Show IV H B M H 1 Drugs end lives of Utah teenagers Kathryn Jones Globe obe Weekly y News A He He received straight As A's at Valley High School Held a time full-time job was as a good kid No one saw any signs sign of drug even his parents parents parents par par- according to The Salt Lake Tribune He died near midnight on March 10 2005 following an overdose overdose overdose over over- dose of heroin and cocaine Zachary Martinez was 18 She had just graduated from Bingham High School A good student student student stu stu- stu- stu dent who in math she she planned on continuing her education education in the fall On June 27 2005 only three months and 17 days following the death of Martinez she was found dead in Bountiful Canyon from an overdose of heroine and cocaine Amelia was also 18 Used to be only junkies got the short end of the stick or should we say needle but no more Increasingly teenagers and 20 are getting into heroin heroin- and it is killing them said The Salt Lake Tribune quoting Utah narcotics officers The National Drug Intelligence Center in Johnstown Pennsylvania suggests that about 27 percent of high school students surveyed in Utah reported lifetime heroin abuse compared with 31 percent of high school students in the United S States tates agut a theUS the US U.S. And ac Drug Drug Enforcement Administration DEA about 10 percent of Americans over the age of 12 have tried cocaine at least once in a lifetime The combination combination combination combi combi- nation of cocaine and heroin together er is becoming even more popular creating an estimated deaths by illicit drug overdoses per year Cocaine is a stimulant Heroin a depressant Working together the By taking drugs people often think they can be the person person person per per- son they want to be The problem It isn't rea real I drugs produce a surge of pleasurable pleasurable pleasurable able sensations accompanied by warm flushing of the skin dry mouth and a heavy feeling in the users user's arms and legs What time first-time users may not think about when they are shooting heroin is that their body has not yet built up a tolerance to drug This tolerance can belos l St n if they are only away from the drug for a short time Once the tolerance level is reached however the user must then receive higher doses to get high Very quickly a casual user becomes drug dependant And this includes the churchgoers ers returned missionaries and kids who have never touched alcohol or marijuana in their life No race religion or class is spared said Lt Mike Forshee of the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force as quoted in The Salt Lake Tribune Everybody rich poor middle class Its It's taken them all The reason for the increase may be just as startling as the deaths that are affected by what some call this combining combining combining com com- bining of cocaine and heroin heroin- or Perhaps the journey starts with prescription medicine such as a a painkiller which is merely a synthetic form of heroin a prescription that eventually leads the user to heroin police say According to The Salt Lake Tribune the person can either steal their parents' parents prescriptions buy from kids at school who stole it from their parents or purchase it on the street at a cost of about 1 per mil mil- Perhaps going to a party with friends and enjoying feeling good or wanting to escape life or relax seems Drugs Continue d Page 5 I Percent of Utah Students Grades 7 7 12 12 Who Used Various Substances s During Past 30 Days 30 25 5 15 la 10 5 J O i 1984 1989 1939 1994 1997 2003 4 M M Come 4 Co ne I 1 The he National Household Survey en Drug Use and Health measured the reported past month mouth use of an any illicit drug in iu the time periods period of 1999 2000 and 2000 L The following shows how hew Utah ranked compared to tc other states Age 17 12 In both time periods Utah was tanked Un n number l' l one one with the lowest rate of use Age Ae 15 18 Again Utah was wa So number one in both time periods Age 26 or Older Olden Utah moved from number 1 18 S Sin 2000 1999 in to fifth in 2000 2000 2001 2001 from number nine in 1999 Total ed Utah moved n o of o 2000 to tc fifth in 2000 0 f i l t u il i. i i. 1 r L U s. s C x o. o j 0 i L. L f Drugs Continued from front innocent and simple enough especially if the experimenter thinks they are going to use one time time and and one time only People do drugs to change the way they feel says free- free Often they want to change their situation I If f they're depressed they want to become happy If they are stressed or nervous they want to taking drugs people often think they can bethe be bethe bethe the person they want to be The problem It isn't real Then again maybe the user is bored with life or wants tofit to tofit tofit fit in Or perhaps the problem stems from the fact that they haven't been properly educated educated educated edu edu- about drugs There are parents who have never seen narcotics they narcotics they have no idea what they look like When teens are introduced introduced introduced intro intro- to drugs they have no idea what to look for These drugs come by way of heroin distributors from Mexico who transport them in private and rental vehicles including commercial trucks to wherever er they see a niche Evidently drugs can be found anywhere from anywhere from storage units to personal vehicles extending from West Valley City to Midvale Its It's too bad drugs make it even this far but for year 19 old Jasen Calacino and 18 18 year old MaCall Petersen who live to tell the tale of their friends friend's death perhaps their eyes are a little less less less- closed |