Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Cheese-like heroin killing Texan teens

A teenage student has become the latest victim in Dallas to die from a powerful and highly addictive new street drug known as 'cheese'. The rise of the drug, a mixture of black tar heroin and powdered headache tablets, has been described as an epidemic. Dealers often sell it at $2 a time to get youngsters hooked. Because it is snorted, teenagers do not realise they are taking such a lethal heroin-based drug.

Since 2005 at least 23 teenagers in the Texan city have died after taking cheese, so called because it resembles crumbled Parmesan. The latest victim was 18-year-old Scott Clark, a volunteer for a local animal charity and a fitness fanatic.

The drug is mass produced in Mexico and smuggled across the border in increasing quantities. The authorities are so concerned that a special regional 'cheese task force' has been set up to tackle the problem.

Sergeant Jeremy Liebbe said: 'To market heroin to kids, you've got to get rid of the needle because even the hardcore cheese users that we've identified and brought into custody have said "I wouldn't stick a needle in me to get high, but I'll snort it up my nose".

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