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ir*'',
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|ei
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n^'
n«'
tfi’’
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disti
the
The
'Action of being a major interest of
t>fganized crime element or Mafia.
tnoney involved returns to the big
^tiily" vvith their world-wide contacts
smuggling Operations.
L^l'ce reports of the past show that
and gangsters of the era of
jo^^'^'tion and Al Capone used cocaine
to extent. They would use cocaine
^ “uild their "nerve" for a big robbery
crime. Quite likely, many of
oaring exploits of the era's non-heroes
traced to either cocaine or other
>ld be
dr,
^9s.
enforcement officials today
“’cr the cocaine user dangerous
of the likelihood of the user
life and limb in his
'''^'bited state.
^mthetics
of man's common synthetics
k)rtr *oday are products of coal tar or
T|,g other non-opiate starting point.
*'owe ^'''^'betics are physically addictive.
Of - and carry many of the problems
b'orn by-products.
Third of a Series
By Mike McCulley
Abuse of milder narcotics and
synthetics increases today as wider
education of "hard" narcotic pitfalls
reach the masses. Uniformity of opinion
on any drug's class is unlikely; still, a
majority of reports on drugs relegate
cocaine and certain synthetics to the area
of "milder" narcotics.
COCAINE
Cocaine differs from heroin and
morphine. It originates not from the
Opium poppy, but was originally made
from the leaves of the Brazilian Coca tree.
Today medicinal cocaine comes primarily
from Java Coca.
Long used by drug addicts, cocaine was
introduced to the medical establishment
m 1844. Modern usage of cocaine
oormally is as a surface anesthesic. For
example, cocaine will numb the tongue
on touch.
This drug causes a milder physical
dependency than do the opiates (heroin,
?fo.). Withdrawal from cocaine addiction
•s not as physically discomforting as is
'mthdrawal from the hard narcotics.
Although it is not one of the most
Popular methods for building a high, a
number of people do use it. They will
norn" (sniff) it up the nose or perhaps
Pjace it inside the lower lip where it is
Pmked up by the salivary glands, which in
Orn transmits the drug into the body.
The cocaine user
A cocaine user resembles several other
^Pes of drug abusers. The eye pupils are
nated as if he were using marijuana. He
wear dark glasses like the heroin
^‘fict. As a reaction to the cocaine, the
oser will feel the release of his inhibitions
nd find himself at a loss to measure time
Otf distance, again like the effects of
'•’orijuana.
Similar to "hard" narcotic addiction,
6 cocaine user will generally be in bad
l^alth, with a scant appetite, and suffer
of weight as his drug use continues.
®se users will often have insomnia and
^ience hallucinations, i.e., objects
ber their skin, bugs crawling on the
f^caine shares with the opiates the
I THE DRUG SCENE 1
MAN MADE HIGHS -
UP AND DOWN
OPIATE GROUP, or its
derivatives (Heroin). Pupil
contracted and fixed.
PUPIL starts to
withdrawal begins.
MARIJUANA or COCAINE or
AMPHETAMINES (“speed”)
PUPIL highly dilated. Little or no
reaction to light.
Alcohol can also cause this
condition.
NARCOTIC EFFECT ON THE EYES
Seconal and Demerol are fairly
common synthetic drugs. The sleeping
pil Is and preparations, tranquilizers, and pep
pills, are among the man-made drugs that
have increasingly become abused.
Medically, most synthetics are
beneficial when used in prescribed doses,
and often greatly aid man in his
fast-paced world to cope with daily
stresses, anxieties, tensions, and
problems. Methadon, for example, is
finding accepted usage as a substitute for
heroin; since it can legally be
manufactured and prescribed, the
ex-heroin addict can exist without the
need to deal illegally in heroin.
It is the illegal manufacture,
distribution, or theft of these synthetics
that represents the major avenue of drug
abuse for synthetic users. Those sold
without prescription CAN be taken to
excess, and physical or psychological
dependency can occur. However, the
stronger prescription drugs are also
abused through various methods.
Persons using them have discreet
methods of buying them such as
falsifying prescriptions, posing as a
doctor, stealing blank prescription pads
and forging doctors' names, etc.
