DANGERS LURK IN TEEN CHOICES

Youngsters today are growing up in a world where there is much more than
alcohol, nicotine and cannabis to experiment with. However, while most
teenage experimenters will tend to stop with these three, they are still
bound to meet up with a number of the others.

Methamphetamine, one of the most insidious drugs to surface of late, is
probably too expensive for most. On the other hand, Ecstasy, at $60-$80 a
tablet, is making inroads in the tertiary student population with spill
over into parties where high school students are present.

Ecstasy users in New Zealand average two tablets a month, according to a
Customs Service report released in March. Total consumption is estimated to
be 922,752 tablets a year despite police and Customs seizures increasing by
3000% since 2000.

Like methamphetamine, to which it is related, Ecstasy is neuro-toxic.

Although researchers are not yet certain exactly how it does it, they do
know it attacks the chemicals in the brain, destroying brain cells in the
process. Particularly vulnerable are serotonin neurons, which the brain
needs for memory. The chemical dopamine is also destroyed and scientists
researching in this area at Victoria University are concerned that a major
public health problem in the form of a catastrophic, early increase in
diseases like Parkinson's may result.

These drugs are much, much more toxic than anything generally available and
taken in the 1960s, and yet most young people would hold that Ecstasy is
quite safe because it appears to be mild in effect and not physically
addictive. Wrapped up in the here-and-now, teens find it hard to comprehend
the effects of memory loss, sexual dysfunction, anxiety attacks and
psychological disorders they will face in years to come.

Another "party drug" available to them is Fantasy. Variations are one4B and
GHB, or GBH. Fantasy acts by depressing the central nervous system, giving
a euphoric effect in the same way as glue and petrol sniffing does. This is
the drug that has been responsible for party deaths here and overseas, and
is known as the date rape drug. One4B is a compound called butane-1,4-diol.
It is used industrially in the manufacture of polyesters and polyurethanes
for car bumpers, electrical appliances, footwear and spandex. And the
notorious compact disc cleaner, Puritech.

Whether we like it or not, these drugs are part of our youngsters' world.

They will be faced with having to make choices about use. Scary stuff for
parents. Any input we might hope to have in that decision-making will have
to have been made well in advance and we will also need to know what we are
talking about. Cliched comments or incorrect "facts" won't cut any ice.