Community Members Collaborate to Tackle "Cheese" Heroin

A dangerous combination of heroin and nighttime pain relievers, known on the streets as "cheese," has taken a toll on Dallas youth, contributing to as many as 20 deaths in the past two years, countless trips to hospitals, and an overwhelming demand for substance abuse treatment services.

Earlier this year, a Dallas County Cheese Heroin Task Force was created to improve communication and provide coordinated action planning to attack this drug crisis. Concerned citizens, law enforcement personnel, educators, health professionals, and government officials have joined forces and are facilitating accurate data collection, parent and student education, media messages, and community outreach.

"Cheese" is a highly addictive mixture of black tar heroin ground up with nighttime pain relievers, frequently Tylenol PM, and sold for as little as $2 a dose. Most believe that it got the name "cheese" because of its appearance, similar to that of ground parmesan cheese. While it has a deceptively innocent name, it can be potentially lethal. The combination may contain only 2 to 8 percent heroin, but even that amount has been contributing to heroin addiction among Dallas youth as young as nine. Task Force leaders are particularly concerned that cheese/heroin is attracting young teens and pre-teens, many of whom may not realize its potential dangers. "Since cheese/heroin is inhaled, rather than injected, some teens do not believe it carries the same risks," says Alison Watros, Program Director of the Region 3 Prevention Resource Center. "In fact, it is addictive, and it has the potential to lead to injected heroin use."

Cheese/heroin was first documented in Dallas in 2005, but the numbers were relatively low. It wasn't until this past spring when deaths, arrests, and school reports increased that community leaders noticed a trend and responded quickly. Debbie Meripolski, Executive Director of the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, chairs the Cheese/Heroin Task Force. According to Mrs. Meripolski, the drug took an early hold in some Northwest Dallas schools and neighborhoods, but now some use is being seen elsewhere in Dallas and its suburban communities. Oddly enough, there are few reports of the drug in other Texas and U.S. cities. "We've taken a strong proactive approach to this problem by creating the county-wide task force. A collaborative approach has the best chance of producing positive outcomes." The group is broad based and includes representatives from the County Commission, Dallas ISD, Dallas Police Department, DEA, Dallas County Health Department, Parkland Hospital, Dallas County Juvenile Department, Poison Control, treatment providers, prevention providers and community advocates.

Several of the collaborators organized a one-day cheese/heroin conference on April 2 to train professionals. The conference, which was capped at 300 participants, resulted in a waiting list so long that a second conference was held on May 17, also attracting nearly 300. Another conference is planned for the fall, right after school starts.

The Task Force, which now numbers more than 60, has organized itself into seven focused workgroups: 1) Data Collection, 2) Treatment, 3) Prevention/Education, 4) Law Enforcement, 5) Recovery, 6) Media Relations, and 7) Resource Development. The workgroups meet individually to plan and implement activities aimed at reducing the supply of and demand for cheese/heroin. Some examples of those community-based activities are:

• The Dallas Police Department has stepped up enforcement in the most heavily affected neighborhoods and this has resulted in increased arrests for heroin distribution.
• Dallas Independent School District has implemented an array of new prevention and intervention programs including parent academies, teacher and counselor training, and increased education and enforcement by the Dallas ISD police.
• Prevention providers have carried out a public awareness campaign that has utilized public service announcements, presentations, street outreach, and broad distribution of posters, flyers, and resource lists, most of which are printed in both English and Spanish. Fox 4 donated the production of a public service announcement that it is broadcasting regularly, and the Today Foundation designated $25,000 for the creation and printing of prevention posters and flyers.
• Meetings between Task Force members and the Dallas City Manager resulted in a strongly increased commitment from the Dallas Park and Recreation Department to provide summer activities for youth in the affected neighborhoods, as well as increased city code enforcement in neighborhood apartment complexes.
• Treatment providers are working with one another and with the Texas Department of State Health Services to maximize treatment options for youth who have become addicted to heroin.

The Task Force message is that heroin by any other name is still heroin, and heroin is extremely dangerous. Drug pushers are attempting to market this product by giving it a cute name and selling it cheaply, but it is still a highly addictive and harmful drug. Task Force members will continue to meet regularly and work diligently to reduce the availability and use of this drug. For more information, contact dmeripolski@gdcada.org.