JUST SAY, " NO! "

Our View -Education may be the best way to prevent in cocaine abuse
in our area.

The bubble of Oxford may not be as impenetrable as we all once thought it was.

The sharp increase of cocaine seizures in Lafayette County (from
177.1 grams in 2004 to 590.6 in 2005) suggests that the use and abuse
of hard drugs is no longer reserved for the harsh life of the
impoverished in the inner sectors of large cities. Even the more
well-off parts of small-town Mississippi cannot escape the clutches
of hard-drug abuse such as that of cocaine.

Compared to alcohol and marijuana, the physiological effects of
cocaine are more serious and can result in death from cardiac arrest
or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.

Mixing cocaine and alcohol, probably a more common practice among
college students, is even more dangerous and increases the risk of
sudden death.

This increase in cocaine use is unacceptable, but how to deal with it
is a little more fuzzy. Especially since Lafayette County is so
spread out, with many rural areas beyond the city limits of Oxford,
it would be difficult for the government to implement any type of
efficient enforcement of anti-drug laws.

Perhaps the best method of prevention is education. If people are
sufficiently educated from a young age about the dangers of cocaine,
it is arguable that the amount of use would drop.

If users knew that cocaine abuse can lead to disturbances in heart
rhythm and heart attacks, respiratory failure, stroke, seizures,
abdominal pain and nausea they would think twice about snorting or shooting up.

Or maybe it would take the knowledge that one might inadvertently
experience muscle spasms, convulsions and blurred vision after use.
On rare occasions, a person can die suddenly upon first use of the
drug. Nosebleeds and problems swallowing are not uncommon among those
who snort cocaine, and more drug-related deaths result from the
combination of cocaine and alcohol than any other drug combo
(www.whitehousedrugpolicy.org).

The more people know about this drug, the more they can use their
knowledge to combat against its use in our area. Just say, " NO! "