Teens and drugs: a Spectator report – Hamilton Spectator

A girl is hanging out with friends after school. One of them has stolen a gram of marijuana from an older brother. They pass around a pipe. It is her first time getting high. She is 14.

A 15-year-old walks through the hall at school. He sees a classmate selling cannabis-edibles out of a backpack and a friend making a purchase.

A girl is invited to meet up with friends behind school. Someone lights a joint and passes it to her. She is in Grade 7.

A 17-year-old buys Xanax from a dealer and slips it into her pocket. On the weekend she will take it with a friend at a party. Music and the sound of clinking beer bottles fill the room. Later that night she will overdose.

These are just some of the stories told to The Hamilton Spectator during a month-long investigation into youth drug use.

More than 25 interviews were conducted with young people, including drug users, dealers, counsellors, medical professionals and law enforcement.

The findings show that while youth are using fewer drugs, the drugs on the market are becoming increasingly dangerous. Unsuspecting students can end up with street drugs laced with deadly substances, such as fentanyl. Salt-sized grains can be enough to kill.

When asked how easy it is to buy drugs on a high school campus, 18-year-old student Sam smiles.

“It’s as easy as this,” he says, snapping his fingers. “It would take five minutes.”

It’s a statement echoed by many students.

“It’s really easy (to buy drugs at school),” said a 17-year-old female, sitting with a group of friends outside Jackson Square. “Even if you don’t know anyone, all you have to do is ask. You ask one or two people and they’ll point you in the right direction.”

The Hamilton Spectator has agreed to conceal the identity of certain individuals interviewed for this story, including youth drug users and a 20-year-old drug dealer.

Consumption

“It’s a lot of pot,” said Kristen, a Grade-10 student. “Occasionally you’ll see pills and stuff. With pills it’s mostly Xanax and other prescriptions. A lot of kids are into stuff like that. Sometimes you’ll see cocaine, but not that often.”

Kristen’s account is backed up by the 2015 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) drug-use survey of Ontario students Grades 7 to 12, which offers the most recent data on the topic.

The most popular substances among youth are tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.

The consumption of MDMA — a psychoactive drug — and the non-medical use of prescription pills, while less common, are statistically significant.

Among Grade 12 students, 37 per cent report using pot in the past year.

Across all grades surveyed, that number is 21 per cent. More than 20,000 students report daily marijuana use.

The non-medical use of prescription pills is also prominent, with 12 per cent of students reporting use.

MDMA consumption is on the rise, with roughly 5 per cent of students in grades nine to 12 reporting past year use. The study notes: “The perceived availability of ecstasy also increased between 2013 and 2015, thus suggesting it has become easier to obtain.”

MDMA, also known as ecstasy, is a psychoactive drug which is chemically similar to both stimulants and hallucinogens and is commonly used as a party drug.

More than 12 per cent of students report having been intoxicated at school and 17 per cent say they’ve been offered, sold or given drugs on school grounds. Those figures represent one-in-eight and one-in-six respectively.

More than one-third (36.9 per cent) of secondary students admit to using drugs — excluding alcohol, tobacco and caffeine — in the past 12 months.

According to CAMH, 16.1 per cent of secondary students meet the criteria of having a drug use problem.

That’s one-in-seven, or 114,600, students.

The market

Over the past decade there’s been an increase in new psychoactive substances infiltrating the illicit drug market. They are generally sold combined with, or masquerading as, drugs known as “pills and powders.”

These substances are known as “cathinones” and are commonly referred to as “bath salts.”

While youth drug use has decreased slightly, the drug market has consistently become more dangerous. This is not only due to the rise in “bath salts,” but also the increased prevalence of drugs such as fentanyl.

Many users, including youth, may believe they are taking drugs such as MDMA, when in reality they’ve been sold “bath salts,” as it is a cheaper, more potent alternative for drug dealers.

There have also been reports detailing the increasing rise of fentanyl-laced recreational drugs. What this means is youth buying substances like cocaine and MDMA are at increased risks of unknowingly consuming fentanyl in potentially deadly doses.

“Even if the number of people trying these substances is decreasing, it is still increasing the risk for the people who are trying these substances,” said Dr. Matthew Young, a representative of the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.

