According to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in Washington, DC, the percentage of 18 to 25 -year-olds who have used nitrous oxide increased from 6.6% in 1997 to 7.9% in 1998. Join Together Online

Inhalant Abuse prevention -- What inhalant abuse is, dangers and warning signs.

The painkiller OxyContin is now the #1 analgesic prescribed in the US

Originally, the term Synthetic Drugs was used for dried plants used as pharmaceuticals. Today the term also refers to herbal or synthetic substances acting on the central nervous system. This includes pharmaceuticals, tobacco, alcohol, controlled substances and designer drugs. Natural drugs are active ingredients of plants and other living systems, isolated by extraction (morphine). Semi-synthetic drugs from natural sources undergo a chemical process (heroin, LSD). Synthetic drugs are artificially produced substances manufactured from chemical compounds in laboratories (amphetamine, benzodiazepines). In Designer drugs the molecular structure is modified. Once designer drugs are outlawed they are called controlled substances (2 C-l).

An epidemic in our midst: methamphetamine -- Marked by devastated lives, splintered families and debilitated neighborhoods -- does meth reveal itself to be, as national drug policy analyst Mark Kleiman observes, "The real horror drug."

Oklahoma City, No.1 in the nation in per capita meth lab busts. Police scarcely has time to track down major cocaine dealers because it's too busy processing meth lab crime scenes. Across the state, reports of child abuse and neglect are increasing, and "toxic babies" are the latest victims of the meth war. Last year in Tulsa, 52 newborns tested positive for meth.

Methamphetamine madness has taken hold of Colorado, scarring bodies and lives.

Meth invasion -- America's drug of the moment wreaks havoc in the rural West.

The production, trafficking and abuse of methamphetamine in NW Arkansas.

In 1994, Denise tried meth for the first time and soon became addicted.

Before Ecstasy became illegal in 1985 and illicit recreational use bloomed, MDMA was a couch tool for a handful of therapists. Support ers of medical MDMA claimed the drug could help patients more rapidly than years of therapy. Some therapists continued Ecstasy as an underground practice.

GHB Use Increases Among Teens -- The inexpensive, colorless and odorless drug GHB is being used more often by young adults, and some dying from it. Join Together

Ecstasy and GHB are common on Seattle's streets and party scene. Understanding the new drug culture and knowing what's out there are crucial for protecting yourself or your child.

Crack in the Culture -- Boys from a handful of Honduran mountain villages are sneaking across four international borders to Vancouver, BC. dodging police, and robbers.

Cocaine -- The bulk of cocaine comes from Colombia, Bolivia and Peru. Colombian drug syndicates refine 80% of the world»s cocaine. Colombia controls wholesale cocaine distribution through the NE US. Mexico controls the West and Midwest. Nigerian criminal organizations in Africa control Sub-Saharan drug markets. 380 tons of cocaine were seized globally in 1999. 50% occurred in Central and South America and the Caribbean. 40% was seized in North America and 10% was seized in Europe.

Trauma and Stress in Early Life increases Vulnerability to Cocaine Addiction in Adulthood - The trauma a majority of drug addicts suffered in early life has now been shown to increase their vulnerability to drug addiction. "Previous studies show most drug addicts have had early life trauma. ... 1.8 million Americans are currently using cocaine, this information will be valuable in directing future research toward potential interventions for children with early stress experiences in order to reduce the risk of developing drug addiction in adults." Yale

Beaten At The Border -- Tons of cocaine are entering the US from Mexico in semi-trailer trucks every year. Yet Customs failed to make a single bulk cargo seizure at the El Paso ports of entry last year. Why is the United States getting beaten at the border?

Hard core users of heroin and cocaine, are ''disproportionately poor, unemployed and members of minority groups.'' Hard core users are only 1/5th of total users, they consume 3/4ths of the cocaine and heroin and are responsible for pathological behavior. If we could provide treatment to this population, the drug problem, associated illnesses and crimes would diminish.

Heroin use is one of the cases where the good old days really were the good old days. The initial highs felt better than the drug will ever make you feel again.

Heroin -- North America remains an important heroin market in the world. US authorities seized 1478 kg's during 1998. 1999 shows a slight increase. In 1994, 68% arrived from Southeast Asia, 9% from Southwest Asia, 15% from Colombia and 8% from Mexico. 1995 South American heroin accounted for nearly 62% of heroin seized domestically in the US. Asia is seriously affected by heroin traffic and abuse. The heroin consumed in most of the Asian countries is produced in Afghanistan and Myanmar.

Harvard and heroin -- I coasted to an Ivy League degree as a drug addict, but forever damaged the bond between mother and son. Salon

My son, the junkie -- The young man in the back seat is not recognizable as our son. He is skinny, with a shaved head. His fingernails are dirty and cracked. He sweats profusely, even in cool weather. His clothes are stained, torn at the seams, missing buttons. He shuffles in his untied shoes. He doesn't use his hands to punctuate conversation, the way he used to. He holds them together in his lap to stop their shaking. He still carries around "Crime and Punishment," his favorite book, but he tells us he has trouble concentrating. When he speaks, his words slur, his voice trails off before the ends of sentences. He looks like someone who is dying. Salon

Heroin is the fatal drug of choice in Seattle --It has killed hundreds of people from all walks of life over the past 3 years. A new generation is getting hooked due to low prices and high purity levels. It's an epidemic that has reached the middle class.

Papaver somniferum -- The genus is named from the Greek noun for a poppy, the species from the Latin word meaning 'sleep inducing'. Linnaeus, the father of botany, first classified in his book Genera Plantarum in 1753. Like generations before him, he was aware of its capabilities. Some horticulturists consider it evolved naturally, but others who claim it is developed by century upon century of careful human cultivation. Another theory is it is a naturally mutated plant which evolved because of a quirk of climate or altitude. Plants do take on atypical forms, such as the cannabis trees of Bhutan.

Kari & Associates
PO Box 7372
Olympia, WA 98507

Copyright Kari Sable Burns 1994-2006