IPSD educates residents about area's drug problem

By TOM STANKARD

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Ironwood - To educate residents about the area's drug problem, members of the Ironwood Public Safety Department hosted an awareness session at Luther L. Wright School Wednesday to shine light on the dangers of drugs and how citizens can be on the lookout.

Standing in front of about 15 people, Officer Matt Sterbenz said many drug users start as early as 14 years old.

He said common trends among adolescents are drinking alcohol, and smoking marijuana and electronic cigarettes.

Peers should look out for several signs of drug use, which he said range from blood shot eyes, to changing sleeping patterns, to shakiness and slurred speech. Sterbenz said these signs are not guarantees of drug use.

Sterbenz said behaviors associated with drug use include frequently getting in trouble and using incense and air fresheners to cover the scent of potential drug use.

He said they're are three types of drugs - opiates, depressants and stimulants. Opiate users typically receive the drug via their friends or family members, Sterbenz said.

Over time, he said users try to achieve the effect of the first time they were high, but can't.

Sterbenz said a common slang term of the drug is "vikes," which is short for Vicodin, a type of opiate drug.

Another type of opiate drug is OxyContin, commonly called "oxycotton." Sterbenz said it is very addictive, used for recreational purposes and is popular because of the intense high it produces.

He said the drug has helped skyrocket heroin addiction almost "over night."

Heroin is a big problem in the area, Sterbenz said. He said heroin is an opiate drug that comes from poppy plants. He said the milky, sap-like opium is first removed from the pod of the poppy flower. This opium is refined to make morphine, then further refined into different forms of heroin. The drug is injected or snorted.

Sterbenz said warning signs heroin users exhibit are track marks from needles along their arms, infections at injection points, chronic dishonesty and routinely changing who their friends are.

He said common slang terms for heroin are "D," "boy," "tar" and "H," which is short for heroin.

Sterbenz said depressants are drugs that lowers neurotransmission levels, which depresses or reduces arousal or stimulation. He said they're commonly referred to as "two-bars" and "footballs."

Stimulants, Sterbenz said, are psychoactive drugs that induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical functions, or both. He said students may abuse these because they think they'll become smarter.

"These are not smart pills, they're pills that help people concentrate," said Sterbenz, adding they can be abused.

He said some students with Attention Deficit Disorder are prescribed stimulants to help them concentrate, but sometimes they abuse them or sell them to other students.

Andrew DiGiorgio, IPSD director, said he wants residents to be part of the solution.