DRUGS IN WORKPLACE: A DANGER TO EVERYONE

KENDALLVILLE -- Two Kendallville policemen warned those attending a
luncheon sponsored by the Personnel Association and the Kendallville Area
Chamber of Commerce Wednesday that drugs in the workplace affect everyone.

Kendallville Police Chief Bill Forker and public information officer
Michael Newton told businesspeople at the luncheon at the Kendallville
Banquet & Conference Center about some of the ways drugs are finding their
way into the workplace, and the dangers that they pose.

The program the officers shared was designed with Drug-Free Noble County
and the Noble county Partners for a Drug-Free Workplace. It drew heavily on
information from the Indiana Multi-Agency Group Enforcement (I.M.A.G.E.)
drug task force.

Two myths are out there, the program said. One is, "My community is too
small to have a drug problem," and the other is, "If my employees were
doing drugs, I'd know it."

I.M.A.G.E. statistics on drug dealers showed that the heaviest caseload in
1999 was in marijuana. "In 2001, marijuana and methamphetamines exploded,"
Forker said.

The best way to tell if an employee might be using drugs is to watch for
changes in their behavior.

Drug testing can be complicated, since masking agents can be used to hide
the presence of some drugs.

Newton said testers can tell if a sample has been altered by a masking
agent, but many won't report that clearly unless asked to do so.

Marijuana stays in the system for 30 days, while most other drugs are out
of a person's system within three days.

Alcohol and marijuana are considered gateway drugs.

People who remember smoking marijuana when they were in college must
remember that the drug is much stronger now. "The marijuana 10 years ago is
nothing like the marijuana we're seeing now," Newton said. High Times
magazine rates Indiana's "grass" as the best in the nation for potency.

"People using marijuana will have paraphernalia," Forker said. Under the
law, paraphernalia is actually legal to own or sell as long as there is no
intent to use it for drugs.

Stores that sell paraphernalia are selling pipes concealed in items such as
magic markers, lipsticks, lip balm sticks, cigarette lighters and even duck
calls. One dugout pipe is actually patented with the U.S. Patent Office.

Cigarette papers are often a sign of marijuana use, since few people roll
their own cigarettes any more, Forker said. When someone tells him they
roll their own cigarettes, he said he replies, "Show me your tobacco."

He added, "They never want to do that, because they're 'tobacco' is illegal."

Symptoms of cocaine use include sleeping problems, runny nose, lack of
appetite, sexual changes, severe mood swings, paranoia, excitedness and
talkativeness. "Once they're hooked, it rules their lives until,
eventually, it takes their lives," Newton said.

Symptoms of using Lysergic Acid Diethyamide (LSD) include drowsiness,
dizziness, dilated pupils, weakness, tremors and nausea. It is a severe
hallucinogen, and the effects are unpredictable.

Methamphetamine, or meth, can be smoked, ingested, snorted or injected.
Symptoms of its use include high energy, talkativeness and extreme paranoia
followed by heavy depression. All manufacturing of it is illegal.

It's also a fast-growing problem. Statewide Indiana had 41 meth labs in
1998. Last year there were 541 statewide. "Almost all ingredients can be
purchased on local stores," Forker said.

A key ingredient are such cold medicines containing ephedrine or
pseudoephedrine.

Stores should watch to see if people are buying large quantities of items
such as starter fluid and gas line antifreeze, Forker said. Those may be
signs someone is making meth, he explained.

Light bulbs with the end knocked off and pieces of burned tinfoil could be
signs meth has been "cooked" in the area. Fire extinguishers may be taken
apart to use fittings for anhydrous ammonia. "When you start losing fire
extinguishers, that could be a sign," Newton said.

Inhalant abuse, known as "huffing," includes such items as gasoline, paint
and the nitrous oxide from whipped cream cans. The last has a chilling
effect that can cause burns to the mouth or nose if inhaled directly.

The officers said businesspeople should follow several tips to help deal
with potential drug problems.

- - Educate themselves about drugs.

- - Talk to employees about drugs.

- - Ask questions of employees, and listen to the answers.

- - Know who is hanging around with who.

- - Develop defensive tactics. "You need to have a plan," Forker said.