicine and antidepressants March 25. District officials denied
there's a problem, but school resource officers disagree.

"Less than 1 percent of our students are suspended for drugs and we have
zero tolerance," said district spokeswoman Dianne Bowers. Resource officers
said a lot of students don't get caught and reported a significant problem
with Soma and cold medicines.

As the district and officers sort it out, more students are getting caught
with Soma, a prescription drug that can cause barbiturate or alcoholtype
effects. Many cold medicines contain the cough suppressant
dextromethorphan, which can cause hallucinations. Taken to excess, users
can die.

Bowers said the district has sent letters this week to parents of high
school students addressing the Soma issue and will send a letter next week
districtwide. She also said the district recently invited parents to a
forum on drug trends.

Tribune requests for copies of the letters and pamphlet were denied and
high school principals did not know about the information. Superintendent
Brad Barrett was out of town and unavailable for comment.

Gilbert police Sgt. Paula Krueger said Soma was a major concern among her
school resource officers before the suspensions.

As for cold medicines, teens have always abused them, but "now kids are
taking them in amounts that hurt them and in combinations that can kill
them," Krueger said.

Russ Warrington, prevention specialist with the nonprofit drug counseling
agency Scottsdale Prevention Institute, said even the best parents can be
fooled.

"It's impossible to watch out for everything," Warrington said.

Overall, 54 Gilbert junior high and high school students were arrested in
drug cases last year, Krueger said. Eight have been arrested this year.

In the Mesa Unified School District, officials said 14 students have been
suspended this year for possessing or being under the influence of
prescription drugs. Of those, eight were caught with Soma and one with the
painkiller oxycodone, brand name Percocet. The other four were caught with
other prescription drugs.

Overall, Mesa police have responded to 20 drug-related calls this year.
Last year, they reported 107 drug-related calls.

David Shuff, director of guidance and counseling for the Mesa district,
said teenagers have been shifting to prescription drugs and cold medicines
because they have easy access to them. They can either get them cheap in
Mexico or out of their parents' medicine cabinets.

Warrington said alcohol and marijuana are still favored by teens, but Soma
has been found on every Scottsdale campus.

Tom Herrmann, spokesman for the Scottsdale Unified School District, said
there have been no problems reported all year with students taking
prescription drugs.

"We have none of it as far as I'm aware," Herrmann said.