Pocono News Section

Cold Medicines Used to Get a Buzz

Cold Medicines Used to Get a Buzz - Friday, March 7, 2008 at 2:56PM EST

Reported by: David DeCosmo
Friday, Mar 7, 2008 @02:56pm EST

CLARKS SUMMIT, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- Investigators in Lackawanna County are concerned about another growing drug problem. It involves the misuse of over the counter cold medicines.

Clarks Summit Police Chief Louis Vitale is looking for some help. He's hoping that someone can identify and help him locate the two individuals seen in a surveillance video from Gerrity's Supermarket. They were photographed on two separate occasions. One was seen picking up and then concealing at least two boxes of a product later identified as Coricidin, a cold remedy.

Chief Vitale said that some people take the entire contents in a single dose to try to get a buzz. "We're concerned that somebody unknowingly will experiment, which is what it is. Some of its experimenting and there will be a tragic result. Or lead them down that path. Being young and not knowing or having those life experiences could lead them down the road to more serious things and potentially ruin their lives" declared Chief Vitale.

Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola said he's well aware of this misuse of cold remedies. He said it is a problem that has been growing. "Depending on the amount that you take it’s always dangerous. Certain cough suppressants contain more milligrams of the drug and that gets them the high more so than others. That's what we want to keep an eye out for" explained D.A. Jarbola.

The containers swiped in Clarks Summit were found near the store; empty. While some of the latest thefts were caught on camera, Chief Vitale said there have been others. If you have any information about the individuals seen in the surveillance video you're asked to contact the Clarks Summit Police Department.

The growing problem involving the misuse of cold medicines has prompted some establishments to take products off the shelves, forcing customers to ask for the remedies.