NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

counselors reported growing problems related to
methamphetamine abuse by students.
Methamphetamine prices were as low as $70 per
gram, $600 per ounce, and $6,000 per pound (exhibit
3). “Glass,” or “ice,” the high-purity form that is
smoked, typically costs twice as much.
Methamphetamine remained a major focus of law
enforcement at all levels. There were 193 clandestine,
makeshift methamphetamine labs dismantled with the
assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration
in Minnesota in fiscal year (FY) 2004, compared with
319 in FY 2003. Seizures of methamphetamine by
law enforcement continued upward trends and accounted
for 61 percent of the total samples reported
to NFLIS from October 2003 through September
2004 (exhibit 4).
Abuse of 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA), known as “ecstasy,” “X,” or “e,” contributed
to the deaths of four young males in Hennepin
County in 2004. In 2004, the preliminary unweighted
DAWN data show that 87 ED reports were for
MDMA (exhibit 1).
MDMA use declined markedly among metropolitanarea
students in 2004, according to the Minnesota
Student Survey. Past-year MDMA use was reported
by 4.5 percent of high school seniors in 2004, compared
with 9.1 percent in 2001 (exhibit 5).
Khat, a plant with stimulant effects that is chewed or
brewed in tea in East Africa and Middle Eastern cultures,
remained a drug of abuse within the Somali
communities of the Twin Cities and Rochester, Minnesota.
Its active ingredients, cathinone and catheine,
are controlled substances in the United States.
Methylphenidate (Ritalin), a prescription drug used in
the treatment of attention deficit hyperactive disorder,
is also used nonmedically as a drug of abuse to increase
alertness and concentration and to suppress
appetite. The pills, sometimes known as “hyper
pills,” or “homework pills,” are crushed and snorted
or ingested orally. They sold for $5 per pill or were
simply shared with fellow students.
Hallucinogens
Salvia Divinorum, a sage plant that is also known as
diviner’s sage, can be smoked, chewed, or brewed in
tea. Some high school students consume it at school
by placing the leaves in their lunchtime beverages. Its
abuse was reported at the University of Minnesota
and some metropolitan area high schools in 2004.
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—Minneapolis/St. Paul
Effects include intense but very short-lived hallucinations
and out-of-body experiences.
Over-the-counter cough and cold products that contain
dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant, continued
to be used as drugs of abuse by ingesting doses
many times in excess of the recommended amount.
Dextromethorphan (also known as “DXM”) is the
active ingredient in Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold
(known as “Triple Cs”) and Robitussin. Excessive
dosages produce long-acting hallucinations, altered
time perception, slurred speech, profuse sweating,
uncoordinated movements, and high blood pressure.
Being under the influence of these products is known
as “Robo-tripping” or “Skittle-ing.”
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD or “acid”) is a
strong, synthetically produced hallucinogen, typically
sold as saturated, tiny pieces of paper known as
“blotter acid,” for $5–$10 per dosage unit. In the unweighted
data accessed from DAWN Live!, there
were 19 hospital ED reports involving LSD in 2004
(exhibit 1). An additional 53 involved “miscellaneous
hallucinogens.”
Ketamine, also known as “Special K,” is a veterinary
anesthetic that first appeared as a drug of abuse
among young people in Minnesota in 1997; it rarely
appears in ED data. There were three ED reports of
ketamine in the 2004 unweighted data. It is snorted,
injected, or put into capsules or pills.
PCP, a dissociative anesthetic, is most often used in
combination with marijuana, but it can also be injected
or snorted. In the 2004 unweighted data, there
were 17 ED reports involving PCP at area hospital
emergency departments.
Sedative/Hypnotics
Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), known as "G,”
“Liquid E,” or “Liquid X,” is a concentrated liquid
abused for its stupor-like, depressant effects and as a
predatory knock-out, drug-facilitated rape drug. It
sells for $10 by the capful. GHB hospital ED episodes
declined significantly in recent years. There
were 18 in 2004 (exhibit 1).
According to hospital ED data, 463 reports in 2004
involved benzodiazepines, and 83 involved muscle
relaxants.
Other Drugs
Alcohol remained the most widely used moodaltering
substance. For the first time, DAWN Live!
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