In my last article I talked to you about the devastating effects that drugs are having on our society. Unfortunately it is nothing new, and I have witnessed how parents are choosing drugs over the right to keep their children. What’s worse I have been told that parents are “doping” while the children watch. It’s unbearable for me to hear how mothers are giving up their rights to their children because of their addictions. I can’t imagine anything in this world that would prevent me from being with my child so I had to do some research to find out more.
Last week I talked to you about crystal meth. This week I did some research on another problem drug in our area which is cocaine and it’s addictive quality. According to a national survey done in 2008, almost 15 percent of Americans had tried cocaine, with 6 percent having tried it by their senior year of high school. Many of the kids surveyed reported that powder cocaine was "fairly easy" to obtain.
Cocaine is the most potent stimulant of natural origin. This substance can be snorted, smoked, or injected. When snorted, cocaine powder is inhaled through the nose where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. When injected, the user uses a needle to release the drug directly into the bloodstream.
Crack is cocaine base that has not been neutralized by an acid to make the hydrochloride salt. This form of cocaine comes in a rock crystal that is heated to produce vapors, which are smoked. The term “crack” refers to the crackling sound produced by the rock as it is heated.
Cocaine is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant. Much of the cocaine available in the United States is transported from South American nations, particularly Colombia, through the Mexico-Central America Corrido. Cocaine continues to be the most frequently mentioned illicit substance reported to the Drug Abuse Warning Network by hospital emergency departments nationwide.
So why are people choosing to get high? Many of the people you see every day can be a drug addict. Research has led to a clear understanding of how cocaine produces its pleasurable effects and why it is so addictive. Scientists have discovered that cocaine acts by blocking the removal of dopamine from the normal recycling process which results in an accumulation of dopamine. This is what causes the initial euphoria commonly reported by cocaine abusers.
This highly addictive drug is often taken in "binges," during which the cocaine is used repeatedly and at increasingly higher doses. This can lead to increased irritability, restlessness, panic attacks, and paranoia—even a full-blown psychosis, in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations. Regularly snorting cocaine can lead to loss of sense of smell; nosebleeds; problems with swallowing and an overall irritation of the nasal septum, which could result in a chronically inflamed, runny nose. Persons who inject cocaine have puncture marks called "tracks," most commonly in their forearms, and may experience allergic reactions, either to the drug or to some additive in street cocaine, which in severe cases can result in death. Many chronic cocaine users lose their appetite and experience significant weight loss and malnourishment.
I went on a visit to Police Chief Jeff Sanders and talked to him about our drug epidemic. He agreed that crystal meth and cocaine were the two most problem drugs in our area. I asked him what he thought about rehabilitation and he seemed a little unsure about it. He said that he had a lot of repeat offenders and feels they often want rehab to get out of paying their fines or serving jail time. However he did say that he worked with the prosecuting attorney (Michael Ladd) and often requested that first time offenders get rehab if they want it.
Chief Sanders noted that he’s seen people get back from rehab that were doing well and then “come back to the same environment and same old friends.” He said “the best way to get off of it is to “change your environment and make new friends.”
He also felt that most of the robberies/thefts in the county were due to the drug problem in order to pay for their habits. I was excited to ask him if I could go see a drug meth lab (just for my curiosity’s sake) but he smiled and said he didn’t have anything for me to see. However he told me of some pretty elaborate labs that they’d discovered.
He said that they monitor the lab sites uploaded by local pharmaceuticals when something as pseudoephedrine (one of the ingredients to make meth) is purchased,  so I called up local pharmacist Gene Boeckmann. Gene told me that when pseudoephedrine was purchased that they were required to upload the purchase and it will be accepted or denied due to activity.
Last week when my part 1 of my article came out, Melissa at the newspaper called me and told me that a lady by the name of “Shirley Harvell” had come by and left me some information, so I went and picked up a lot of drug prevention info that looked like it was geared toward either kids or teenagers. I gave her a call and got a friendly voice on the other line. She had told me she was so excited to read my article and that she put it on her bulletin board as well as mailed it to a lot of places across the state. Since it is my hope to educate and/or inspire I was truly appreciative. We set up a meeting to talk.
Shirley works for the Mid-South Health Systems on Addison Drive which is a privately owned counseling service that helps with the mental health needs in our community. In my fifty years of living I have never seen anyone more passionate about their job. She is one of the friendliest and most down to earth people that I’ve ever met. I realized that I didn’t need to ask many questions because she really liked to talk about her work. I found this refreshing as well as very educating.
After an “APNA” survey in 2006 revealed that Cross County led the state in underage drinking, a grant was issued to help with this problem. The grant was approved from 2008 (Wynne) and 2009 (Cross County) and ends on June 30, 2011. Shirley along with Dina Milton (Wynne schools) and Nicole Woods (Cross County schools) help to bring awareness about the problem of underage drinking in the area. “Many people don’t realize that alcohol is a drug as well.  The drug problem is not always on the street corner. Alcohol is a gateway drug to other things.”
She stated “One of the problems is that is so easily acceptable.” Between the internet/tv and even the parents it’s a growing problem. You could tell she was angry with the beverage industry as she pulled out two large cans and placed them on her desk. She talked about how they were marketed toward kids. Both cans looked similar but one was a bloody mary and the other was an energy drink. She was proud to be one of the many who lobbied to get this off of the market.
“Kids don’t want to be lectured to.” That’s why we have a “Positive Action” program where they work in the schools to send a positive message which is “Making positive thoughts leads to positive actions.”
Shirley is the director of the Cross County Coalition which Is a group of concerned citizens and parents intent on keeping the youth of their community drug free. Members include youth, officers from the police force, officials from school, churches, businesses, etc.
In 2008 the state average for alcohol use in youth was 49% while Cross County was 68.8%. These numbers have been reduced by over 10% since the Coalition began.
Between billboards, brochures, education, yard signs, etc. they are getting the message out. “Dina was so creative she even thought of putting cards in the boutonnieres during the prom.”
I’m glad to see positive actions in our city. Although the grants are ending, there are still positive messages to tell and positive people to tell them. I will finalize my proactive articles with more interesting people in our community. The final article is titled “Tackling Prescription Drugs - Drug Addiction – Part 3”.
