"Cheese" Takes Toll On Texas Teens

Nighttime Pain Reliever Laced With Heroin Is An Increasingly Popular — And Deadly — Drug

(CBS)  David Witherspoon can't get a certain cold concrete tunnel out of his mind. It's where his 17-year-old son Keith died.

Keith is one of 18 North Texas teens to overdose on heroin since January 2005, CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports.

Asked if he thought his son knew he was taking heroin, Witherspoon says no.

"He didn't know; none of these kids know at that age," he says.

The kids know it as "cheese": nighttime pain reliever crushed and laced with black tar heroin. It sells for $2 a hit, and it's become the new classroom high. Though kids are dying, kids are buying: Arrests for possession in Dallas schools have jumped 82 percent this year, with dealers as young as 11.

"I see a lot of people doing it. In class, everywhere," says Victor, who started using in middle school ... snorting cheese thru a hollowed-out pen when his teacher turned her back.

"You take the top, then you take this, then you sniff it," Victor says, demonstrating.

Only 16, Victor is now in rehab for the second time in seven months after nearly dying three weeks ago.

"The next time I did some, I didn't feel high with just one line. So I needed to use more to get high," he says.

Five years ago, the state health department paid for 19 North Texas teens to be treated for heroin addiction. Only six months into this fiscal year, that number had grown to 135 teenagers, a 600 percent increase, at more than 10 times the cost.

Treatment centers like Dallas' Phoenix House are feeling the strain. There's not enough money to fill all of the beds, and they've had to cut treatment time from six months to six weeks.

"We've got a tragedy," says James Capra, special agent in charge at the Dallas Drug Enforcement Administration. Capra is trying to stop the problem before it spreads beyond Texas.

"Kids are saying 'It's cheese, it's cheese.' It's heroin. It's deadly, deadly heroin."

North Texas schools are scrambling to get the word out to parents. The Witherspoons wish they'd known more about cheese.

Asked if they thought they could have done more as parents to prevent the tragedy, Dave Witherspoon says, "You always question that."

Now the Witherspoons hope sharing their loss will prevent dark days for another family.

[paz0_0]

Pros:
Creates a lot of new jobs. - Yeap. Really fancy ones.

Helps support industry. - Industry that is manufacturing in other countries, anyways...

Cuts down on illegal immigration + Cuts down on crime= Guns are just going to make them run faster ...Extra! Extra! shooT! develop more skills for your future criminals! hell, lets make videogames out of this...

Cuts down on drugs entering the country.- do you think that Mexican drug lords dont have any other means to get their drugs in your country without using illegal immigrants? C'mon! use your imagination!

Cuts the drain on medical and social services. -Uhmm lets think, who are the ones that cross the border to buy medicines? You! Tijuana remember! About social services, believe me illegal immigrants can live without those, for you its just another way to get more lazy and dependent.

[charlesdjohn]

Mexican drug lords control most of the herion. Most of the "Cheese" is in the Southwest US. Then we have an illegal immigration problem.

We don't need a fence! Just post guards every 600 yards along the border and shoot anyone who crosses the line!

Pros:
Creates a lot of new jobs.
Helps support industry.
Cuts down on illegal immigration.
Cuts down on drugs entering the country.
Cuts the drain on medical and social services.
Cuts down on crime.

[paz0_0]

"A Latino invention..OOO they bring such good ideas with them. "?

Oh yeah let's blame Latinos about the fact that YOUR American kids(eleven year old kids for that matter) white, black, brown or whatever color they are, are consuming drugs. Of course, let's totally forget about the fact that YOUR "war on drugs" is obviously failing. It%u2019s easier to accept that the Latino population is to blame, instead of accepting that production of new drugs, cheaper drugs will continue to exist until your demand decreases!!! But now I see! Latinos forced your kids to snort %u201Ccheese%u201D out of their pens and then also, forced your schools to keep letting drugs enter their buildings.
And you know what? At least people that %u201Cinvent%u201D these drugs are honest about their real motive, which is getting rich, and give you a choice to buy and kill yourself or abstain from using it. At least, you can choose life or death but I don%u2019t remember you giving that choice to the innocent people that are killed each day in Iraq. People all over the world will always seek new %u201Cinventions%u201D to gain money but FARTKNOCKER2 , apparently only Americans have a gift for %u201Cinventing%u201D mischievous wars. So cut your racist *** and wonder WHY, if you are so full of great ideas, THE WAR ON DRUGS AND TERROR HAVE FAILED?

[samsamsam696]

DRUGSDRUGSDRUGSDRUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[redstripe11]

Fartknocker:

A Latino invention? How 'bout those white cracker consumers?

Racist Pig!

[bobnjersey]

["I see a lot of people doing it. In class, everywhere," says Victor, who started using in middle school ... snorting cheese thru a hollowed-out pen when his teacher turned her back.]

my parents always told me when i was growing up ... 'dont snort your cheese' ... and i never forgot it.

[gunownerdan]

If the "WAR ON TERROR" goes as good as the "WAR ON DRUGS", we are in some big trouble.
Prohibition kills kids AND cops.
PLEASE GET EDUCATED!
http://www.leap.cc
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

[sevenveils]

Another Iranian terrorist plot?

[middleman8]

Living in the shrubs state, can you blame them ?
They are ashamed of what they represent.