1. Extent of fhe Problem According to Dr. Hardin P,. Jones, professor ol

bledical Science a t Berkeley, consu!tant to the President of the U. S. and the governors of California and Arizona on drug abuse, "We stand to lose half ol our present generation, age 10 Lo 25, through drugs, directly or indirectly." He says also that we have already lost more 3'ouC.h i'rom LSD alone, than have been killed in Vietnam since the beginning of that war. Nar- cotic addiction is the No. 1 cause of death in New York City in the 15-35 age group. Estimates of the extent of drug use in the various high schools in Plloenis, Arizona range from 29% to 90%). Now it is in every elementary school and cleaths lrom glue sniffing have occurred a s low a1 the 4th grade.

The U. S. is no1 alone in its drug epidemic. Alarming reporis lrom France, Australia, Tur- key, I-Iolland, Hong ICong, and elsewhere show rapid increases. There a re various drugs in abundance being abused. Tranquilizers, co- caine, DOM (STP-serenity, tranquility, peace), mescaline, to name only a few. These are only symptoms of an underlying disease.

2. Cause Why the epidemic? Curiosity and experirnen-

tation, peer group pressure, desire for attention, getting back at parents, probably account for most of it. Along with these are desires to make social contact and/or escape rrom reality. It can be a means ol' escape lrom users' own mean, resentruI angry feelings. Under drugs

2

lhey can "FEEL" the way they'd like to feel. Loners feel isolated from their parents and so- ciety in general but under drugs they say they feel warm and friendly. Of course, when they corn? oTT they still have to live with themselves and have made no progress. Anger, lrustra- tions and rebellion are a part of maturing and the drug users a re trying to mature as pain- lessly a s possible. So they arrive a t a matura- tion arresl, and drop out and find they can live otl the offal ol society. "They are not going any- where, they are somewhere else." (Hardin Jones)

The drug users tend to be doves and identily with the Vietcong fight against the establish- ment. Some of the rebellion is against ihe per- missiveness ol parents. The youth is testing the parent to see how Car he has to go before the parent will put up a lence to guide him. Rebel- lion is also againsl society and its shallow stand- ards and pleasures. A policeman, a t a meeting in Phoenix stated that in 90% of cases where the delinquent was taken home in the wee hours of the morning, either the parents were not home or one or both parents were drunlr. Just a s many alcoholics wilI state that they got their first drink in the home, so some of these youngsters state that they had a fruit salad party, each brings pills from the family medicine cabinet: diet pilIs, sleeping pills, nerve pills. They end taking not one or two but 20 or more different pills, or all diel pills. One case report stated tllal the patient had taken 200 diet pills. Imag- ine lhe stale of mind!

But there is another very important factor. tlccording to C. S. Lewis, "Spiritual nature, like I>adilY nature, will be served; deny it food and it will gobble poison." According to Dr. Timothy Leary, "high priest" of the psychedelic move- ment and now a fugitive from justice, "It is of interest that the heroin addict and the illuminated Buddha end up a t the same place, the void!" The junkie is a deeply religious person. The alcoholic is, too. Thus our physicians and psychiatrists have no luck in 'curing' the addict. IF you see an addict as a social misfit, a civic nuisance who must be re- habilitated, you completely miss the point. To cure the junkie and the alcoholic, you must humbly admit that he is a more deeply spiritual person than you.

"LSD is eastern Yoga. The aim of all Eastern religions, like the aim of LSD, is basicly to get high. That is, ta expand your consciousness and find ecstasy and revelation within." (The Drug User,-Dr. A. E. Wilder Smith, p. 274) Now our God teaches us in the Scriptures that "in His presence is fullness of joy and ecstasies ever- lasting." (Ps. 16:ll) Scripture enjoins us again and again to "Rejoice and be exceeding glad." (as in Mt. 5:12) "Obviously, God gave us this message of ecstasy and euphoria first," says Dr. Smith (ibid, p. 276), "because it was part of His message, and second because we need it."

According to Dr. Smith (ibid, p. 249), "Man under the pressure of the state and affluent so- ciety is in danger of becoming a mere deperson-

4

alized reflex hydraulic mechanism in the ser- vice of his o\vn material needs and those of humanity." It is this soul starvation-this loss of personal human values which is a prime fac- Lor in this drug abuse epidemic. Hallucinogenic drugs provide this euphoria which our Creator intended us to have but which too many Chris- tians have lost in their involvement with the same concentralion on work and possessions. ' 'i'hey have neglected the self-denial and time Tor comn~union with the Infinite without which we cannot hope to achieve this ecstasy.

i 3. Drugs Used In 1965 the mass media offered happiness in

a capsule. Physicians were recommending "happy" pills For the depressed menopausal \\loman. The kinds of drugs used are many, even involving such things in the hands of ex- perimenters as peanut butter and banana skins.

