Editorial: New concoction for addicts
-A A +AThursday, July 22, 2010
IT NOW appears that innovativeness is not true only to people who do things at a higher moral ground for the public good. Their counterpart among our social denizens are just as equally adept at undertaking things that negate whatever good may be produced by the former.
Consider the rather innocent item called a “milk shake.” Now, a creative but twisted mind has come up with a drug combination under such innocent-sounding name.
Mixture
“Milk shake,” a mixture of Nubain and powdered shabu, has already claimed the lives of six individuals in Barangay Kamagayan, Cebu City.
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What this incident conveys is that drug dealers are capable of producing product variations as a means of attracting new clients and consumers. And just like the cigarette manufacturers, drug dealers the new products can package and market the drug in various attractive ways and sold these slyly and subtly.
But had there not been reports on the six deaths, would law enforcers have known of the existence of “milk shake”?
In demand
Reports have it that in Barangay Kamagayan, the concoction is now in demand. Kamagayan is one of the city’s ten areas where illegal drugs are reportedly rampant.
“Milk shake” is suddenly popular because of its cheaper cost, and yet, when injected, its effect can last from three to four days. Thus, it is preferred by the users because they can save money.
It is said that buying Nubain ampoule and a sachet of shabu separately will cost more, but about four to six people could share with one mixture, and the total cost will only be P300, broken down to P100 Nubain ampoule, and a P200 sachet of shabu.
Not a fad?
The burden of containing this apparently new menace in drug addiction in the city falls on the shoulders of the barangay leaders. But are they capable of doing it?
The answer to the question could only be known if the “milk shake” fad is contained in Kamagayan and would not spread throughout the city, and eventually, the province.