“I can objectively show data that there is an increase in risk now. It’s not just old man Matthew Young saying ‘Oh, back in my day.’ There are more substances out there on the market and you don’t necessarily know what you’re getting.”

The danger lies in the fact it can be difficult for users to know what they’re consuming and in what quantity. As such, it’s nearly impossible to predict the effect it will have on an individuals’ body.

This is why the market is getting more dangerous.

“The individual consuming the pill or powder a) doesn’t know what they’re consuming and b) doesn’t know how much of it they’re taking,” said Young. “Some of these substances have never been tested on human subjects before.”

Dr. Robert Mann, a senior scientist with CAMH and one of the leading figures behind the Ontario student drug use survey, echoes Young’s assessment.

“Another challenge when talking about drugs on the street is you don’t know what’s in them,” said Mann. “We know there are new drugs which appear, new drugs which maybe catch the imagination of young people.”

The students

Kristen says the CAMH study accurately identifies the substances most popular among youth, but says she thinks far more kids are using drugs.

It’s not uncommon for students to slip away at lunch to get high and most substances are readily available at school, she says.

Kristen has attended three different high schools in the Hamilton area and has witnessed student drug use on many occasions. She estimates roughly three-quarters of students are using drugs. Many of them, she says, are frequent users.

One such student is Spencer, 18, a high school student. While Spencer says her drug use is now under control, she admits to being a heavy drug user when she was younger.

“I’ve smoked weed,” said Spencer. “I’ve tried things like melters (depressants) and tried OxyContin, but not a lot, probably about six times. I’ve done shrooms (mushrooms) a couple times and acid (LSD) twice. I tried Xanax one time. Eventually I started doing blow (cocaine) and MDMA.”

Spencer describes her childhood as “happy and normal,” and is about to graduate high school.

Prior to Grade 11 she was smoking marijuana daily, saying she got high “before school, after school, during school.” It affected both her personal life and academic performance. If she didn’t consume cannabis it would put her in a bad mood and she found herself bored and falling asleep in class.

In Grade 11 her drug use escalated, switching from marijuana to cocaine and MDMA. She used the substances daily and was drinking a lot.

She says her parents were aware of her drinking but didn’t know about her drug use.

“It’s tough to remember specific stories from that time,” said Spencer. “There were a lot of parties I’d go to where people would be passing around blow (cocaine) in the bedrooms and bathrooms.”

Eventually Spencer overdosed on Xanax and was hospitalized for two weeks. She had just turned 17.

A 20-year-old drug dealer, who spoke to The Hamilton Spectator on the condition of anonymity, says he suspects the Xanax Spencer overdosed on was counterfeit.

Counterfeit pills are more dangerous for drug users, as it’s difficult to know the quantity and quality of what they’re consuming.

“I imagine everyone taking Xanax is taking pressed (counterfeit) pills,” he said. “It’s all pressed. You can get them in the thousands and that doesn’t make sense, because no one gets prescribed that amount. You can almost tell they’re pressed just by looking at them, because they’re dusty.”

He says he’s been selling drugs since he was in Grade 7 and throughout his time as a high school dealer, it wasn’t just any one “sort” of student who came to him looking to buy drugs.

“It’s not just the stoner crowd,” he said. “It’s everyone. Especially when it comes to molly (MDMA), there are so many young girls — girls you’d never expect — who pop molly on the weekends. It’s everybody, not just one specific type of person. Even the students who are really focused on school, when they go to a party they let loose.”

When asked what he sells, he responded:

“I sell coke, crack, pills, weed, Xanax.”

He buys the drugs from other dealers, as well as individuals who have legal prescriptions.

Resources

One of the main risks associated with youth drug use is the effect it has on brain development. Research shows involvement with psychoactive substances during key stages of development can have a number of negative effects.

It’s a point Penny Burley, executive director of Alternatives for Youth, stresses.

Alternatives for Youth is a community-based organization that offers counselling and substance use treatment for young people.

“There is tons of research that speaks to the fact the brain develops from the back to the front,” said Burley. “The last part that develops is the executive function: judgment, reasoning, problem solving, decision-making. So those areas of the brain are highly affected in adolescence and young adults.”

Youth with mental health concerns, or those beginning substance use at a younger age, are at increased risk for their use to turn problematic. There is no definitive line where use turns into misuse.