The effect of any drug varies with 1) its chemistry, 2) the psychic make-up ol the host,

., and 3) the environment at the time the drug is taken.

For the scope of this paper we will consider only those drugs most commonly used:

1. Those which produce "happiness" through hallucinations, especially marijuana and LSD. (Hallucinogens)

2. Depressants: Heroin and barbiturates. Heroin produces a rush of euphoria when injected into the vein. It is followed by drowsiness, so inore has to be taken lor one to become euphoric again. Barbiturates

produce relaxation and relief from anxiety and mental stress.

3. Stimulants: largely amphetamines such a s Speed or metamphetamine.

But a s Timothy Leary states, drugs end in void. This is why Teen Challenge has been so successful in turning people off drugs to God. Nalionwide, they claim 75% cures. David Wil- kerson, originator of Teen Challenge, has writ- Len a t least G books on his work with addicts. Ile states that he has seen many cured of heroin addiction but no cures from marijuana. Why? Because it is psychologically addictive. It is classiried a s a n hallucinogen.

A-There is a lot of conlroversy over mari- juana. Some experts believe it affects only the most susceptible in a n antisocial manner. One youth told m e he could name 200 friends who were on it with no apparent ill effects. Six months later he had to be hospitalized for a number of bizarre symptoms. I t is important to remember that the drug is controlled by law and that its possession carries a high penalty. One reason could well be that the potency in the U. S. varies greatly. One dose may be without effecl and the next may be of higher potency and the sr~sceptible lands in an institution for the rest of his Iife.

The active agent in marijuana produces hi- larity, carelessness, talkative euphoria, irrita- bilily, dimi~lution of purpose. I t is usually smok- cd. Onc cxpct.itnuntor ~lesc~~ibccl its immediate

6

cflecl on him a s nlaking his body relaxed but his heart was racing and his mind going 1000 miles a minute. He thought he was making sense but his words couldn't get out fasl crlough to keep up to his thoughts. The smoker becomes . increasingly sensitive to light and sound. He becomes confused a s to time and space so lhat clriving a car is hazardous.

Dr. Car1 J. Baker, a Phoenix physician, wrote a letter to Time ~nagazine of Sept. 24, 19GS: "As a father and a s a physician I notice a ser- ious omission in 'The Nixon Drug Law: A Cru- cial Defect' (Sept. 5). Marijuana is staled to be a soft drug with no proven psychological ilI effecls. However, no mention is made of lhe subtle devastation to personality and character development to the teen-age doper who 'cops out' on the daily problems or a 1969 world, and thus remains an immature, incomplete human being. This reality rejection is well described by Sidney Col~en in 'The Drug Dilemma' as a stage of 'maturation arrest.' "

,a B-LSD. Dr. Timothy Leary recomnlends

Marijuana once daily and LSD twice his "League for: SpiriluaI Discovery."

a

LSD is a much more potent hallucinogen A d also more dangerous. In 19G5 Look magazine gave a very graphic description for making it. At that time it was thought to be a mind es- pander, thus helpfuI in treating mentaI illness, alcoholics, etc. Users think they procluce much better a r t objects under iLs influence. Objective observers, however, see inlerior quality evolv-

7

ing. a t e r several sudden deaths from its use, the company which made it stopped manufac- turing it and the scientific experiments stopped. Now it is believed that it may have untoward chromosome effects and birth defects have been reported. Q

LSD is taken a s a liqtGd, tablet, or capsule. 8 An amount no larger than the size of a pinhead 1 is all that is necessary. I t intensifies impres- sions of colors and sounds and it distorts the appearance ol objects. Sleep is impossible. It also brings about disassociation so that the pa- tient sees himsell as something detached which leads to his bizarre behavior such as stepping out of a fifth story window, thinking he can fly, or walking into heavy traffic. Thus suicide and murder become possible through the delusions users suffer. Timothy Leary says that an enou- mous amount of energy from every fiber of your body is released under LSD-most especially including sexual energy. Dr. Hardin Jones knew Dr. Leary twenty five years ago as a brilliant, facile, capable teacher. Today he says , Mr. Leary has deteriorated noticeably. 1

The complications from LSD usually result from a bad trip. This seems to be dose related. Under its influence the user seems to remember things in the past he thought he had forgotten, such as being locked in a closet a s a child. The complications include: a ) Acute psychotic and panic states. He fears he is losing his mind. -4t this point if put in a peaceful and quiet environ- ment and given assurance that he is not losing

his mind and that he will shortly be over it, treatment can be very helpful. b) Prolonged psychotic reactions which require hospitaliza- tion. c) Brief recurrences of the LSD reaction which include hallucinations, dilficulty in con- centration and changes in mood. d) The drop- out syndrome, ~x~hich consists in long periods of poor concentration, loss of goals, and indolence.

