Nine Girls Hospitalized After Taking Methadone

[Chef Dave]

Nine 8th grade girls in St. Joseph, Missouri, were hospitalized last week after a 16 year old boy supplied them with Methadone tablets. Methadone is a prescription drug used in the treatment of drug addicts. It helps by preventing some of the worst symptoms caused by opioid withdrawal. It also blocks the rush caused by heroin, morphine, and similar drugs.

After taking the drug while on the way to school, the girls complained of feeling nauseous and groggy. One is reported to have had problems with excessive salivation. Ambulances were summoned at noon and one girl had to be carried out in a stretcher.

The boy has been charged with distribution of a controlled substance.

The school administrator contacted the parents. The girls will most likely face some sort of consequence for their use of a prescription drug.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/03/20/students.hospitalized.ap/index.html#cnnSTCText

When I first read this article, I was appalled by the gross stupidity of these students. Aside from the utter foolishness of taking prescription medication that they knew absolutely nothing about, they also took the medication while on the way to school.

I wonder what they thought would happen?

[busbus]

This was a stupid and very dangerous thing to do. However, we know that children are curious. It's very possible that they did know what they were taking and wanted to experience the affects, if any. This could have cost one or more their life.

This is a story that should alert parents to really talk with their children - these should be very serious and on-going conversations.

Very glad that the girls are okay. Now, here comes the consequences - school and legal! I wonder if the girl who was given the pills by the 16 year old boy will be charged the same for sharing the drugs with her two friends. Just a thought.

[MissTeach]

I often hear students talk about 'getting high' or drunk over the weekend. It amazes me that they will talk about this in front of adults. Over the past few years, we have had several young people killed because of drug related accidents. You would think that the students would learn from this, but young people seem to think that it will never happen to them. I am very open with my students and I try to keep up with the types of drugs popular in our area so I can talk intelligently with my students. Nothing causes me more pain than to open the newspaper and read that one of my former students has died in a drug related accident.