Studies have also shown that people with predispositions to certain forms of mental illness can have psychotic episodes and symptoms triggered by marijuana use.

“There are a lot of factors that contribute to at what point use becomes misuse, abuse and dependence,” said Burley. “It’s really about looking at the impact substance use is having on someone’s life.”

“When someone’s substance use is reaching a point where it’s interfering with school attendance and performance, their social life and relationships, conflict with the law, physical and mental health. One or many of those may be taking place and that tends to be indicative that substance use has gone beyond curiosity or experimentation.”

The motivation for youth substance use ranges from experimentation and curiosity, to coping and dependence.

While Alternatives for Youth treats more than 900 people a year, it is clear that is a fraction of the amount of youth engaging in problematic substance use in the city.

The students interviewed for this story say that youth who do drugs will not have difficulty finding their drug of choice. At school, through friends and in their neighbourhoods, it is easily available for those who seek it out.

“Look, almost everyone is going to try drugs at least once,” said Spencer. “I think like 90 per cent of students in high school have at least smoked pot. I get that it’s fun, it’s just that it can also escalate.”

Description: Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit substance on the market, with 21 per cent of students reporting use in the past year. It is often in the form of green buds that are ground before use.

How it’s used: Marijuana can be rolled into a cigarette or ‘joint,’ smoked through a water pipe or ‘bong,’ it can be mixed in fats to be made into edible substances such as cookies or brownies.

Effects: Marijuana produces a light headed feeling and a sense of euphoria, but can also produce effects of anxiety as well. Common signs of Marijuana use include swollen or red eyes, dry mouth, increased appetite, lethargy and a lack of concentration.

Addiction/dependence risk: While not reported as addictive, Marijuana is a habit forming substance with some users becoming dependant.

Description: Extracts are a more refined form of Marijuana emerging on the market made through several methods, the most popular being the process of blasting buds of marijuana with butane. Extracts come in many forms; shatter being a harder amber-like substance, Wax is thick and resembles honey and oil being a thick brown or amber liquid.

How it’s used: Extracts are used through a process called ‘dabbing,’ where the substance is heated with a butane torch and inhaled through a special pipe known as a ‘dabbing rig.’ Extracts can also be consumed through Marijuana specific vaporizers. Oil can be applied to other substances to produce its effects, including being applied to a joint to increase potency.

Effects: Extract use produces a much more intense high than regular marijuana consumption and can be more dangerous. Along with the regular effects of Marijuana, side effects of extracts can include psychological symptoms, increased heart rate, and possible loss of consciousness.

Addiction/dependence risk: While not reported as addictive, Marijuana concentrates are habit forming.

Description: Hash is a brown cake like substance made from compressed cannabis resin that is made into bricks. Using hash produces a stronger effect than smoking regular Marijuana due to its nature as a concentrate, leading to a more intense high.

How it’s used: Hash is most often smoked in a joint or pipe but can also be baked into edibles much like its less potent counterpart marijuana.

Effects: Smoking hash leads to a light headed high and muscle relaxation, lack of coordination and reasoning. Users of hash report a much stronger “body high” than the effect of regular marijuana. Side effects of use include reddening of the eyes, lethargy and increased heart rate.

Addiction/dependence risk: While hash is not addictive it can be habit-forming, much like marijuana, leading to possible dependence.

Description: 6.3 per cent of teens in grades 9-12 report having tried Ecstasy, making it the most used illicit substance after Marijuana. Known as a ‘Designer Drug,’ Ecstasy comes in pills of many different forms and is popular during raves, night club outings and party-related social gatherings.

How it’s used: MDMA is most commonly ingested as a pill, while it can also be snorted and occasionally smoked.

Effects: Symptoms of MDMA use include a sense of euphoria, hallucinations, an intense feeling of relaxation, excitability, increased body temperature, dehydration, dilated pupils and an increased sex drive.

Addiction/dependence risk: Frequent use of MDMA can lead to symptoms of addiction and withdrawal.

Description: Ketamine is medically used as both a human and animal anesthetic but has seen increased use illicitly for recreational purposes. The drug can be found in both liquid, powder and pill forms and is commonly attributed to be a date rape drug.

How it’s used: Depending on the form, Ketamine can be taken orally, snorted as a powder or injected.

