LOCAL DRUG OVERDOSES INCREASE IN RECENT YEARS

Overdose danger has increased in recent years due to the proliferation of
impure illegal drugs and new ways to abuse legal drugs, said Katie Hansen,
Western's Drug Information Center coordinator.

Drug-induced deaths increased from approximately 9,000 to 16,000 during the
'90s and have continued to rise in the last few years, the Office of
National Drug Control Policy said.

Bellingham Police have already filed 33 reports of overdose this year, Lt.
Craige Ambrose said. From 1999-2002, police filed 124 primary reports
referencing overdose, with additional overdose references overlapping in
cases involving suicide attempts, suicides and death investigations.

When a person consumes more drugs than their body can handle, overdose occurs.

Suicide attempts are the most common type of overdose, but accidental
overdose occurs more frequently among college students, said Phil Puhek, a
Bellingham Fire Department paramedic.

"I had one young guy that was away from home, and we found him vomiting
uncontrollably - he was just miserable," Puhek said. "(The overdose) was
accidental, and he was apologetic and said he didn't want to be the guy to
call 911."

Accidental overdoses tend to be seasonal, and fall is a particularly busy
season for paramedics, he said. College students return from break and
begin taking the same amount of drugs they had been consuming before they
left. They overdose because their drug tolerance has decreased, he said.

Alcohol, heroin and prescribed medication are the most common substances
people overdose on, Puhek said.

Gamma hydroxy butyrate, also known as the "date rape drug," is becoming a
more frequent overdose problem. People are not only slipping the drug into
others' drinks, but are also taking the drug themselves because it gives
them a sense of euphoria, he said.

"GHB is easy to make, it's cheap and easy to conceal," Puhek said. "It
costs less than $10 and people store it in shampoo bottles. (GHB) has no
smell, so some people add color so (they) can identify it's not water."

Legal and illegal drugs

The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies cocaine, heroin,
methamphetamines, marijuana and club drugs, including GHB as illegal drugs.

Legal and illegal drug overdoses are increasing because of lack of
information, Hansen said.

"It's easier to overdose on legal drugs because people are not as wary of
them and they take more than the recommended use," she said.

Legal drugs such as OxyContin and Coricidin have become popular because of
easy access, she said.

In the case of illegal drug use, a person might not know the purity of the
ingredients used to concoct the drug and could have an adverse reaction to
the unknown ingredients, she said.

Colleen Bowlan, a Drug Information Center employee, said she knows of a
Kitsap County drug dealer who "cuts" his meth with heroin every two weeks
to keep his clients addicted.

"Cutting" a drug involves adding filler substances to a drug, such as
baking soda or other ingredients.

Suicide Attempts

An individual attempting suicide purposefully consumes an amount of drugs
that harms the basic functions of the human body, said Dr. William
Robertson, medical director for the Washington Poison Center.

Depending on who is doing the drug and what is being taken, it is hard to
determine a person's motivation, he said.

"Generally, a teenager makes a mistake, (but) a 45-year-old with cancer
(doesn't)," he said.

Signs Of Overdose

Depending on the drug or mixture of drugs, a person's metabolism and the
amounts taken, different reactions occur in a drug user's body. Certain
physical and behavioral signs can signal the danger of an overdose.

Signs include accelerated or slowed breathing, uncontrolled vomiting,
fainting, losing focus and dry heaving. A drug user might experience
behavioral changes including irritation or depression, Hansen said.

Puhek said when he arrives at an overdose scene it is helpful for people to
tell paramedics what type of drugs the victim consumed.

Paramedics try to regulate body functions and try to keep the person
coherent. Depending on the situation, Puhek said paramedics might decide to
administer a liquid drink called activated charcoal, a substance that
absorbs toxins and passes through the body.

He said he understands many people go through a stage of experimenting with
drugs. Risky drug consumption, however, can lead to bodily harm, criminal
conviction and subsequent problems with employment and ultimately death, he
said.

"(Overdose) is potentially fatal - sometimes the only time people live is
because others call 911 and we are able to save them," he said.