Over-the-counter drug abuse worries law enforcement
By TIMOTHY MITCHELL Staff Reporter
Parents, be aware.
Bitterroot Valley law enforcement agencies are concerned about reports of over-the-counter drug abuse by teen-agers. They are specifically concerned about cough and cold medicines, Coricidin and Dextromethorphan, known as DXM. It is also found in Robitussin products, in a reduced concentration.
In an effort to protect teens , Hamilton police have sent a letter to local pharmacies asking them to move Coricidin from the shelves and put it behind the counter.
At least three pharmacies have honored the request and moved the drug behind the counter or closer to the check-out area to deter young people from acquiring the medicine.
Albertson's put all Coricidin products behind the counter.
Wayne Hedman, owner of Bitterroot Drug in downtown Hamilton, said, "We just pulled them off the shelf and put them behind the counter."
He has also called a poison control center and confirmed the dangers of these drugs.
Ravalli County drug detective Jase Basnaw said the county will soon be sending letters to pharmacies throughout Ravalli County.
On Tuesday, for the first time in his drug talks to the students, Basnaw said he has incorporated the dangers of Coricidin and DXM into his discussion.
"If we see a large amount of Coricidin or Robitussin from a juvenile we will confiscate that box. We can't risk that child will overdose, we are trying to prevent it," Hamilton police office Steve Shook said.
The next step, according to both officers, Shook and Basnaw, involves informing the parents that Coricidin is being used by teens and the dangers of abusing these drugs.
"We have a duty to protect," Shook said.
Basnaw added, "And we know what the hazard of these drugs is. We want to see that no one dies. The problem is Coricidin and DXM are perfectly legal drugs, that's our struggle."
The message both officers had for parents was to "be aware and get involved."
"Parents need to realize they have a right to go through their teen's rooms," Basnaw said. "Maybe they don't want to believe their kids are experimenting with drugs, but the disbelief they don't want is the disbelief that occurs when they have to go through the grieving process."
"Parents need to understand they are responsible, under the law, to ensure their kids' safety," Shook said.
The adverse effects of these drugs are widespread and varied, according to a variety of sources, and include confusion, impaired judgment and mental performance, blurred vision, slurred speech, loss of coordination, irregular heartbeat, involuntary muscle movement and a host of other serious and life-threatening conditions.
According to the Coricidin manufacturer Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals of Kenilworth, N.J., Coricidin is safe when used as directed.
In the near future Ravalli County Sheriff's officers and Hamilton police officers are planning to hold a public forum to talk not only about the use of Coricidin and DMX but also drug abuse in general.
Both officers said they are available for questions and willing to give talks.
"We are only a phone call away," Shook said.
The Ravalli County Sheriff's Office and Hamilton Police Department confirm at least one case in which Coricidin is believed to have been the contributing factor in a juvenile case that involved a "psychotic state" and was dangerous to the individual as well as others.
The precise drugs are those labeled with "HBP," meaning high blood pressure medicines, or ones identified as "maximum strength."
DXM in some level can be found in at least 90 different over-the-counter remedies, officials say.
These drugs have led to deaths in at least seven states from Florida to Oregon, according to several Web sites.
One site, that advocates the use of drugs, even has a "special warning" for would-be takers.
"One product which has caused problems for many people is Coricidin cough and cold which contain DXM and Chlorpheniramine Maleate," the warning said. Chlorpheniramine Maleate is one of the active ingredients in Coricidin.
From the same site, a user wrote about his harrowing experience he went through while on Coricidin.
"I was experiencing hell, passing out every two to three minutes and an icy hand reaching into my chest, ripping out my soul," he wrote.
According to an article posted on www.coricidin.org, a Web site that cautions teens about the dangers of this drug, a coroner from Ohio, where two deaths have occurred, had a dire warning:
"The users decrease their respiration and blood pressure and will stop breathing for long enough periods of time that brain damage or death will ensue," the coroner said.
Reporter Timothy Mitchell can be reached at 363-3300 or tmitchell@ravallirepublic.com
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