HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1992-09-09, Page 15THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9,1992. PAGE 15.
Look-alike drugs causing widespread concern
This feature is third in a series
by the Addiction Research
Foundation designed to inform
the public about the ARF's
programs and resources as well
as alcohol and other drug issues.
Dr. Usoa Busto pulls open a
slender drawer of a small filing
cabinet in the pharmacy offices at
the Addiction Research
Foundation. Inside are rows of
brightly coloured capsules and
tablets - transparent blue, green,
speckled, bi-coloured, even a
couple of heart-shaped tablets,
sorted neatly into individual
compartments.
“They're quite pretty, actually,”
she says, closing the drawer. She
pulls open another filing cabinet.
“Here are some more,” she says.
“We have about 50 tablets and
capsules and information about
another 200 or so products -
probably one of the most complete
collections of look-alike drugs in
the world.”
The ARFs pharmacy staff began
collecting the pills and related
advertisements and-information in
the 1970s, shortly after look-alike
drugs first appeared on the scene.
At that time, they were
manufactured in illicit “basement”
laboratories in the U.S. The pills
contained varying combinations of
ephedrine, phenylpropanolamine
(PPA) and caffeine, and were sold
as stimulants. They were often
misrepresented as “speed” or sold
in capsules that resemble those of
legally manufactured ampheta
mines.
“They have an interesting
history,” adds Eva Janecek, the
head of ARFs Pharmacy Service.
“One of the main entrepreneurs, it
you like was a trucker called
Edward Seay. He used
amphetamine stimulants himself,
but various legislative changes
made it increasingly difficult to buy
them on the street. So seay began
manufacturing look-alikes, made
up of caffeine, and selling them
through truck stop and mail-order
sales. His operation was called
‘Peashooter’, - which he took from
his CB radio handle. At its peak,
Peashooter was moving five
million look-alikes per month,
under names like black beauties,
pink hearts and what have you.
Strictly speaking, there was nothing
illegal about it in the U.S.”
But by 1981, look-alikes were
causing widespread concern. Not
only were they used by truckers,
they were also seen as initiating
young people into a world of drug
use and drug dealing. Furthermore,
when taken in doses high enough to
stimulate the central nervous
system (especially when used in
combinations), these drugs can
produce such side effects as high
blood pressure, irregular heartbeat,
and agitation. Deaths due to stroke
were also reported following
massive doses of caffeine
combined with phenyl
propanolamine.
By 1982, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration moved to restrict
the traffic of look-alikes by
announcing that triple combination
products were new drugs and
consequently anyone who wished
to manufacture these drugs was
required to apply to the government
for a licence. Manufacturers were
also informed that such drugs
would have to be certified. It was
unlikely, of course, that the small
manufacturers who produced look
alikes would file the required
documents.
“The situation now is very
different,” says Dr. Busto. “Even
the name has changed. Since many
of them no longer resemble the
amphetamines they originally
imitated, they're now called street
stimulants instead of look-alikes.
And they're often marketed as
weight loss or anti-fatigue
medicinals. Most of them contain
only caffeine.”
In Canada, where even caffeine
tablets require authorization from
the Health Protection Branch
before they can be manufactured
legally, street stimulants are
brought here from the U.S. via
different routes.
“Ads for look-alikes tend to
appear in drug culture magazines
like High Times”, says Dr. Busto,
“but every now and then, a
mainstream magazine like
Cosmopolitan carries them.”
She pulls out a sheaf of
tcchnicolored clippings from a file.
One ad sports a trio of female rock
musicians under a clutter of
headlines, reading “Fastest &
Strongest Stimulants, Diet Aids,”
and billing the pill as “the
strongest, longest-lasting pharma
ceutical body stimulant now
available without a prescription.”
Another ad reads “T & M
Delivers!” over a rather business
like photo showing rows of
capsules with names like 357
Magnum, Black Mole, Pink Heart,
or 36-24-36 TM Capsule.
Over the years, ARF pharmacists
have received many calls about
mail-order stimulants. “We don't
get nearly as many as we used to,”
says Janecek. “In 1986, we had
more than 50 calls about look
alikes - maybe five per cent of our
calls that year. More recently, it's
down to maybe 15 calls a year.”
Most of the calls, she says, come
from concerned parents who find
tablets or capsules in their
teenager's bedroom.
“Very often, we know as soon as
they start describing them whether
they're street stimulants,” says
Busto. “As soon as we hear heart
shapes, or specks on a capsule with
SK227, we know it's likely a
caffeine product. The parent is
usually relieved because they don't
think caffeine can be dangerous.
But we tell them to be careful.
Think of it - one pill might be
equivalent to four cups of strong
coffee. If a kid takes two or three of
these pills, it's loo much. The
consequences could be serious,”
she says, closing the drawer on the
brightly-coloured capsules.
“Street stimulants may not be as
toxic as many other drugs,” she
adds, “but we certainly do hear
reports of overdoses from time to
time - not lethal, perhaps, but
emergency rooms in Toronto often
end up handling the results.”
The Addiction Research
Foundation is an agency of the
Province of Ontario.
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