-,Page.11, News, Tuesday, April.7, 1992. , Look-alike drugs have filtered in from US DR. Usoa Busto pulls open a slender drawer of a small fil- ing cabinet in the pharmacy offices. Inside are rows of brightly colored capsules and tablets--transparent blue, green, speckled, bi- colored--even a couple heart- shaped tablets, sorted neatly into individual compartments. "They're quite pretty, actu- ally," she says, closing the drawer. She pulls open another filing cabinet. "Here are some more," she says. "We have about 50 tablets and capsules and information about another 200 or so products--probably one of the most complete col- lections of look-alike drugs in the world." The Addiction Research Foundation's pharmacy staff began collecting pills and relat- ed advertisements and informa- tion in the late 1970s, shortly after look-alike drugs first appeared on the scene. At that time, they were manufactured in illicit basement laboratories in the US. The pills contained varying combinations of phedrine, phenyl- propanolamine (PPA) and caf- feine, and were sold as stimu- lants. They were often misrep- resented as speed or sold in capsules that resemble those of legally | manufactured amphetamines. ' "They have an interesting history," adds Eva Janecek, the head of ARF's Pharmacy Ser- vice. 7One...- Ofa- the...main entrepreneurs, if you like, was a trucker named Edward Seay. He used amphetamine stimu- lants himself, but various leg- islative changes made it increasingly difficult to buy them on the street. So Seay -began manufacturing look- alikes, made up of caffeine, and selling them through truck - stop and mail order sales. His operation was called "Peashooter', which he took as his CB radio handle. At its peak, Peashooter was moving five million look-alikes per month, under names like black beauties, pink hearts and what have you. Strictly speaking, there was nothing illegal about it in the US. " But by 1981, the look-alikes were causing widespread con- cem. Not only were they used by truckers, they were also seen as initiating young people into a world of drugs and drug dealing. Furthermore, when taken in doses high enough to stimulate the central nervous system, these drugs can pro- duce such side effects as high blood pressure, irregular heart- beat, and agitation. Deaths due to stroke were also reported following massive doses of ones cone Rates Sage Dmg Administration moved to restrict the traffic of look alikes by announcing that triple com- bination products were new drugs and consequently anyone who wished to manufacture these drugs was required to apply to the government for a licence. Manufacturers were also informed that such drugs would have to be certified. It was unlikely, of course, that the small manufacturers who produced look-alikes would file required documents. ; "The situation now is very different," says Dr. Buso. "Even the name_ has changed. Since many of them aN, iN MEMORIAM SM) 'BAXTER, BETTY 9 bin loving memory of ( "our dear mother and grandmother, who passed away April 10, 1988. Deep in our hearts no longer resemble the amphetamines they originally imitated, they're now called street stimulants instead of look-alikes. And they're often marketed as weight loss or anti-fatigue medicinals. Most of them contain only caffeine." . r memory is kept, In Canada, where even caf- pe pee a Stee feine tablets require authoriza- And ae forget 3 tion, street stimulants are brought here from the US via different routes. "Ads for look-alikes tend to appear in drug culture maga- zines like "High Times", says 7missed by Don, Loved 'and en Karen, Rachel & Brian OP TR SR WO ee scee torr IN MEMORIAM BAXTER - In loving memory of Betty Baxter, a dear mother and grandmother who was called to rest on April 10th, 1988. If tears could build a stairway And heartaches make a lane We'd walk the path to Heaven To bring you back again No longer in our life to share But in our hearts You are always there. Lovingly remembered and sadly missed by Wayne, Lynda, Wendy and ree Dr. Busto, "but every now and then, a mainstream magazine continued on page 12 'To help you fill out your income tax return From February 24 to April 30, we offer an "after hours" phone service from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday. 4? You can also call T.I.P.S. Info-Tax, our automated phone service, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for recorded information on selected topics. N e No-calculation returns T ake thin di d tw ler tax return ay an 4 esac gc, Ooi He tai Cisne. PA These optional returns are great for people with straightforward tax situations. If you're under 65, you can use the "Short." If you're 65 or over, the "65 Plus" is for you. Whatever return you use, you should fill out only one. 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