WLFI :: by Erin Coduti and Ava Wilhite:: May 26th, 2010

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) – It appears that a growing number of people between the ages of 15 and 30 are using Spice, but few are admitting to it.

Spice, and the related cannabinoid substance known as K2, can be found at gas stations or tobacco stores legally as incense. Warning labels state that K2 is not intended for human consumption but emergency room doctors said some people are ignoring that warning.

Jill Grant is an emergency room physician at St. Elizabeth Central. She said she has seen an increase in the number of Spice-related cases.

“In the last couple of weeks I’ve probably seen a half-dozen patients with symptoms that could potentially be related to them,” said Grant.

Dr. Grant said people ignore the warning because they are looking for a legal high.

“A lot of people are looking for the highs they would get with marijuana. Sometimes a legal high can provide users with relaxation from it. Sometimes they can have relief from pain. So they will ignore warnings because they are looking for the euphoric feelings that they get as a result of using,” said Grant.

She said the patients that come all complain of similar symptoms.

“Typically people will come in tachycardia, which is an elevated heart rate. They will come in and they are sweaty. Their blood pressure will be higher. I’ve actually had patients that are hallucinating. I’ve had individuals who have had seizures are a result as well,” said Grant. Long-term use can cause permanent harm to the body.

“If you end up having damage to your heart because your heart goes out of rhythm. If it beats too fast it can cause strain on the heart. It can cause seizures. Seizures can cause long-term problems with brain function. You can have a stroke and be paralyzed. It can have long-term detriments to your life. You can even die if you have seizures that are uncontrolled or do not have medical care before that time,” said Grant.

She added emergency physicians rely heavily on people admitting that they ingested Spice so they can give proper medical treatment.

The West Central Indiana Chapter of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) held their 2009 Top Cop Awards Ceremony last Thursday. Each year officers with 20 or more OWI arrests from each department are recognized. This program represents a small token of appreciation from MADD and the Tippecanoe County community. We want to thank all law enforcement officers and departments for making Tippecanoe County roads and highways safer by arresting and removing impaired drivers.

Indiana State Police: Trooper Brandon Titus with 35 OWI’s and Trooper Kent Wainscott with 29 OWI’s.

Tippecanoe County Sheriffs Department: Deputy Matthew S. Couch with 34, Deputy Robert Hainje with 28 and Deputy Christopher M. Boesch with 22 OWI’s.

Lafayette Police Department: Officer Adam Joseph Mellady with 36, Officer Grant Rolland Snyder with 29 and Officer Charlie A. Williams with 25 OWI’s.

West Lafayette Police Department: Officer Daniel Robert Phillips with 38, Officer James Matthew Spray with 25 and Officer David Stafford Smith with 22 OWI’s.

Purdue University Police Department: Officer Song Y Kang with 29 OWI’s.
This year we had a 12% degrese in our OWI’s. In 2008 Tippecanoe County had 1,109 OWI’s and in 2009 we had 979. Thank you again to our Tippecanoe County law enforcement!

Sophia Voravong • May 24, 2010 • Journal and Courier

Plans by the White House to focus its new drug control policy on curbing prescription drug abuse hits close to home for Lafayette high schooler Oliver Green, 17.

Following shoulder surgery at 14, he grew dependent on painkillers prescribed to ease recovery. Experimenting eventually landed Green at Tippecanoe County Juvenile Alternatives, a program for young offenders.

“Prescription drugs lead to hard drugs very quickly,” Green said. “They’re becoming just as common as marijuana or alcohol because they’re so easily accessible.

“One thing leads to another — OxyContin leads to heroin, because OxyContin is similar to heroin.”

The spotlight on prescription drug abuse is part of the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy, a five-year plan that was unveiled May 11 by the White House. It’s the first drug plan outlined by President Barack Obama’s administration since Obama took office in 2009.

The following goals have been established for the next five years:

After three years of community outreach and advocacy, the Partnership for a Drug-Free Community coalition succeeded in persuading the Alabama Legislature to make salvia divinorum and K2 illegal. On July 1, the two substances that have marijuana-like effects on those who smoke them will no longer be legal to sell or purchase, thanks to a bill passed by the Alabama Legislature and signed by Gov. Bob Riley.

“We worked so hard to get this passed, and then it was, 24-0 unanimously,” said Deborah Soule, Executive Director of the Partnership for a Drug Free Community in Huntsville, Ala. “Because of the education, because everyone worked together, this all came together. It’s a tale of a community that worked together and passed something.”

The coalition was able to then get officials throughout the state interested in these controversial substances. Soule said her strategy was explaining the research the prevention field has about salvia and K2 to people in the local and state level, even speaking to the Department of Agriculture.

Shop owners that sell the substances email Soule often because they didn’t want to lose business, asking her ‘Why are we doing this?’ The 23-year prevention advocate veteran says while she regrets some could lose money with this ban, Alabama youth are more important.

