Those of you with teens

[fatrap]

As long as we're warning of things. I just got an email from a friend of mine. The email states that a new trend in substance abuse envolves teens using the product "Dust Off" to get a monentary high from. Dust off is commonly used to blow dust off of computer parts. It is compressed air but the propellant is a common refrigerant. The kids think it perfectly safe and give a quick 10 second "high". They don't think of it is as"Huffing".

It can and has been fatal on the first use. I can kill so quickly the child is still sitting in the same position from when he/she inhaled the substance. If you have children at home and use this product you might want to know. The can I have in my classroom is now locked up.

A public service message from

fatrap

 

[Tony Payne]

I fully expected this to be another baseless urban legend... much to my surprise (and horror) it's NOT.



Here's a snopes article on it.
http://www.snopes.com/toxins/dustoff.asp

 

[TrepMan]

Didn't one of our members post this a month or so ago? It unfortunetly is true. Unfortunetly it is very sad, but I also wonder how long it will take the government to force either A) stop selling Dust Off and it's like, or B) require you to show a drivers license being over 18 to buy it. I went to buy a tube of Super Glue and some spray paint at Walmart this week. BOTH required me showing my drivers license/age. And now with the Meth problems the OTC Suedafed in most states is going back behind the counter and there is a push to force it back to being a prescription drug (Great more $$ out of my pocket togo to the Dr. for nothing).



Rant over.



Trep

 

[Tony Payne]

Trep...



I hear ya... I stormed out of a Walmart when I needed to buy my Tylenol Sinus crap... I dont mind ID checks (to a point)... but they wanted to set up the whole Rx account thing.



The probelm with most of these measures is that they are largely in-effective. Taking the Sudafed off the shelf only delays the people that need it for the meth labs... in fact, it probably ups the chance of violent crime (having to resort to outright burglery to obtain), and at the same time it prevents legal usage.



You'll never stop inventive kids from finding a new way to hurt themselves... Companies that create "aerosol" based products have a responsibility beyond a warning label to help prevent illegal usage... but just how far does that go?



I shouldnt have to prove, time and time again, that I am a law abiding citizen. I certainly should not have to continue to pay the price for other's illegal actions.

 

[Greg J.]

Here's another product that kids are using for a quick high: The spray deordorant Axe that is popular among teens nowadays. The good kids use it for what it is intended for, however, there are always the ones that take products beyond ther designed use. A few of the instructors at our annual jrotc leadership camp last month were talking about how Axe was being used.

 

[TrepMan]

I agree Sim, its the "governement proctecting everyone from themselves" and not requireing parents to teach personal responsibility.



Oh and FatTrap - I agree that unfortunetly too many of our teens are killing themselves in too many different ways these days - Drunk/illegal driving, drugs, stupid stunt.... As a parent of 2 young boys, I see that one of my key responsibilities, besides explaining tradegedies like this and the reasons for NEVER trying them, but also to ensure I know where my kids are, who's house they are at, MEET the parents before ANY one my boys visits someones house, ask questions to help me decide if I SHOULD allow my kids to go to someone's house (i.e. Does the parent have a gun, is it locked and the key not available to children), and YES as unpoplar as it has become - BE a Parent, say NO, NO, NO you can NOT do that, you can NOT go there and you can NOT have that period. And explain why, teach, learn, grow and lead by example.

 

[Jeffrey Durham]

I tell my kids, Learn from someone else's mistakes and there is No reason to act stupid or do what the next kid is doing. Take your kids to CHURCH! I have two kids, ages 22 and 16, neither have ever been in trouble because I have taken them to Church since they were born, let them know what Jesus has and is doing for them and like Trep said I said NO alot.



Just my plug nickles worth,



Jeff

 

[Larry Harp]

Gotta disagree about complaining about registering to buy pseudoephedrine. Since the state of Oklahoma has enacted the law limiting the amount of OTC pseudoephedrine a person can buy, the number of meth labs in this state has dropped 70%, yes SEVENTY PERCENT. This is a very very dangerous drug, not only to the user but to everyone around. The makers of the drug will hole up anywhere from motel rooms to homes where the owners are on vacation. They pose a risk to not only the neighbors but the police,firemen, and Hazmat crews that have to come in a clean up the mess. I can testify that this is a better state to live in since we passed the pseudoephedrine law. I use Claritin D and have no problem at all signing for it once a month to help rid socioty of this curse.



How about this one, I just heard about on the Today Show this morning. Young teens are getting a thrill by chocking each other or chocking themselves to the point of passing out and then getting "high" on the rush they get when the blood returns to the brain. They interviewed some parents whose 14 year old daughter died doing this to herself. These were good upstanding parents and the little girl was a good kid who saw no danger in what she was doing. The mother was a high school teacher and she had never heard of this and when she asked her students about it, they all were aware of the practice. The kids call it the Chocking Game, Pass Out, or Space Monkey". I asked my son Andy about it. He said he had heard of it but didn't know anybody who had tried it. Scary stuff.



Harpo
http://www.gdcada.org/stories/meth.htm

 

[JD Johnson]

"These were good upstanding parents and the little girl was a good kid who saw no danger in what she was doing. "

Good parents usually know what their kids are doing, I saw the interview and these parents although seemingly were good folks did not have a clue as to what there kid was doing or what was happening in tier community regarding these things.

I feel for the parents having to go through this but perhaps other parents will learn for it.