A bad trip is best avoided by being sure the chemical is pure stuff. Strychnine was found in some, and it is thought impurities account for many of the problems. Secondly, a placid com- panion not on LSD is helpful; and thirdly, quiet and peaceful environment with no clashing sights or sounds. The bad trip is intensified by anything threatening such as the appearance of police or an attempt to pass a tube to mash out the stomach.

One young patient stated he had "popped a pill" during the service in Vietnam. Iie was coinpletely out of it for 48 hours and his friend, who had also popped one, stilI has not regained his sanity after two years. This makes believers out of some of them.

Mention should be made in passing of a re- lated nonprescription drug, Sominex. In low doses it produces drowsiness but in high doses it may produce delirium. A 20 year old seen a t 2:00 a.m. was very placid but jabbering away senselessly. I t wasn't until the next day that she was abIe to tell us she had taken 20 Sominex because she wanled a good night's sleep.

C S p e e d . Marijuana appears to be the most popular illegal drug used, but it is fast giving place to "speed." This is metamphetamine Amphelamines and barbiturates are known as "uppers and dowxers." Both have been useful to the medical profession for years. These are the ones found in the family medicine chest a s diet pills, anti-depressants, and the barbiturates for sleeping or "nerve" pills. They are usually taken by mouth but may be taken by injection. Some taking large amounts of amphetamine have experienced what they describe as a total body orgasm. This rnalres them very high, very irritable, sleepless, and later depressed. The depression when they are coming down has been so severe as to end in suicide. One patient tak- ing the equivalent of 200 diet pills really "blew his mind" and it killed him. Susceptible users readily develop a tolerance. There is evidence to indicate that it causes chronic brain damage, from prolonged use of high doses. If you've ever seen a "speed freak," you'll never forget him. Long usage of amphetamines produces a bug- crawling sensation under the sliin, and halluci- nations, paranoia, malnutrition, hepatitis, etc.

B-Barbiturates. The short term effect or barbiturates is relaxation and relie1 from men- tal stress and anxiety. Prolonged usage re- sults in impaired memory, irritability, and de- pression. To compound the problem. most abusers use multiple drugs. The amphetamine user may take big doses of barbiturates to help him sleep but if he takes it at a time when the euphoria is wearing off and depression is begin-

10

ling, it \vill add to the depression and psychosis inay result. Sudden withdrawal from barbitur- ates may result in convulsions.

E-Heroin. To counteract the stimulant ef- fect of the amphetamine and avoid the adverse effect of the barbiturates, modern drug users have used heroin. Frequent use of heroin very soon leads to addiction. It is now the number one cause of death in New York City. On the \veeliencl of June 24, 1969, the police found 24 dead or dying junkies scattered on rooftops, in abandoned buildings, and other places. In De- cember a 12 year old was found dead with his heroin equipment beside him. 01 900 heroin re- lated deaths in New York City in 1969, 55 were 113 or younger, 20 were 15 or younger. New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Greensville, N. C., Tucson and Tempe, Arizona, Waterloo, Iowa-you name it, and heroin is pi-obably there. Dr. Sidney Cohen, Director of National Inslitute of Mental Health's division of narcolic addiction and drug abuse says, "It (heroin ad- diction) is spreading fast. What used to be an acid scene turned oul to be a speed scene two years ago. I wouldn'l call it a smack scene yet, but there are lots of kids who are either hooked, really locked into the drug, or at least joy-pop- ping, that is, weekend users. And when you joy-pop the chances that you'll go on are very strong."

Tempe, Arizona is last becoming a second Haight-Asbury. And Haight-Asbury has literally 1)ccornc a RATE community where recently

there were 40 murders in one month. Their songs and posters and flowers cry LOVE yet the logical end result of their philosophy is evident as hate.

