PUBLIC BEWARE OF TRENDY DRUGS

With increased interest in potentially harmful and deadly drugs, public
awareness about their use, abuse and long-term effects needs more public
attention. That was the word Tuesday from Tech. Sgt. Linda Tuggle-Williams
of the Tennessee National Guard's Drug Demand Reduction program to the
Tullahoma Drug-Free Task Force.

Sgt. Williams said her role in the military is to increase drug awareness.
She added that a key part of the National Guard's operations involves
finding illegal narcotics and aiding law enforcement agencies in their
eradication.

She talked about the increased production and consumption of
methamphetamine and what the public should be aware of.

Williams said products to produce methamphetamine, also known as ice,
crystal meth, crank or just meth, is available at many retail stores.

Some of the ingredients are denatured alcohol, paint thinner, rock salt,
lye and acetone.

Anyone buying large quantities of any one product used in meth production
should be considered a suspect, Williams said.

She said some states have passed laws limiting how much of specific
products an individual can buy.

However, she said "meth cooks" have figured a way around that by trading
their finished product to other meth abusers who will go in numbers to
different stores to buy various amounts of the needed products.

Williams said meth consumption is approaching younger generations. She said
the average age in Tennessee is 19. However, younger victims are appearing
all the time.

She said once most meth abusers experience the substance for the first
time, they are hooked. After that, their life expectancy is a mere five
more years with many dying horrible deaths.

Williams also talked about "ecstasy" and other drugs used at "rave"
parties. She explained "raves" were founded in England just after the 1969
Woodstock concert in New York that sparked a trend featuring huge concerts
where large quantities of drugs were consumed.

"They were called raves because they were raving mad parties," Williams said.

The modern version features experimenting with ecstasy, heroin, marijuana
and rohypnol drugs as well as others that can be harmful or fatal, she said.

She said ecstasy raises body temperature, which in turn can lead to broken
blood vessels and organ failure, leading to death in some cases.

Long term effects are also tragic, Williams said, adding that perennial
ecstasy consumers has been found to develop Alzheimer's disease while they
are as young as age 30.

She cautioned that governments may be faced with increased medical costs to
care for ecstasy abusers who develop Alzheimer's early and have to be
placed in nursing homes.

Williams said parents need to be aware of symptoms and abuse patterns for
certain drugs.

She said a common scene among teens in Nashville is that some use baby
pacifiers to keep from grinding their teeth because that is a symptom when
they are high on ecstasy.

Williams said she and others in her division provide seminars at schools
and for other functions to combat drug abuse.