Schooled on Drugs
Experts Urge Parents to Educate Themselves on Dangers to Their Kids
By Alexa Pozniak
Third in a Multi-part Series
The Rave Generation Cocaine
The two most popular drugs among teenagers are still marijuana and alcohol, according to Glenn Hanson, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Maryland. But "club drugs," named for their use in nightclub settings, having been rapidly gaining in use.
"Club drugs, sort of loosely defined as drugs that are used in club settings, are also popular," Hanson says. "And those include Ecstasy, sometimes referred to as X, Ketamine, known as Special K, and amphetamines, called speed."
Both Ecstasy and amphetamines are found in the form of a tablet or pill, while Ketamine is a white powder, similar to cocaine.
A "fish" pill, seized in Cincinnati in Nov. 1999 from a shipment of the designer drug Ecstacy. (US Customs Service/AP Photo)
Although these "party drugs" are often dismissed by teens as harmless, there is now substantial evidence that they can cause long-lasting damage to the brain and a variety of unwanted side effects, including hallucinations, fever, paranoia, amnesia, unconsciousness, and, in some cases, death.
They can be even more harmful when combined with alcohol, which is frequently the case.
Pasierb calls Ecstasy the "rave generation's cocaine. ... If you want to draw a parallel, the Ecstasy problem is similar to what parents went through with cocaine in the 1970s. It was being marketed as a low-risk drug with no downsides, something to help you kick back and relax."
Be on the Lookout
Hanson says it's sometimes difficult for parents to pick up signs and symptoms that indicate their kids are using drugs, particularly because many of the behavior signs are similar to what is considered normal teenage behavior: isolation, difficulty getting along with others, and a drop in communication with family members.
Nonetheless, Henson believes mom and dad must be on the lookout.
"You can usually tell if there are extreme or abrupt changes in their behavior," says Hanson. "They don't care about things they once did, and start hanging out with a different crowd of kids than they used to hang around with."
There are also specific indicators for specific drugs. If children are taking Ecstasy, for instance, they may start to clench their teeth a lot, and carry a baby pacifier or glow stick in their pocket.
"Ecstasy causes you to clench your teeth," explains Hanson. "If you don't use a pacifier, they could have chipped teeth. The glow sticks are for the visual effects. Ecstasy has some visual properties, and can alter or add ambiance to things. So strobe lights and glow sticks add to the effect of the drug."
Marijuana, on the other hand, acts as a depressant. "Marijuana can interfere with skills you need to compete in an academic setting, such as memory," says Hanson. "So kids may not do well in tests, or if they're into athletic competitions, it's going to affect their competitiveness."
All of this information is something Patton wishes she had learned years ago.
"When parents I speak to see me holding a picture of Kelley, hopefully they'll say, 'Well, if it happened to her it can happen to me.' I encourage them to not be like I was, and not know what's out there," she says. "I want these parents to learn from my mistakes and the kids to learn from Kelley's mistakes."
[ 27 March 2002: Message edited by: meka2001 ]
Experts Urge Parents to Educate Themselves on Dangers to Their Kids
By Alexa Pozniak
Third in a Multi-part Series
The Rave Generation Cocaine
The two most popular drugs among teenagers are still marijuana and alcohol, according to Glenn Hanson, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Maryland. But "club drugs," named for their use in nightclub settings, having been rapidly gaining in use.
"Club drugs, sort of loosely defined as drugs that are used in club settings, are also popular," Hanson says. "And those include Ecstasy, sometimes referred to as X, Ketamine, known as Special K, and amphetamines, called speed."
Both Ecstasy and amphetamines are found in the form of a tablet or pill, while Ketamine is a white powder, similar to cocaine.
A "fish" pill, seized in Cincinnati in Nov. 1999 from a shipment of the designer drug Ecstacy. (US Customs Service/AP Photo)
Although these "party drugs" are often dismissed by teens as harmless, there is now substantial evidence that they can cause long-lasting damage to the brain and a variety of unwanted side effects, including hallucinations, fever, paranoia, amnesia, unconsciousness, and, in some cases, death.
They can be even more harmful when combined with alcohol, which is frequently the case.
Pasierb calls Ecstasy the "rave generation's cocaine. ... If you want to draw a parallel, the Ecstasy problem is similar to what parents went through with cocaine in the 1970s. It was being marketed as a low-risk drug with no downsides, something to help you kick back and relax."
Be on the Lookout
Hanson says it's sometimes difficult for parents to pick up signs and symptoms that indicate their kids are using drugs, particularly because many of the behavior signs are similar to what is considered normal teenage behavior: isolation, difficulty getting along with others, and a drop in communication with family members.
Nonetheless, Henson believes mom and dad must be on the lookout.
"You can usually tell if there are extreme or abrupt changes in their behavior," says Hanson. "They don't care about things they once did, and start hanging out with a different crowd of kids than they used to hang around with."
There are also specific indicators for specific drugs. If children are taking Ecstasy, for instance, they may start to clench their teeth a lot, and carry a baby pacifier or glow stick in their pocket.
"Ecstasy causes you to clench your teeth," explains Hanson. "If you don't use a pacifier, they could have chipped teeth. The glow sticks are for the visual effects. Ecstasy has some visual properties, and can alter or add ambiance to things. So strobe lights and glow sticks add to the effect of the drug."
Marijuana, on the other hand, acts as a depressant. "Marijuana can interfere with skills you need to compete in an academic setting, such as memory," says Hanson. "So kids may not do well in tests, or if they're into athletic competitions, it's going to affect their competitiveness."
All of this information is something Patton wishes she had learned years ago.
"When parents I speak to see me holding a picture of Kelley, hopefully they'll say, 'Well, if it happened to her it can happen to me.' I encourage them to not be like I was, and not know what's out there," she says. "I want these parents to learn from my mistakes and the kids to learn from Kelley's mistakes."
[ 27 March 2002: Message edited by: meka2001 ]
