It's legal. It causes an experience similar to acid. And it can be purchased online by anyone, of any age. It's called "salvia", and it's a legal drug of which few people are aware.

"[Dave] Baxter has quickly educated himself and what he's learned frightens him, especially when users admit they want someone sober around when they take the drug. 'They talk about the need for a sitter.' A sitter is someone to watch out for and protect salvia users."

People who have experimented with the drug say that, at a certain point, the user is thrown into utter confusion, which is why a "sitter" is needed. Law enforcement officials are stressing the importance of educating parents on the drug's existence and so they're not ignorant of the problem. Read more at Wave3.com.

Learn more from this informative article "Teens Discover Cheap New Hallucinogenic Drug".

Labels: awareness, experimentation, hallucinogenics

For seven years now, Macomb County (Michigan) Sheriff Mark Hackel visited with a class of eight-graders to talk about peer pressure and the dangers of giving in to it and to curiosity about teen drug and alcohol abuse.

"After telling the story of a recent drunken driving accident that took the life of 18-year-old Armada High School senior Emilee Floer, he let the group try on a pair of Fatal Vision goggles, which simulate the vision of a person who's highly intoxicated, and made them 'walk the line,' heel to toe."

All who tried to take the test failed miserably, and one student commented that he "never wants to feel like that again". Read more at CandgNews.com.

Labels: experimentation, pressure, prevention

Officials in some areas of New Zealand are finding that kids are being lured into drug experimentation at increasingly younger ages.

"Their observation comes after a shocking incident... in which seven children from Simla Primary School in Shallcross overdosed on Ecstasy. It is believed that one of the seven pupils took the drugs from a home to a school function."

Official say that children as young as 11 and 12 are experimenting with drug and alcohol use, and nearly half of those abuse multiple substances.

The Substance Abuse section of the Teen-Help-Directory offers information for parents about teen drug and alcohol abuse.

Labels: children, experimentation, schools

Inhalant abuse is often overlooked, despite the fact that nearly 20 percent of young people have experimented with them at least once by the time they're in eighth grade. Inhalant abuse involves breathing in the fumes from a substance such as glue, solvents, fuel, Freon, or paint thinners.

"Use of these chemicals can produce a euphoric feeling similar to that experienced with other illicit drugs. The effects of the inhalant are intensified when breathing from a closed bag."

Though the long-term damage caused by huffing isn't known, the short-term damage is easy to determine. Some speculate that long-term exposure causes brain damage, and damage to the central nervous system. Read more at BentonEveningNews.com.

Private boarding schools offer a structured environment for kids who may find themselves with too much free time on their hands. Find one at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: drug_abuse, experimentation, middle_school