LOCALS LEARN ABOUT PERILS OF STREET DRUGS

Drug users make short-term decisions based on seeking pleasure, but they
don't think about the serious harm and danger they inflict on their bodies
in the long-term.

That was one of several important messages locals heard during a Street
Drug Awareness seminar on Dec. 2 at the Emergency Services Building. The
session was aimed at local health care and social service professionals, as
well as members of the local RCMP detachment and fire department.

Among the groups represented were the local health region, AIDS Jasper,
Community Outreach Services, the Jasper Crisis Team/Victim Services and the
Adult Learning Council. The seminar was facilitated by AIDS Jasper, the
Westview Health Region and AADAC.

"I think it's important to reach out to the professional community and
provide insight into the drug community," said Steve Walton, the host for
the meeting and a 24-year veteran of the Calgary Police Service.

The session for the professional community was just one in a series of
meetings hosted by Walton last week. He also held a session for parents in
the community, which focused on why kids might be using drugs, which drugs
they are most likely using, and how they are using them.

In addition, he visited the Jasper Jr./Sr. High School to talk face to face
with Grade 10 - 12 students, giving them a reality check on the serious
dangers of drug use.

Walton, who has also been a member of the Calgary Police drug unit for 10
years, travels across the country staging these types of seminars, and does
about 10 every month.

He said the idea behind the sessions is simply to give people a better
understanding of the perils of street drugs.

"Education has been identified as one of the cornerstones with respect to
drug intervention," said Walton. "This is a proactive approach to dealing
with drug issues in our culture."

He has published 18 articles and a book on street drugs, drawing from his
extensive training over the years as well as his work as an undercover
police officer.

Working undercover, Walton has seen a lot of people on a lot of different
drugs, and has seen exactly how they are affected. He said that what always
strikes him the most is how quickly a drug user's health deteriorates.

Emerging drug trends

For the Street Drug Awareness seminar aimed at the professional community,
the main focus was on recognizing the dangers of the most popular drugs
right now and the emerging drug trends.

Walton talked about several of the more popular drugs right now, discussing
their effects and dangers. Among the drugs he described were:

Wet:

This is the street name for the smoking of formaldehyde. Users will dip
tobacco or marijuana cigarettes into formaldehyde and once dried, the
cigarette is smoked.

Walton said that in Canada this practice evolved mainly out of the
rave/dance culture.

The effects of the drug are quick and include: visual and auditory
hallucinations, euphoria, increased pain tolerance, and a feeling of
invincibility.

The negative effects of the drug are very serious as overdose symptoms
include: depressed reflexes, high fever, pulmonary/cerebral edema,
seizures, stroke, kidney failure, or death.

Street names for the drug include: happy sticks, sherm, dank, therm, and whack.

Ice:

This is the common street name for crystallized, smokable meth-amphetamine,
and is also referred to as jib, glass, or speed.

The speed of today is not like that of years ago, according to Walton.
Today it is 10 to 100 times stronger because of changes in the chemicals
used to make it.

It is also known as a highly addictive drug. Walton said that research he's
seen shows that 42 per cent of one-time users become addicted and 96
percent of people who use it more than once become addicted.

The drug is a central nervous system stimulant and it has a rapid onset of
effects. It gives a feeling of euphoria similar to cocaine, but longer lasting.

Chronic users typically lose a lot of weight and have poor dental hygiene
because the chemicals in the drug attack the teeth.

Symptoms of abuse include: nervousness, twitching, sweating, sleeplessness,
loss of appetite, rapid heart rate/respiration rates, confusion, extreme
paranoia, strong violent tendencies, and withdrawal from the drug causes
severe depression and cravings.

Other street names include: jeb, jip, crystal, and ice cream.

Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate (GHB):

This drug is a hypnotic anesthetic agent naturally found in the human brain
and other body tissues. It is sometimes used in conjunction with ecstasy
and is often used by sexual predators as a date rape drug.

The drug has a salty taste, so it is most often slipped into salty or very
sweet or sour drinks, so it is not easily detected.

The effects include intoxication, lack of inhibition, and muscle relaxation.

Those under the influence of the drug will also experience effects like
loss of coordination, memory lapse, nausea, and difficulty concentrating.

There is no antidote for the drug which slows the heart rate to dangerously
low levels resulting in the possibility of a coma or death from overdose.

Street names include: easy lay, GBH, G, grievous bodily harm, Liquid E,
Liquid X, soap, scoop, salty water, Georgia home boy, cherry meth, vita-G

Ecstasy:

This drug is a central nervous system stimulant, and the onset of its
effects are quite rapid.

It produces hallucinations, high body temperature, heart rate problems,
muscle aches, teeth grinding, dilated pupils, and death from overdoses.

Long term effects include liver malfunction, kidney problems, aggravation
of spinal fluid, weight loss, memory loss, and sleep pattern problems.