"cheese" drug

[Sheila]

This may be old news to some, but a relatively new drug called "cheese" has cause +/-25 deaths in Texas within the last year.

It's " a mixture of heroin and diphenhydramine, which is often found in over-the-counter cold medicine or sleeping pills."

 

[Ephchap]

Sheesh. They just think of everything, don't they? Ughhhh.
Thanks for the heads up, Sheila.

Hugs,
Deb

 

[DFrances]

A cheap, ($2 a hit) highly addictive drug known as "cheese heroin" has killed 21 teenagers in the Dallas area over the past two years, and authorities say they are hoping they can stop the fad before it spreads across the nation. "Cheese heroin" is a blend of so-called black tar Mexican heroin and crushed over-the-counter medications that contain the antihistamine diphenhydramine, found in products such as Tylenol PM. Trying to keep the drug from spreading to other cities, the DEA is working with Dallas officials to raise public awareness about the problem. Authorities also are trying to identify the traffickers. The ease of communication via the Internet and cell phones allows a drug trend to spread rapidly across the country.

"Cheese" is not only dangerous. It's cheap. About $2 for a single hit and as little as $10 per gram. The drug can be snorted with a straw or through a ballpoint pen. Authorities aren't exactly sure how the drug got its name "cheese." It's most likely because the ground-up, tan substance looks like Parmesan cheese. The other theory is it's shorthand for the Spanish word "chiva," which is street slang for heroin. By using the name "cheese," drug dealers are marketing the low-grade heroin to a younger crowd -- many of them middle schoolers -- unaware of its potential dangers.