“We’re just trying to keep our kids healthy,” she said. Both substances have been particularly problematic for teens, Soule said, citing phone calls from parents concerned about the product.

When smoked, salvia provides users with a hallucinogenic high. Legal herbs containing K2 – or synthetic marijuana – will also become illegal under the same bill. K2 is a chemical spray that mimics the effects of THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana. It appeared in the U.S. a year ago and it’s seen as the new “legal” high. The cannabis-like chemicals appear on the Drug Enforcement Administration web site as a “drug and chemical of concern.”

A U.S. scientist created the drug mimicking marijuana in 1995 to help chemo therapy patients get back their appetite, but unlike marijuana, testing in humans has never been done. Since the drug is not federally regulated, it dodges traditional drug tests.

Kansas was the first state to outlaw herbal incense blends like K2 and Alabama is the second. Six other states are close: Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Illinois. Alabama is the 17th state to ban salvia.

The recently passed Alabama legislation means possession of the products will become a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, and selling the products will be a felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison.

Inhalant abuse (commonly called “huffing”) is the intentional inhalation of chemical vapors to attain a mental “high” or euphoric effect. A wide variety of substances, including many common household products, can be abused. The 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse revealed that the primary population of inhalant abusers is the 12 to 17 age group, followed by the 18 to 25 year old population.

Recently MSNBC’s Jeff Rossen took a look at retailers who are continuing to sell chemical products, commonly used to get high, to teens.

To watch the story on the TODAY show click here.

The Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County will be taking a closer look at this relatively new drug trend. We are looking into ways to educate our community on the dangers of inhalants abuse and the misuse of common household products. We will be working with our retailers to educate them on the importance of not selling these products to minors. Currently KMART and CVS Pharmacy have made nationwide policies to not sell these products to minors. We want to encourage all of our retailers to consider making these changes to keep our teens safe and drug free!

Click here to download “Huffing Addiction: Parent’s Guide to Inhalent Prevention” from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America.

Betty Memmer ::  Senior Educator :: Planned Parenthood Lafayette

Teen pregnancy remains a significant problem in Indiana, a report released by the Indiana State Department of Health shows that 45 out of every 1,000 births in the state are to teen mothers.   That’s higher than the national average of 40 per 1,000 births.

In 2006, there was an average of 31 pregnancies that occurred every day to girls between the ages of 10 & 19 in Indiana.

The Guttmacher Institute says nearly half (46%) of all 15–19-year-olds in the United States have had sex at least once and that sexually active teens who do not use contraceptives have a 90 percent chance of becoming pregnant within a year.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reports that 23.5 percent of sexually active high school students in Indiana used drugs or alcohol before their most recent sexual encounter.

The use of drugs and alcohol impairs judgment so that teens might not think to use protection or realize at the time that pregnancy could be a result of their actions.

When it comes to preventing unintended pregnancies and keeping our teens healthy and safe, hiding our heads in the sand is certainly not a sound strategy.  Our young people need education and support from parents, schools, faith-based organizations and other key, trusted adults in the community in providing comprehensive, medically accurate, age-appropriate sexuality education.

It’s important to continue to invest in commonsense policies that achieve a shared goal of truly preventing unintended pregnancies and lowering the teen pregnancy and birthrate. Full funding for comprehensive, age-appropriate sexuality education programs will put our nation on a sustained path of decreased teen birthrates.

The Planned Parenthood website offers information and resources to families to help them talk with their teens about sexuality and the negative impact substance abuse has on sexuality and sexual decision-making.

Riggs Community Health Center, March of Dimes, The Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County and The Tobacco Free Partnership come together to encourage healthy mothers this Mothers Day

Lafayette – May 9, 2010 – Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate moms for who they are and all of the wonderful things they do. It is also a great time for moms to remember the important role they play in keeping their children healthy.

For moms-to-be, using alcohol and tobacco can be detrimental to the health of their baby.

“When you drink alcohol during pregnancy, so does your baby,” said Karah Rawlings, director of the Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County. “Although many women are aware that heavy drinking during pregnancy can cause birth defects, many do not realize that moderate or even light drinking also may harm the fetus.”

In fact, no level of alcohol use during pregnancy has been proven safe. This is because the same amount of alcohol that is in a mother’s blood is also in the baby’s blood. Although a women’s body is able to manage alcohol in the blood, a baby’s little body isn’t.

“Your liver works hard to break down the alcohol in your blood, but your baby’s liver is too small to do the same and alcohol can hurt your baby’s development,” said Julie Barton, Vice President of Clinical Services, from Riggs Community Health Center. “That’s why alcohol is much more harmful to your baby than to you during pregnancy.”

Alcohol can cause babies to have serious health conditions, called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). The most serious of these is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Fetal alcohol syndrome can seriously harm a baby’s development, both mentally and physically.