The immediate chemical effect of heroin is a rush of euphoria when injected intravenously, but this is followed by drowsiness and depres- sion so that in 3 4 hours another "fix" is neces- sary to avoid withdrawal sickness or for more euphoria. An overdose results in coma and death. The overdose may result because the user has gotten better quality heroin, or per- haps a pusher in order to eliminate him, gave him better stuff because he was getting too friendly with the police. Heroin addicts readily become criminals to support the habit. Some centers a re using methadone in decreasing doses lo get heroin users off the habit, but it also is addictive and we lmow it is not the an- swer, though it may be the best thing available right now.

4. Some..Answers: What is the answer to this epidemic? How can we replace this void with fullness? I) Stop the supply of material. Mari- juana and poppies a re grown between rows of legal produce in Mexico, for instance, and along fence rows in Iowa and other states. Thousands of farmers are involved. But Mexican justice is swifter than in the U. S. and the dealers are being penalized quicldy. Turkey and India and other countries a re joining not only to limit the number of growers but to help international agencies apprehend and penalize the dealers or

12

pushers. Penallies a re especially IGgh on push- ers. Curing the operation interception there was a shorier supply of marijuana in Phoenix and the price of it went up. Some drug users claim the shortage of marijuana oilly turned them on

8 to heroin, so the disease remained.

2) Education. A doctor ruefully remarked that five years ago they educated one particular

' high school with great zeal and that now they had hoped it would be a model without drugs. Instead. it is one of the worst.

Doctors and nurses are high on the list of ad- dicts so education hasn't helped them. Dr. Hardin Jones blames educators on the higher levels for teaching there is no God, no morality, no authority. If there is no God, why not "do your thing" even if it kills you. Dr. Gerald D. Klee, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Temple University School of Medicine writes, "Unfor- tunately, we a re contending with powerful forces working in the opposite direction. In general these other sources of misinformation and propaganda a re more likely to carry weight with some young people, who distrust every- thing that comes from responsible members of what they call the 'Establishment'."

In Phoenix we have CODAT-Community Or- ganization for Drug Abuse Control. It is made up of representatives from Dope Stop, Drug Abuse committee of the Maricopa County Med- ical Society, ministers, lawyers, pharmacists, business men, police, Teen Challenge, Campus

13

Crusade, and others workll~g for community wellare.

Dope Stop is an organization under Mental Health. We are fortunate to have as one of its youth leaders, a young man who was on drugs oC all kinds for a t least three years. He had been raised in a Christian home and was at- tending ASU. The Lord spoke to him as he was about to commit suicide by jumping out of a window. He was able to grab the railing and pull himself back up. He got a Bible and now carries it everywhere. He has a corps of young people who go into grades 6, 7, 8 and high school, where they tell the stuclents of how he was rescued and how stupid it is to use dope. Most of the corps are students in the school so that they can be in libraries, rest rooms, loclter rooms, and can persuade the undecided who are being tempted. Most teen- agers know fellow students who have "copped out." At a jam packed rock concert in Phoenix recently a youth spread out his arms and took off from a balcony over the heads of the crowd and landed on his head on the cement. He told the police he was sure he could fly. This scared a t least one long haired youth who told me about it. He says in no way can anyone per- suade him to try any kind of drugs.

If anyone is suspicious that dope is being pushed at a particular place or by a particular person in Phoenix, a call to Dope Stop is all Lhat is necessary. They will take it from there and investigate. We have seen two houses

14

closed up within a few days after such reports went in. The informer need not identify him- sell'.

CODAT is responsible for spot annoilncements on radio and TV. They conduct forums on TV.

t Now they have a house where they hold clinics to care for the hippie culture with sore throat, stomach ache, alcol~olism, high or low on dope, with venereal disease, etc. The police are CO-

I operating and the sick are using it more since they have found they can come and be helped and not be turned over to the police.

1 A psychologist, Dr. Ken Olson, has a group therapy ministry called "Creative Living" to

I help find a better answer to life. The llelpers are ex-users, late teenagers or in early twenties. There are other areas where group therapy treatment can be gotten as a t St. Lulte's Hos- pital where no punches are barred as their peers probe and discuss and seek to help the addict find what his particular problem is.

One last word to families: How do you ltnow your son or daughter is using drugs? You prob- ably don't. Two beers can malie some people crazy. Most abusers don't show any signs. If there is a marked personality change, a change in dress, habits, companions, a plummeting downward of scholastic accomplishment, a loss of motivation and goals, be suspicious. In- ' flamed eyes, dilated pupits, loquaciousness, hi- ' larity in an otherwise quiet person, inappro- priate answers, may or may not be evidence.

I The i~nporlallt thing is to be there when he lleeds you and listen, listen, listen. Don't con-

15