It should be noted, too, that the
common abusers of the synthetics are not
necessarily the shadowy, youthful, or
poverty stricken segment of the
population. In this category you'll find
such people as a truck driver who uses
"pep pills" on the road. Or, maybe a
lonely widow who uses sleeping
preparations to lull herself asleep and
away from her emptiness.
The users of synthetics defy
classification. However, in common, they
seek the effects of the drugs, usually
sedative or stimulative. For many, this
tranquilized life becomes the acceptable
one, the one they prefer. Hence, a user,
then abuser, then addict. The pattern
repeats itself with the frequently abused
drugs on the drug scene today.
DEPRESSANTS AND STIMULANTS
- CLASS OF SYNTHETICS
The depressant class of synthetics
affect the individual much like alcohol
does and thereby make for an easy
transition from drinker to "doper."
Many nicknames exist for depressants,
among them "downers", red birds, goof
balls, yellow jackets, and blue heavens.
The primary depressant drug abused is
barbiturates. Barbiturates are useful
medically and are sold only by valid
prescription. For example, they may be
used to calm nervousness or produce
sleep in persons with medical problems.
"Pushers" from the underworld often
give away "downers" in hopes of leading
to their abuse and eventual true narcotic
addiction.
The barbiturate user will become
drowsy and confused on the drug. His
muscle coordination is uncontrolled even
to the point of his being unable to stand
or walk. He may have tremors of his
hands, lips, or tongue; talking is unclear,
thinking disorganized.
March 18,1970 THE CAROLINA JOURNAL Page 7
Mixing barbiturates with alcohol
increases the effect and lengthens iL
Barbiturates are incapable of being
vomited out and will be absorbed into the
blood unless the stomach is pumped
immediately after an overdose.
Police suspect barbiturate use when the
person acts like a drunk but gives off no
alcoholic odor. They often associate the
barbiturate user with accidents,
delinquency, unexplained stupor or
comas. Uncontrolled use of barbiturates
can lead to overdose death as the
tolerance increases or even a suicidal act
from the imposing depression of the drug.
AMPHETAMINES OR "SPEED"
Amphetamine or other similar
compounds are simulants in a deceptive
way. These drugs do not create energy as
is sometimes mistakenly thought, but
actually release stored energy too fast.
The body's mechanisms which protect it
from fatigue and drowsiness are bypassed.
The exhaustion of body is unsensed until
a sudden blackout or collapse
may occur. The danger associated with
driving when this might occur is obvious.
Yet, this prolonged, sustained use of
"speed" is not the drug scene threat of
"kicks" or "thrills". Amphetamines are
abused simply to get "high", feel good
and alert, or sociable. It is a way to
"turn-on". This then constitutes the
abuse today, and it is the young that
experiment and use "speed" in social
activities.
They may be called "Bennies", "pep
pills", co-pilots, hearts, footballs, ups or
"uppers". It still is the same basic drug...
amphetamine, or maybe
methamphetamine. The results are the
same.
dilate when
"Speed" is bootlegged or sold illegally
through the same channels as other
synthetics. Its manufacture or
distribution by underground elements
runs into millions of dollars of profit
"Shooting speed" is injecting the drug
in liquid form into a body vein. The
"high" from this is intense and
prolonged. Commonly, this procedure is
dpne with friends or in a group.
Extended use of amphetamines will
lead to barbiturate use to "come down"
from the feelings of the drug. This cycle
of amphet-barbit which often follows
their continued use represents a life style
of the synthetic abuser. Harmful
emotional results may or may not occur
from these constant state-of-mind
changes. Physically, however, the body
does suffer, and damage is almost certain,
whether it be a badly overworked heart
or sudden death.
Synthetic drug use and abuse cannot
be separated easily from the fabric of
today's society and especially the main
abuses of tobacco and alcohol. Butyouth's
repeated exposure to a drug-culture,
pill-popping in their homes, social
demands by their peers in group
situations — these factors give light on
the youthful drug scene today. But the
abuse cannot be halted overnight nor
understood in a day or by reading this
column. It's only a beginning.
Perhaps second only to
“speed" or LSD in common abuse
around Charlotte is “pot" '*or
marijuana. Next week’s article will
focus on marijuana.
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