Club drugs are beginning to become a part of life for teens in Hawai’i, and parents who want to make sure their kids “just say no” were invited to a school-sponsored presentation that demystified commonly abused drugs and their associated
Club drugs are beginning to become a part of life for teens in Hawai’i, and parents who want to make sure their kids “just say no” were invited to a school-sponsored presentation that demystified commonly abused drugs and their associated paraphernalia.
The 37 parents and 24 students who attended the Kapa’a Middle School’s Parent-Community Networking Center workshop Friday were shown examples of ice (methamphetamine); 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine/MDMA (ecstasy); Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate/ GHB (“G,” “liquid x,” “grievous bodily harm”); and Rohypnol (“roofies”), among others.
Ed Howard, supervising investigator, Special Investigations Branch, State of Hawaii Department of Public Safety Narcotics Enforcement Division, allowed parents and their kids to see close-up what to look out for.
He also had an important message for students regarding drug use: “One wrong decision is going to ruin your life.”
Howard considers ecstasy the number-one threat to local youth. According to Howard, it is the first drug whose users are isolated in age: most, if not all, are 13-24. Ecstasy is gaining popularity with Hawai’i youth, who are naturally looking for peer acceptance, growing away from their parents and trying to build their self-esteem.
Drug enforcement trends, according to Howard, show that drugs reach Hawai’i’s shores two to seven years after they appear on the mainland, but ecstasy became a problem at about the same time as other states.
Howard said ecstasy is considered by teens to be a safe alternative to drinking or smoking marijuana or doing other drugs; and its effects last for three to six hours. This drug is dangerous because its effects seem to be positive, fun and safe, he said.
“A lot of parents didn’t realize what kids are actually doing,” said Laurie Planas, Kapa’a Middle School Parent-Community Networking Center facilitator.
Planas said she heard that one child asked her father after the workshop why Kapa’a High School doesn’t have school dances, adding that she and her friends go to rave parties in “the hills.” He said his daughter promised she wasn’t doing drugs and just wanted to enjoy the music, Planas continued.
“Are there outlets for kids to enjoy music safely where a parent also feels that their child is safe and will not fall victim to a drug dealer?” Planas wondered.
The 2000 Hawaii Student Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Use Study sponsored by the State Department of Health’s Alcohol and Drug Use Division and the University of Hawai’i found that youth drug use in Hawai’i is decreasing or stabilizing, except in the case of ecstasy.
A total of 25,860 Hawaii students from 198 public schools and 39 private schools, grades 6, 8, 10 and 12, participated in the study.
Some five percent of 10th graders and eight percent of 12th graders reported using ecstasy at least once, compared with four percent of 10th graders and five percent of 12th graders in 1998.
Also in 2000, three percent of 10th graders and four percent of 12th grade students said they used ecstasy at least once a month. In 1998 two percent of 10th graders and nearly two percent of 12th graders said they used ecstasy once a month.
Ecstasy that reaches Hawai’i is imported from Europe, Canada or the Mainland, according to information supplied at the meeting. Supply-and-demand directs crime units (“traditional” like the Mexican Mafia or other gangs, or “nontraditional,” where a group of friends tries to make money) to target Hawai’i because they can be sure to double or triple their normal profit. Ecstasy, also known as “caffeine pills,” is sold under dozens of street names that reflect logos or designs on the tablets.
“How are you going to argue the point that this (drug) is not a good thing to do?” Howard asked parents. Most parents are “beating their heads against the walls” trying to tell their kids that ecstasy is dangerous, he added.
The drug MDMA is considered a party drug, and “there’s not a lot of violent activity going on with it,” Howard said. Instead of alcohol, users try to prevent dehydration by drinking water and juice. They don’t normally have sex, especially in a rave (all-night dance party) environment, said Howard. They perform “light dances” where they massage and dance for each other with glowsticks: handheld, pen-shaped lights most often used at Halloween.
When kids use ecstasy, it makes them feel loved and accepted by a community of friends who are seeking the same feelings of “PLUR,” an acronym for a raver mantra of peace, love, unity and respect.
However, MDMA has recently been shown to cause brain damage that lasts for years, according to a brain-imaging study sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Serotonin, the brain chemical that controls and creates pleasure levels and memory function, is “zapped” while a person is using MDMA. Prolonged use of ecstasy can lower the overall amount of serotonin, according to the NIDA. This can cause mood swings, memory loss and short attention span directly related to the amount of MDMA use.
Also, taking more than one tablet of ecstasy (“stacking”), can give a high for hours and hours, leading to dehydration, elevated body temperature, sometimes up to 104 and exhaustion. MDMA causes increased sensory perceptions, especially touch; dilated pupils, nausea, chills, sweating and involuntary teeth clenching.
Possession of one-quarter to half of a pill of ecstasy is a felony punishable by five years imprisonment. Distribution is also a felony and carries a 10-20 year prison sentence.
“Date-rape drugs,” Rohypnol and GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate), are not as large of a threat in Hawai’i as ecstasy, Howard said. Kaua’i police could not comment on whether date-rape drugs could have been a factor in the alleged sexual assault of a young woman at a North Shore party earlier this month.
Usually, date-rape drugs are mixed into alcoholic drinks and given to unsuspecting girls by assailants who plan out their sex assaults and rapes. The pills dissolve almost instantly in liquid and have no taste or smell.
Those who ingest the drug experience memory distortion or memory loss after it causes them to pass out or become incapacitated for four to six hours, making it troublesome for a rape victim to remember details of the assault or her assailant.
The DEA can’t estimate the number of date rape drug-facilitated rapes that have occurred in the United States. In many cases, by the time blood or urine samples are taken – if the assault is even reported – the chemicals have already passed, the DEA stated on its Web site.
Rohypnol, a drug also called “roofies,” is illegal in the United States, but is used in over 50 foreign countries as an insomnia aid and pre-anesthetic; it is rated a schedule IV drug. Schedule I is reserved for the most dangerous drugs that have no recognized medical use, while Schedule V is the classification used for the least dangerous drugs.
Rohypnol is particularly dangerous because it is 7-10 times more potent than Valium, it begins working just 20 minutes after ingestion and causes partial amnesia. People who ingest Rohypnol are unable to remember events they experience while under its effects, which last about six hours.
Another drug, GHB, was originally marketed for sleeping disorders. Bodybuilders who used it as a supplement discovered its dangerous side effects, and it is now listed as a Schedule I drug. It is also used to immobilize women for purposes of sexual assault. It causes drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, unconsciousness, seizures and severe respiratory depression, according to the DEA.
Staff Writer Kendyce Manguchei can be reached at kmanguchei@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 252).