Effects: Ketamine produces hallucinations, confusion, stimulates senses and causes dissociative (out of body) feelings among users. An individual on a high dose of Ketamine can experience a highly sedated state that has been referred to as a “k-hole,” where the user is totally unaware of where or even who they are.

Addiction/dependence risk: Frequent use of Ketamine can lead to symptoms of addiction and withdrawal.

Description: A mainstay of the psychedelics drug category, Mushrooms come in many varieties with over 100 species of Psilocybin on record.

How it’s used: Psilocybin mushrooms are mainly eaten, but they can also be blended into drinks.

Effects: Effects of Psilocybin mushrooms include intense hallucinations, euphoria and a distorted sense of time and space. Physical symptoms of use include nausea, weakness, dry mouth, dilated pupils and increased blood pressure.

Addiction/dependence risk: Psilocybin Mushrooms have not been reported as addictive or habit forming.

Description: Mephedrone is part of an emerging family of drugs known as synthetic cathinones. The drug can be an odourless white powder or crystalline substance. Mephedrone is also known for having an odour similar to that of cat urine.

How it’s used: Mephedrone is usually consumed as a pill or snorted as a powder, it can also be injected.

Effects: As a stimulant, Mephedrone causes heightened awareness, a sense of euphoria and hallucinations in users. The substance also shares similar symptoms to that of Ecstasy, including increased excitability and sex drive. Users on Mephdrone can experience nose bleeds and intense sweating. The odour of the substance can also be smelled on the skin post use.

Addiction/dependence risk: Addiction statistics are currently unavailable on Mephedrone as the drug is new.

Description: LSD is a hallucinogenic substance that has remained common on the illicit drug market since the 1960s. The substance takes many forms (paper tablets, capsules) but at its base it is primarily a clear and odourless liquid.

How it’s used: LSD is often applied in liquid form to paper tablets known as ‘blotters’ or ‘tabs’ then placed on the tongue to dissolve. LSD can also be injected or smoked while laced with other drugs.

Effects: LSD causes vivid hallucinations and heightened senses along with a distorted sense of time, space and perception of the body. Symptoms of LSD use include dilated pupils, high blood pressure, chills, dry mouth, tremors and a flushed face.

Addiction/dependence risk: LSD is not known to be addictive or habit forming.

Description: Methamphetamine is a substance that appears as a powder or crystalline rock and can occasionally be found as a liquid for the purpose of injection. Meth is a stimulant that causes an increased amount of mood regulating chemicals serotonin and dopamine in the user’s brain.

How it’s used: Methamphetamine can be injected, eaten, snorted and smoked.

Effects: Users of meth initially experience an intense rush, a sense of well being and a desire to be active. Symptoms of use include irritability, loss of appetite, profuse sweating, dry mouth, dilated pupils and increased body temperature.

Addiction/dependence risk: Methamphetamine is highly addictive. It affects critical areas of the brain and can cause psychological dependence.

Description: Cocaine is a white powdery substance with a long history. Cocaine has a reputation for being incredibly addictive, and cousin great financial strain to maintain. CMAH reports that 3.4 per cent of secondary students in Ontario claim that they have tried Cocaine in their lifetime.

How it’s used: Cocaine is primarily snorted through the nasal cavity; it can also be injected and smoked.

Effects: Cocaine produces a short lived rush of euphoria, increased energy and abnormal behaviour. Symptoms of use include increased blood pressure, severe stress on the heart, restlessness, insomnia, dilated pupils and anxiety.

Addiction/dependence risk: Cocaine is highly addictive and tolerance to the drug develops quickly.

Description: Crack is a processed and more potent form of Cocaine. It is a solidified or “rock” form of coke that gets its name from the distinctive crackling sound it makes when smoked.

How it’s used: Crack is most commonly smoked in a pipe but can also be snorted and injected.

Effects: Users of crack report an intense rush, followed by bursts of energy, the effects of the initial high are short lived (15-30 minutes). Pupils dilate and heart rate increases and cravings for the substance set soon after the high ends. Use of crack can lead to aggressive behaviour and paranoia.

Addiction/dependence risk: Crack is highly addictive. Many users report being addicted after their first use.

Description: Heroin is an opiate derived from the poppy plant. The substance comes in many forms including liquids and powders.

How it’s used: Heroin is primarily injected but can also be smoked.

