Inhalants Are the New Gateways to Gateway Drugs
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
NO COKE AND MIRRORS Inhalants The times, they are a'changin'. "Gateway drug"—a title once firmly held by Mary Jane is being ceded to more desperate ways to get high. You know the path: It starts with Flintstones. Then it's straight to Pepto, then Bactine, hydrogen peroxide, Miss Clairol, Bayer, Immodium, then, inevitably, speedballs. Presently, though, it's inhalants like shoe polish and glue that are the drugs of choice for 12- and 13-year-olds (or it's the only things they can get their tiny little hands on), according to a new national report released by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. After raiding their home for possibly trippy craft and cleaning supplies, teens then have the option to move on to more traditional "gateway drugs," like marijuana and painkillers. Parents are advised to watch their children for sudden interest in shoe shining or Mod Podge. The troubled youth of today—needing gateway drugs to gateway drugs. FoxNews