Methadone causes concern for community
On May 12th, 2014, parents and law enforcement officials gathered at the local school board meeting to express their frustrations over drug abuse in our local schools. Many of us consider drug abuse to be an activity for teenagers and young adults historically. Now we are faced with a new reality – drugs are abused by children in our community in their pre-teen years.
Most concerning is the ease of access young people have to these drugs. In the past year, I and providers have resuscitated or monitored patients – 11 through 14 year old children – who have overdosed on methadone especially. It is not clear if these young abusers even understand the difference between this drug and methamphetamines. It is clear that these children clearly do not understand the effects of overdose with either of these.
Methamphetamines – a.k.a. meth, bennies, black beauties, crosses and hearts – cause the feelings of exhilaration, rapid heart rate, agitation, anxiety and panic. Overdose or chronic use causes cardiovascular complications, stroke, seizures and addiction.
Methadone is an opioid or narcotic. Its effects include brief euphoria, impaired coordination, sedation (sleepiness or unconsciousness) and respiratory arrest. This means absence of breathing. The child turns blue, and if no one rescues the child, they die.
Neither drug requires chronic use for its most detrimental effects to harm or kill our children. These effects can occur even with one overdose.
The parents at the May 12 school board meeting expressed a desire for their children to be rid of all drugs of abuse. They have asked the community, law enforcement, school teachers and school administration for their help. Additional human resources – volunteers – are needed to shape an environment where sellers and traders of drugs of abuse are thwarted. If you see yourself as being part of an emerging solution to this problem in our community, please contact Charles at CharlesandDeena@yahoo.com. Only in this way can we rescue our children from those who seek only to make money from their suffering.
Dr. Roger Pafford,
Mineral Community Hospital/Mineral Regional Health Center