BlogHer - Is 'cheese' Heroin coming to your child's school? It could be there already. - Comments

Thanks Jenn - Let me just add...

Catherine Morgan — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 15:03:58 -0500

Thanks Jenn, what you are saying is absolutely true. Let me just add one or two thoughts of my own.

The only way these kids will know this drug is killing other kids, is if it is reported on. Otherwise, they just think; "It's only 'cheese' no big deal, everyone is doing it..."

For the most part I think what has been in the news is focusing more on the tragedy of this drug, and less on how it is being made. You can't help but feel heartbroken for the poor parents of these children. And for them to tell their stories on television, has got to be so hard...But they are doing it hoping that their child's loss will not be in vain, that another child might be saved because they have been courageous enough to speak-up about what has happened to them.

And to the fact that this is most definitely NOT just a "Hispanic" problem...

This is a link to a YouTube video that I didn't include in this post because it is a bit long. But if you check it out, you will clearly see that this young girl is not from a low-income or Hispanic area.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=d8dF3gMhCDM

This and all drug problems stretch across all socio-economic communities, and each is equally as tragic.

Anyway, that's it. It's all very sad.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and Informed Voters

Juat to clarify

Jennifer Satterwhite — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 14:07:37 -0500

I live in the Dallas area and can tell you without question it is not something mainly seen in just the Hispanic community. In fact, it is seen more in the affluent suburbs.

I think that when it comes to drugs, a parent can be aware of what is out there and what is happening out there (even if it is not in your particular town) and know what to look for or she can just pretend it is not a nationwide issue. This is actually one of the reasons cold medicines are now behind the pharmacy counters.

I agree that the media can make it a situation that will cause some people to become aware of a drug that they did not know about before, thus "advertising" it, but that could be said of ANY news story.

I have not seen the Loch Ness Monster firsthand, but I have seen flavored meth firsthand.

Better to be aware, in my opinion. I agree the shocking issue is that heroin is in the schools at all, but it is. And it starts EARLIER than middle school. Cheaper versions of heroin makes it easier to get. Easier to get makes it easy to get hooked. Easy to get hooked...well, you get the point. :-) I agree that after a few deaths, some kids will be smart enough to say, "No way!" However, most teens have the "It won't happen to me" attitude.

Just my thoughts. I live in the area that has seen both deaths and drug use among affluent kids. I want to know of any way they are getting high. If it is in the schools, trust me when I your (generic your) kids know about it. Therefore, so do I.

~Jenn~

I figured for sure I'd find this on Snopes....

Bridget Magnus — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 11:16:17 -0500

I will freely admit this sounded like a hoax, but I was wrong. However, after a little research, it turns out that this is a local situation peculiar to parts of Texas and particularly the Hispanic community (this ABC News article specifically mentions a Fiesta Grocery, and that is a chain that caters to Hispanic customers). Not to say it isn't newsworthy, but it isn't a nationwide phenomenon either.

More to the point, this article suggests that the national news coverage this drug is getting may actually be advertising it. Maybe it never occurred to somebody in Yakima to mix heroin with Tylenol PM until they happened to watch the news. And as far as "Strawberry Quik" goes, my favorite quote from that article has to be "Flavored meth is somewhat akin to the Loch Ness Monster: everyone has heard of it, but firsthand sightings are hard to track down and verify."

It just seems to me that it doesn't take very many deaths before even dumb kids say "What? I don't care that it's only $2! That **** can kill you!" Far bigger than the issue that "new form of heroin is in teh skoolz!" is that heroin is there at all.

Catherine, wow, that's scary stuff

Birdie Jaworski — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 10:15:53 -0500

Thanks for the PSA. I have never heard of this, either. I live in a rural community, but even so all the drugs make it to town. I'm going to go read your links now. It's good to be informed.

Birdie
Birdie's BlogHer Blog
La Pajaro

Is 'cheese' Heroin coming to your child's school? It could be there already.

Catherine Morgan — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 20:24:58 -0500

It's been around for about two years now, but this is the first time I had heard of it. It's 'cheese' heroin. Doesn't sound like something that could be killing middle and high school kids, but it is. And the price for a lethal dose is a mere two dollars (yes, you heard me right, $2.00). Back in the *old days* when I was in school, I sometimes used my lunch money for things other than lunch (ice-cream, candy, erasers that smelled like strawberries)...But the fact is, today our children can go to school with lunch money, buy this deadly drug, and still have money leftover for ice-cream.

In case you are like me, and had never heard about this 'cheese' heroin before now, here are some of the disturbing highlights...

Deadly $2 Heroin Targets Teens -- CNN

A cheap, highly addictive drug known as "cheese heroin" has killed 21 teenagers in the Dallas area over the past two years, and authorities say they are hoping they can stop the fad before it spreads across the nation.

"Cheese heroin" is a blend of so-called black tar Mexican heroin and crushed over-the-counter medications that contain the antihistamine diphenhydramine, found in products such as Tylenol PM, police say. The sedative effects of the heroin and the nighttime sleep aids make for a deadly brew.

A young girl is Dallas Counties 23rd 'cheese' victim buried

A 17-year-old member of the Thomas Jefferson High School Liberty Belles drill team, believed to be the 23rd victim of "cheese" heroin in Dallas County, was buried Wednesday.

Officials from the Dallas County medical examiner's office said Alejandra Soto died Friday from the "toxic effects of opiates."

Imagine your child coming home with a stomachache, going to bed like any other night, but dying in their sleep from the toxic affects of this drug. That is what happened to this family from Dallas.

"My understanding is that he was complaining about a stomachache and feeling sleepy. Instead of taking him to a hospital they put him to bed," said the father, a land surveyor. "He never woke up."

Cortez's sister told police she found his body the next morning.

The 15-year-old who loved football and who traveled away from home only once in his life, on a tour of Texas, is one of 21 teens killed in the Dallas area over the past two years by a drug officials call "starter heroin." -- from Heroin Mix Killing Teens in Dallas

And as if all this wasn't enough, there are actually two other relatively new drugs that you really should be aware of, they are 'Strawberry Quick' Meth and 'Dracuweed'.

Five Moms are BlogHers blogging about how children are abusing cough medicine. They have a very insightful website designed to help you see the warning signs, and protect your kids.

Well, that's it. Pretty depressing if you ask me. But, awareness is power. And if knowing about this can help even one mom recognize a problem before it turns into a tragedy, then that's the most important thing.

I would really like to know what other BlogHers think about this latest drug to hit the middle school market. Had you known about 'cheese' heroin? How do you feel about children being able to buy heroin in school for two dollars? Do you think..."It could never happen to my kid."? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Also, if you are a BlogHer and you have been blogging about the growing epidemic of drug abuse, please comment and leave a link. Thanks.

*I plan on doing a follow-up post on "the drug war", and are we winning or losing it? Any input from other BlogHers is welcome, especially if you can provide a link to a post you have done. Feel free to contact me with information and links. Thanks so much.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan also at Women 4 Hope and Informed Voters