It is also important to remember that any smoking during pregnancy can expose babies to dangerous chemicals like nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar. These chemicals can lessen the amount of oxygen that the baby receives. Oxygen is essential for healthy growth.

“Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have complications such as ectopic pregnancy, bleeding and stillbirths,” said Barton. “There are also increased risks for premature and low birthweight babies when the mother smokes.”

Babies born prematurely and at low birthweight are at risk of other serious health problems, including lifelong disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation and learning problems, and in some cases, death.  

“Mothers also have the opportunity to protect their children from the harms of secondhand smoke,” said Tristan Kirby, coordinator of the Tobacco Free Partnership of Tippecanoe County.

An estimated 22 million children aged 3 to 11 years are exposed to secondhand smoke every year. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic and more than 60 of which are known to cause cancer.

Babies exposed to secondhand smoke face a higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and a range of other serious health and developmental problems, and exposed older children have increased rates of lower respiratory infections, ear infections, and asthma.

Exposure to cigarette smoke during childhood may lead to the development of cancer during adulthood. It can also prolong and worsen numerous medical conditions, including pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma, ear infections, sinus infections, sore throats, and eye irritation, leading to increased school absenteeism, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations.

“In order to protect your children from secondhand smoke, we encourage you to not let anyone smoke in your home or car,” said Tristan Kirby, coordinator of the Tobacco Free Partnership of Tippecanoe County. “Also, avoid leaving your child with someone who smokes.”

Adults interested in quitting smoking can contact the Indiana Tobacco Quitline, 1-800-QUITNOW or 1-800-784-8669, and get free help. The Indiana Tobacco Quitline also offers callers two-weeks of free nicotine replacement patches or gum, when they enroll in the counseling services.

Riggs Community Health Center works to improve access to quality, cost effective, comprehensive health care with respect and compassion to underserved community members. The Drug-Free Coalition of Tippecanoe County brings together a cross-section of the community in a countywide effort to reduce youth and adult use and the negative impact of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD) through multiple strategies across multiple sectors. The Tobacco Free Partnership of Tippecanoe County works to form community partnerships with individuals and organizations to educate and serve the citizens of Tippecanoe County regarding tobacco use prevention, intervention, and cessation. The March of Dimes’ mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Meranda Watling • Journal and Courier • April 30, 2010

For the class of 2010 at Harrison High School, the mock alcohol-related crash and student deaths that are part of the annual Every 15 Minutes program were anything but an exercise this week.

These classmates know what it’s like to learn a friend or classmate has died because of a drunken driver’s actions. In fact, they’ve felt the loss twice.

Relatives of Kate Baker, who died after being struck by a drunken driver in November 2008, and Claire Hockerman, who along with her younger brother, Nathan, was killed by a drunken driver in 2005, spoke to the Harrison students on Thursday about the consequences of drinking and driving and how it changed their families forever.

Baker and Hockerman would have graduated this year from Harrison.

“You’re young, you figure you have the rest of your life ahead of you, and most of you do,” said Greg Hockerman, Claire’s father, who was driving the family van when it was struck by a vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver. “But none of us is guaranteed a long, happy and prosperous life.”

The annual program is designed to coincide with student proms and encourage students not to drink, and if they do choose to imbibe, not to drive.

Although the name of the program implies that a person dies every 15 minutes in a drunken-driving related crash, the actual rate of alcohol-impaired fatalities is much lower than that, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In 2008, there were 11,773 traffic fatalities in which one or more drivers was legally drunk, or one every 45 minutes. Still, alcohol-impaired fatalities accounted for 32 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in 2008.

Shattered dreams

As part of the program, 20 Harrison seniors were pulled from class on Wednesday by the Grim Reaper. Then police officers came in and told their classmates the student had died in an alcohol-related crash.

Outside the school, a realistic crash scene played out involving a drunken classmate responsible for killing two other classmates.

On Thursday, after hearing from Greg Hockerman and Baker’s older brother, the students were shown video of the events that unfolded Wednesday. Several parents and students in the audience were visibly upset by the images of classmates lying in ditches, on stretches or in caskets.

Keely Korstanje, one of the girls who was pulled from class as a crash victim, said she realized you have a responsibility to make the right choices and that life is too short not to make the most of every second.

“Even though we didn’t really die, it felt like it,” she said. “… It makes you think about a lot of things we take for granted.”

Taylor Caldwell was the teen assigned to play the drunken driver.

But like other students involved in the scenes, he said it was a lot more real to him than some might think.

Not only did he have to answer police questions at the scene, but he was taken to jail, arrested and then sentenced to a dozen years in prison by a judge.

He said as he listened to the judge, he started choking back tears.

“You realize you shattered their dreams and what they could have become,” Caldwell said.

“And me sitting in that jail all those years shatters my dreams as well.”