Effects: Heroin produces a sense of euphoria and relaxes the body to a sedated state. Users of heroin feel a heaviness in their limbs and accompanying side effects include lethargy, increased body temperature, itching and dry mouth.

Addiction/dependence risk: Heroine is highly addictive.

Sources: Sources: Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Hamilton Police Department, Narcotics Anonymous Canada, Health Canada, Streetdrugs.org, DrugAbuse.com, Drugs.com

Also known as: Xannies, Bars, Xans, Handlebars, Zanbars, Z-Bars, Totem Polls, Blue Footballs, Benzos, Planks, Upjohns, alphras

Description: A leader in the realm of prescription drug abuse, Xanax (clinical name Alprazolam) has become widely available in illicit drug markets. Xanax comes in several sizes of pill but are all characterized by their distinctive bar like shape. Xanax is part of the Benzodiazepine family of drugs and is often prescribed as an anti anxiety medication.

How it’s used: Xanax is most often consumed as a pill but some users report crushing the pills into powder for nasal consumption.

Effects: Xanax is a sedative that causes feelings of relaxation and drowsiness. Xanax is often used alongside other drugs during recreational use. When mixed with other sedatives like alcohol the effects can increase to dangerous levels.

Addiction/dependence risk: Xanax has a high risk of dependence among long term users and can be considered addictive. Xanax overdoses are considered extremely dangerous.

Also known as: Addys, Uppers, Black Beauties, pep pills, Zing, Study Buddies, Smart Pills

Description: Adderall is often prescribed to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and usually comes in the form of a blue or orange pill. Some students use it as a concentration enhancer. Adderall and other ADHD drugs fall under the umbrella of ‘study drugs’ that students are abusing in to perform better academically.

How it’s used: Adderall is consumed as a pill, though some users have taken to crushing the capsules and snorting them.

Effects: The primary effect of Adderall is increased concentration. Prolonged use or abuse of the drug can cause restlessness, lack of apatite, fatigue and possible depression.

Addiction/dependence risk: Frequent use of Adderall can cause addiction due to its nature as an amphetamine.

Also known as: Oxy, OC, OX, OxyContin, Oxycotton, Kickers, Blues, 40’s (40 milligram pills), 80’s (80 milligram pills)

Description: Oxycodone is an opiate primarily prescribed as a pain killer, taking the form of white tablets. The most popular form of Oxycodone, OxyContin, was taken off of the Canadian prescription market in 2012 and replaced with OxyNEO in an effort to curb prescription abuse. The illicit drug market still produces counterfeit OxyContin that often contains little if any of the drug itself and in more dangerous cases contains Fentanyl. CMAH reported that 12 per cent of students have used opioid pain relievers nonmedically in their lifetime.

How it’s used: Oxycodone is usually consumed recreationally as a pill, in a medical setting it can also be injected.

Effects: Use of the substance causes numbing sensations and dulls pain receptors. Symptoms of regular use include respiratory problems, low blood pressure, dizziness and potential heart failure.

Addiction/dependence risk: Oxycodone if used frequently is highly addictive due to its nature as an opiate, coming from the same drug family as Heroin.

Also known as: China White, China Girl, Fent, Apache, Dance Fever, TNT, Goodfella, Friend, Jackpot, Murder 8

Description: Fentanyl is an opiate that was originally used as an anesthetic and prescribed for pain relief much like morphine, although Fentanyl is known to be 100 times more potent. Recreational use of Fentanyl is a major concern because of the high rate of overdose deaths. Fentanyl comes in many forms including pills, injectable liquids, patches and even lollipops. The risk of other substances being laced with Fentayl is real and deadly, because users do not know what they are taking.

How it’s used: Fentanyl can be swallowed, snorted, injected or dissolved on the tongue through blotter paper.

Effects: Fentanyl creates an intense sense of euphoria like that of heroin, followed by lethargy and drowsiness. Other effects include dizziness, weakness, difficulty breathing, headaches and swelling of the hands and feet.

Addiction/dependence risk: Fentanyl is not only highly addictive as an opioid, it is incredibly dangerous. Two milligrams of Fentanyl is enough to kill, an amount measuring the same as two grains of table salt.

Sources: Sources: Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Hamilton Police Department, Narcotics Anonymous Canada, Health Canada, Streetdrugs.org, DrugAbuse.com, Drugs.com