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Show that are meant to unstop Speeding Along Today's Fast Track message "speed kills" The never to have taken in some college towns. When these powerful amphetamines are mentioned in many student circles, they're usually dismissed as dangerous relics from bygone druggie days. But in Austin, Texas, for example, home of the flagship campus of the University of Texas, police say that street sales of crystal methamphet-amin- e a.k.a. crank, go and meth run neck and neck with the No. 1 seller, cocaine. And it appears that the buyers are not just street people but UT students. (All names of students in this story have been changed.) Crank, recalls John Stewart, a grad student former adand to write. "made easier it dict, The words really flowed." Senior Bill Thomas regards speed as "a great study aid ... I always think of it as a utilitarian drug." Many of today's "frequent fliers" insist they use the drug only to achieve, and indeed, fit often don't they d the stereotype of speed users. Thomas, for instance, is majoring in economics; Stewart earned admission to Phi Beta Kappa and is a former teaching assistant. Since such users claim to make speed "runs" more for academics than fun, they usually don't concede they have a drug problem. And they can be found at campuses across the nation, although schools in the Southwest seem to be the center of crank usage. (Texas accounted for more than a third of illicit speed labs discovered by the Drug Enforcement Administration last year.) "I don't like to party, and I don't speed up for recreation," says Peter, a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, who is now in law school. Even though he regularly buys crank so he can stay self-describ- awake for cram sessions, Peter claims he is no abuser: "I'm not out there on Friday night ' snorting lines . . . It's a study thing for me." Many who would never dream of using crank to get through even the hairiest prefinals night turn to legal stimulants. There's a vast difference, of course, between speed and such pills as NoDoz and Vivarin, which consist largely of caffeine. (Every 100 mg in tablet form packs about the same punch as one cup of coffee.) Doses of these drugs are likely to keep one awake, and any side effects from overuse, which can include nausea, vomiting and irregular heartbeat, are usually temporary. Most consumers consider the pills basically harmless, but some use them as a crutch. Sally Arnold, a sophomore studying economics at Oklahoma State, pops Vivarin every morning to keep up with a schedule that includes Club, church activities and maintaining a 3.7 over-the-count- er 4-- H - GPA. Says Arnold: "I don't consider myself a person who would do drugs. It's just to get through school." Speed gets a wider berth. Tighter federal regulation has drastically limited the amount of genuine prescription uppers available, such as black (Biphetamine) or yellow mollies (Ionamin) or methamphet-amin- e white crosses (Desox-ynOnce they were available from assorted diet doctors or "Dr. Feelgoods"; now legitimate use is largely limited to treatment of narcolepsy, the sleeping disease, and hyperactivity in children.1 e drugs, illegal tablets or capsules that closely resemble prescription amphetamines, are also available. However, they usually contain caffeine and other substances, never the real thing. These days Easy cooking: speed usually means crank. Churned out in crude labs using industrial and household chemicals, the stuff is often highly impure, sometimes including corrosive products ). So-call- look-alik- drains. Crank can be a powdery white substance or- a moist pink or brown paste. Producing it is relatively simple. "I knew a chemical engineering major who made it in his kitchen," says Evan, a UT graduate who has amassed a collection of amphetamine "recipes" photocopied from chemistry texts in the university libraries. He's not alone; last year DEA agents shut down a record 375 illicit speed labs nationwide. Crank prices in the Southwest generally run $80 to $100 for a gram and around $25 for a quarter gram. Both crank and legitimate amphetamines work by stimulating alpha and beta receptors in the brain, exciting the responsbody's es. The drugs spur respiration and heart rates, making the user feel more alert. After the rush wears off, however, the side effects can be nasty. They range from diarrhea, rashes and insomnia to potentially fatal heart attacks. Addiction both physical and psychological can set in. Most people who use crank may also suffer temporary disorientation and paranoia. Not everyone gets into deep fight-or-flig- ht frizz-braine- 8 NEWSWEEK ON CAMPUS CiRKATER AUSTIN AREA ORGANIZED CRIME UNIT Busted: Austin lab after police seized 33 gallons of ingredients worth about $12 million OCTOBER 1987 |