DRUGS 101: SEMINAR HELPS WORKERS RECOGNIZE DRUG USE

Marijuana and chocolate have the same impact on the brain. There's one
difference: It takes 25 pounds of chocolate to get to the same high as
puffing on a joint.

Marijuana and chocolate have the same impact on the brain. There's one
difference: It takes 25 pounds of chocolate to get to the same high as
puffing on a joint.

That was one of the observations at Monday's "Drugs 101" seminar sponsored
by Youth and Shelter Services.

Stimulants, sedatives, hallucinogens and other drugs - legal and otherwise
- - were all discussed. About 50 social workers listened to the presentation
given by prevention specialist Denise Denton of YSS.

Denton, who lost two parents to lung cancer, did not exclude tobacco from
the list of deadly drugs.

Tobacco kills far more people - 430,000 by some estimates - than heroin,
which takes 4,000 lives a year. Of course, part of the reason is that
tobacco is used by more people, is more socially acceptable is cheaper and
is marketed heavily.

It's also a slower killer.

Alcohol comes at a high price, too. The indirect and direct monetary cost
of alcoholism to the economy is $100 billion annually, according to
psychiatrist Dr. James Trahan, who spoke later at Mary Greeley Medical
Center's monthly board meeting.

And the abuse of prescription drugs also has appeared on the nation's radar
screen. Xanax (generically known as alprazolam), an anti-anxiety
medication, can become more of a problem than a solution for some people.

"Our challenge in programming is to get some (of these people) into
cognitive and behavioral therapy," Denton said. In many cases, she said
prescription drugs for anxiety and depression should be a "first line of
defense" to help people get back on their feet.

One of the problems with sedatives such as Xanax - as opposed to
opium-derived drugs such as heroin - is that withdrawal can cause death.

"With heroin (withdrawal) you'll only feel like you want to die," Denton
said. The phrase "kicking the habit" derives from the kicking and
convulsing addicts go through withdrawing from heroin.

Another prescription drug, the painkiller OxyContin, has become a favorite
of some. Used properly in pill form, it isn't dangerous. But if crushed and
snorted, it can create a dangerous high.

It has been estimated that 10 percent of prescription drugs end up being
abused or on the black market, Denton said. President Bush's niece was
recently charged with trying to fraudulently obtain Xanax.

And, of course, the drug most commonly associated with the rural Midwest
came up as well - methamphetamines.

The history of amphetamines is a curious one - Denton said the substance
was used by both Allied and Axis forces during World War II.

"Nobody thought it was addictive until after the war," she said.

Amphetamines make it possible to stay up for long periods of time, not feel
hungry and feel as though everything is fine - until it creates paranoia or
psychosis.

The reason methamphetamines are sometimes called "crank" is because one of
the first groups that "speed" was popular with was bikers, who hid the drug
in the crankshaft.

Signs of methamphetamine use include blurred vision, rapid weight loss,
dilated pupils and bad breath.

Another problem with the drug is that it can drain all the nutrients from
the body, which can make hair fall out.

Far too many friends and family of meth addicts end up enabling them,
hoping it will make them better. It usually doesn't work, Denton said.

And most users are forced to end up as dealers and makers - and cooking
meth has hazards of its own.