COCAINE USERS 'BURNED' BY BAD BATCH

North Bay Hospital ER Sees Spike In Drug-Related Illness

Teenagers, stay-at-home moms and nine-to-fivers are not what people
picture when they think of cocaine users.

But one doctor is warning that people who use cocaine as a
recreational drug are getting more than they bargained for with what
appears to be bad batches of coke circulating in the area.

"It's shocking to see a perfectly healthy teen come in (to the
emergency room) and see the family discover that he has
cocaine-induced physical damage that may or may not heal," said Dr.
James Truong.

"These are people with jobs, who go to school and have families," he
added. "These are not down-and-out street people, but people who can
get burned, and they got burned badly. " The family physician was on
shift at the North Bay and District Hospital emergency room Friday and
Saturday and saw more cocaine-related illnesses during one weekend
than in three months combined.

Of the six people tested for the drug in the ER, only one was
considered a chronic user and the rest were recreational users. They
all experienced a "strange" reaction to their normal dose.

Truong suggests three scenarios:

- - Dealers usually "cut" cocaine with other substances to create more
of it. Cocaine, however, is getting less expensive and dealers are
likely selling it more pure to get rid of it. A normal dose could be
10 times what the user is expecting and causing an overdose.

- - The cocaine may be combined with other drugs, including highly
potent crystal meth, to create a "better high."

- - The cocaine is contaminated with rat poison, drain cleaner,
fertilizer, ground glass or other substances.

"Recreational drug use is here to stay. It's part of our society.
People feel that as long as it doesn't impair their daily function,
it's not a big deal and nobody's business," Truong said.

"Even a small amount of coke is a big deal because it can still kill
you."

Cocaine constricts blood vessels and can ruin organs, and Truong said
he has seen 20-year-olds in top physical condition have a heart attack
and end up with the heart of an 80-year-old.

An emergency room doctor does not report illegal drug use - unless
there is harm to a child - yet patients who admit themselves are
reluctant to divulge drug use, and that makes it more difficult to
treat, Truong said.

Staff are quick to recognize addicts, he said, but recreational users
could be more difficult to identify.

There is not a lot of sympathy for drug users since there's a criminal
element and it's self-inflicted, Truong said.

But he pointed out that people who smoke or have unhealthy eating
habits are just as likely to cross his path and deserve the same care.