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The Chicago Fentanyl Ring

Around June of 2006, law enforcement officials busted a drug ring operating out of Chicago that they suspected was responsible for the distribution of fentanyl that's thought to have caused 70 overdose-related deaths in the Chicago area and at least 200 others across the eastern half of the country, from St. Louis to Camden, N.J.   Arrests were also made concerning a ring in Philadelphia.  Corpses are lining up like cordwood in city morgues, and at this juncture, police are still trying to determine the original source.  Some feel it might be coming from Mexico, although no one is certain at this point.

First responders say that drug users who overdose on Fentanyl will often be found on all fours, or in a position that indicates they were trying to catch their breath.  The problem is that as heroin goes down the dealer "food chain," each dealer adds a "cut" of Fentanyl, so by the time it gets to the end user, it's an overdose waiting to happen.

Say "Cheese!" 

 

About ten years ago, in Plano, Texas, they had a real problem with black tar heroin which became nicknamed locally as "Chiva." There were numerous fatal overdoses, and it took a huge community mobilization to normalize things. Basically the dealers were experimenting with anything they could add to a small amount of black tar heroin that would have a complimentary effect, remove or attenuate a lot of the side-effects, and also make it ingestible by methods other than injection. What resulted was a whole lot of permutations of the original formula, all of which could be snorted, and all of which were extremely inexpensive. ($ 2.00 per dose)

The new incarnation of this mix is called cheese."  Cheese is a tan powder made mostly from acetaminophen and diphenhydramine HCL-the ingredients in Tylenol P.M. and then a little heroin is mixed in. The drugs are crushed together, and typically folded into notebook paper.  A quarter gram usually sells for about $5.00, and a single hit sells for about $2.00. (U.S.)

This mixture has emerged and is primarily concentrated in Texas (Dallas County in particular) and has been confiscated at eleven different middle and high schools within that state.  Yes, you read that right - middle schools and high schools.  The "chain of command" typically starts with a Mexican heroin dealer, who supplies the actual heroin to younger Hispanics, who in turn make the heroin/Tylenol mix and sell it at school - a rather easy and accessible market.

Several factors make this a real problem, and most of those problems are "regional" in nature. First, in border states, the parents of the kids getting into trouble with this drug often have a language barrier between them and school officials. Secondly, many of the families are reluctant to speak to authorities for fear of deportation if their status in the U.S is less than rock solid.  The other problem with this drug is that when there is an overdose, the acetaminophen usually metabolizes out of the victims' bodies quicker than the rest of the ingredients. Therefore, the medical report can't always confirm that "cheese" was the form of the heroin taken. Overdose figures are also rarely shared between and among jurisdictions in Texas as we understand, so even quantification is difficult.

There's no question, the cheese problem seems contained within the Dallas County area. But since January 2005, there have been 22 fatal drug overdoses. Of those, 18 were heroin-related, and 17 of those 18 victims also had diphenhydramine in their system - a key ingredient of Tylenol PM and other over-the-counter night time cold medicines commonly used to make "cheese."  Many think the figures might even be higher.

The bottom-line? It's unlikely that the "cheese" problem is going to take on national or international proportions.   However, to us, it's an indicator that with so many drugs out there, (both legal and illicit) there's a whole lot of room for experimentation.  Stay tuned.

 

Some Of The Wonderful Effects Of Heroin Use

The short-term effects of heroin abuse appear soon after a single dose and disappear in a few hours. After an injection of heroin, there is a surge of euphoria ("rush") accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin and heavy extremities.

Following this initial euphoria, most users (not all) go "on the nod," an alternately wakeful and drowsy state. Mental functioning becomes clouded due to the depression of the central nervous system. Long-term effects of heroin appear after repeated use for some period of time. Chronic users may develop collapsed veins, infection of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, cellulitis (inflammation of skin cells) and liver disease. Pulmonary (lung) complications, including various types of pneumonia, may result from the poor health condition of the abuser, as well as from heroin’s depressing effects on respiration.

Heroin abuse during pregnancy and its many associated environmental factors (e.g., lack of prenatal care) have been associated with adverse consequences including low birth weight, an important risk factor for later developmental delay.

As stated, in addition to the effects of the drug itself, street heroin may have additives that do not readily dissolve and result in clogging the blood vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys, or brain. This can cause infection or even death of small patches of cells in vital organs.  For the year 2002, heroin and morphine were among the four most frequently mentioned drugs reported in drug-related death cases.

The "Ritual" Of The Needle

Almost all addictions involve a "ritual" that accompanies it.  For the gambler, that might be a lucky slot machine, while for the alcoholic, it might be a certain type of glass, or a favorite barstool.  And the heroin addict who's injecting is no different and part of their ritual is the close relationship they develop with the needle itself.  Addicts describe a feeling of "oneness" with the needle, and how they would actually caress the needle.  Most never forget their first time using the needle, much the same as someone would describe a first kiss, or a first love.  This intense personal connection and "oneness" with the needle, which some addicts describe as a love affair, may be a factor in the high relapse rate among recovering addicts.  Most of them actually grieve the loss of their "friend."

Many believe this is a component of the larger phenomenon called "extreme" memory, where the drug had lodged itself in that area of the brain that stores survival mechanisms.  So despite the negative or devastating consequences the drug may have produced, at least one area of the user's brain still sees it as a positive.