Pubdate: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 Source: Dallas Morning News (TX) Copyright: 2007 The Dallas Morning News Contact: http://www.dallasnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/117 Author: Brendan McKenna, The Dallas Morning News Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) 'CHEESE' MAY BECOME U.S. PRIORITY But Some Worry More Exposure Could Lead More Youths to Drug WASHINGTON - "Cheese," a deadly form of heroin targeted at teenage users, could soon rank alongside marijuana and methamphetamines as a primary focus of federal drug education programs. Prompted by the more than 20 Dallas County deaths attributed to cheese since 2005, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is pushing legislation that would make the drug - a mix of black tar heroin and cold medicine or sleeping pills - a national priority. Mr. Cornyn wants heroin, and specifically cheese heroin, added to the list of illegal drugs specifically addressed by education and prevention efforts of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. "This is a real danger to children in the Dallas area and other places," he said Thursday. He said cheese is of particular concern because it's cheap and children don't realize it's heroin because of the innocuous name. He also cited reports that it has been used as a gang recruitment tool. Adding cheese to the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, which focuses on preventing drug use among 9- to 18-year-olds, could help keep it from spreading, Mr. Cornyn said. But not everyone agrees. Some drug experts worry that elevating cheese to a national concern might spread interest in a drug that's primarily just a problem in Dallas County at this point. "You could inadvertently end up with a double-edged sword," said Jeremy Liebbe, an officer with the Dallas Independent School District police. "National news media coverage of cheese has pros and cons. It could inadvertently create curiosity. "You get a lot of drug phenomenon that pop up in the country that die out," he added. The White House Office of Drug Control Policy also sees cheese heroin as a serious but local problem that might be better addressed through parental education than through anti-drug advertisements in a national campaign. "How do you raise awareness of a problem without informing teens that would not otherwise have become aware of the threat?" said Jennifer de Vallance, a spokeswoman for the office. "The campaign is designed to be national in scope, largely focused on substance abuse in general but also addressing the substances teens most often use." The campaign focuses mainly on marijuana, prescription drug abuse and underage drinking, Ms. de Vallance said. It targets methamphetamines in regions of the country where use is highest. "Cheese is a significant threat in Dallas and one that needs to be dealt with aggressively," she said. "But there are probably more cost-effective ways to deal with it than one of a national scope like the media campaign. "We will make sure we do all we can at every level to make sure the problem doesn't spread and the problem in Dallas is reduced," she added. So far, cheese heroin hasn't spread past the Dallas region, said Steve Robertson, a Washington-based special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. But "it wouldn't take long to spread," he said. Cheese heroin, flavored methamphetamines such as "strawberry quick" and other drugs aimed at young users are of special concern to the DEA, Agent Robertson said. "Cheese and strawberry quick are classic examples of how drug traffickers take their poisons and change the appearance, color, taste or name" to market to teens and younger children, he said. "No matter how they package it, no matter how they try to change it, cheese is heroin, and it can destroy your life." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake