 No whistling, at least felt for a commercial or something. Sorry, it's unconscious, I don't even know I'm doing it. Well, I sure do. Hey, look at him weave. Who? Back there, feeding loaded. Better round him up before he kills somebody. Must have flooded it or something. But I feel great, just great. Yeah, well now listen to me. I want you to take the key out of the ignition and step out of the car. Would you do that for me please? No, man, I don't, I really don't know. I want you to take the key out of the ignition and step out of the car, please. Sure. Why not? Portrait of a man under the influence, but of what? A few too many drinks, a happy alcoholic fog. He's got that fuzzy look and he moves like a drunk. And surely his driving suggests anything but sobriety. What's this all about? Just stay calm, you're just barely left fast, that's all. Was that having fun? Yeah, weave a little bit too. Oh, I didn't notice that. What's the problem? Okay, come on up again in the car. You got your ID card on you? Sure, sure. He doesn't smell like a drunk, but the heavy mint scent on his breath may be masking the presence of liquor. A few moments later some of the happy fog has dissipated. He's feeling slightly nauseous, drowsy, but he's got to go to the john. But what junk doesn't get nauseous or sleepy, and what drunk doesn't have to go to the john? Portrait of a man under the influence. At one time that phrase referred only to a drunk, but times have changed and the alert law enforcer doesn't jump to conclusions. He knows that unusual, irrational, or abnormal behavior, though still most likely to result from too much drinking, may also be caused by the use of narcotics, dangerous drugs, or marijuana. Yes, sir. In dealing with narcotic or dangerous drug offenses, the law enforcer faces a problem of physical symptoms which are frequently confusing or misleading, and evidence which is easily hidden or disguised. Step one in tackling the problem is to be well aware of its existence. Step two is knowledge. You must learn to recognize both the physical symptoms presented by the drug abuser and the many shapes and forms in which drug evidence may be found. The subject is a broad one, but three categories will best serve for an introduction to symptoms and evidence. They are hallucinogens, depressants, and stimulants. The hallucinogens are mind-altering drugs, and the one you are most likely to run into most often, of course, is marijuana. Possession and use of this illegal drug is so prevalent that even grade school children are aware of its most common, slang names, pot and grass. Most users smoke pot, and it is often smoked in cigarette form. As a cigarette, it is easy to identify. Hand rolled, crimped at the ends, the paper thicker and stronger than standard cigarette paper. A recent innovation, paper with colorful psychedelic pattern. In addition to the crude form, marijuana cigarettes are easily distinguishable by the contents themselves. Marijuana is not soft and pliable like regular tobacco. The texture is rougher, the pieces far less uniform. Sometimes small pieces of stems and seeds will be found. Many smokers will use pipes, and their choice of odd unusual pipes, generally smaller than the tobacco smokers, is a help in identifying them. But not all marijuana users are smokers, and not all smokers restrict themselves to smoking. Some users simply eat the stuff, and some users find many variations of form, like these brownies, which contain almost as much pot as they do flour. In bulk form, you might find marijuana compressed into a brick, or in a matchbox, or a plastic container, or even a plastic bag. If you're looking for evidence of possession, overlook nothing, including the corners of pockets, which may still have remnants of their former contents. It would be easy to mistake this block for sandstone or masonite. But what you are actually looking at is hashish. Hashish is marijuana in its most concentrated form, and is made primarily from the marijuana plant's rosins. In bulk quantities, hashish is usually packaged in the form of a light greenish brown, dark brown, or black oblong flat cake, from one quarter to three quarters inches thick. These loaves or soles, as they are often called, are broken into small irregular cubes or chunks, and are sold by the gram on the black market. Usually smoked, chewed, or sniffed, hashish is far more potent than ordinary marijuana, and can have an effect up to ten times stronger on the user. Just what effect does marijuana have on the user? The only real answer to that question is an unpredictable one. The quality of the marijuana itself can vary, and the user's mental and physical makeup are other variants. He may feel euphoria, giddiness. He may get careless, misjudge time, lose his powers of concentration and his sense of judgment. He may feel dizzy, have burning bloodshot eyes and a dry mouth. His vision may be somewhat distorted. He may suffer from diarrhea, nausea, throat irritations. He may become very hungry with a craving for candy and sweets. He may appear to be sleepy or in a dream-like stupor, or possibly just relaxed and relatively normal. These are all possibilities, depending upon the dose he used and his prior experience with marijuana. Let me see your ID card, please. Yeah. Seems to be the problem, so... Nothing. I just had a couple of drinks. I think they disagree with me. Feel a little nauseous. You know, sweaty. Well, if you're sick, maybe you might... No, no, I'm not sick. I just sat down, clear my head. This is where I pick up my bus. I just go back to the port and sack out. I'll be okay. Okay, so, straighten your uniform. Despite all the possible symptoms and effects, the fact is it is relatively easy for an experienced user to mask the effects of a marijuana high. Overt manifestations, strong, positive proof of intoxication, are rarely present. And your hat. There may be situations such as the one you have just seen when drug use is not fully obvious and sufficient circumstances for apprehension or other police action do not exist. The experienced user rarely gives himself away by a display of obvious intoxication. He is either caught in the act or found in possession of the drug. But there is one helpful clue to marijuana use and possession, and that is the odor. Burning marijuana has a distinctive odor, which is easily recognized by those who are familiar with it. The law enforcers should get to know that odor, and you should also be aware that heavy perfume and incense are frequently used as a cover-up for that odor. Of all the illicit drugs of abuse, marijuana is the Army's greatest problem because it is one of the most common. But the hallucinogens include several other drugs, which, though relatively uncommon, have far more serious effects on the user than marijuana. Most of them are called by their initials. LSD, DMT, DET, D-O-M-M-D-A-P-C-P. There are also peyote and its derivative mescaline, and among others, psilocybin. Mescaline sometimes appears in the form of small white pills. DMT may be packaged in aluminum foil or mixed with tobacco. LSD can take almost any shape. These small, colorful pills are only one possibility. In its liquid form, LSD is tasteless, odorless, and clear, and can be applied to almost anything. LSD tablets manufactured in clandestine laboratories often have imperfections on the edges or surfaces of the tablets due to the crude or unsophisticated machines and dyes used to stamp the tablets. Sugar cubes. Candy. Crackers. A postage stamp. Even paper. All can be impregnated with liquid LSD for later consumption by the user. The investigator must be aware of the many ways in which these drugs can be hidden and disguised. To find the evidence, he must at least be as clever and imaginative as the man who conceals it. The effects of the various hallucinogenic drugs can rain from relatively mild to extreme. Again, we must contend with varying doses and varying mental and physical tolerances in different human beings. He may feel a dream like euphoria, a cloud nine freedom from reality, which under some circumstances may seem relatively normal. But his ability to function to do his job will be effective. This, of course, will bring his condition into visibility. That visibility, however, can take the form of symptoms easily misinterpreted. And he might be considered lazy, indifferent, incompetent, or perhaps just a bit off his feet. I couldn't believe this. I'd never seen anything like it in my life. This guy was crazy. He started screaming like a nut and running all over the floor. And then, well, we tried to stop him, but, well, he ran into the latrine and we figured we better call you. Yeah, he's up there, but I'm not going to go after him. He must have been crazy, man. At the other end of the scale, the extreme reaction. In these cases, the user will suffer wild hallucinations. He's in here. You OK? Take a moment to stay. When a man's behavior is extremely abnormal, prompt medical attention is always called for. But since his actions are not predictable, he is a potential threat to you and to himself. He should be handled with care. Those three guidelines bear repeating, for they should be followed with all cases of extremely abnormal behavior in which drug abuse is suspected or indicated. One, protect yourself from possible assault. Two, protect the individual from possible self-damage. Three, get him medical attention as quickly as possible. As illegal drugs of abuse, those classified as depressants usually result in more social deterioration and premature deaths than any other type of drug. Depressant drugs include the opiates and synthetic opiates, barbiturates and tranquilizers. The opiates and synthetic opiates are narcotic drugs that are stringently regulated under the law because of their ability to rapidly produce physical dependence or addiction. Heroin, morphine and opium are examples of opiates. Methadone and demoral are examples of synthetic opiates. Heroin's ability to produce addiction is so great that it is not used in the practice of medicine in the United States. Heroin addiction motivates a high percentage of crime and destroys thousands of lives annually. The important questions for law enforcers are, what does it look like? What clues suggest its use? What symptoms does the user display? And how should the addict be handled? Heroin usually appears in the form of a white crystalline powder. But depending on the impurities often found in heroin, it may appear off-white or even tan in color. The quantity of pure heroin is increased by cutting it with milk sugar, quinine, manite or other similar substances. It is normally sold in small glassy envelopes or packets, or sometimes in gelatin capsules. It is sometimes sniffed like snuff, but most users inject it, either under the skin or into a vein. Injection requires equipment, and that equipment can be a giveaway. To be injected, heroin must be liquefied. This is frequently accomplished by using a spoon or a bottle cap with an improvised handle as a cooker, in which the heroin is dissolved in water. Heat is needed for this process. A hypodermic is also essential, whether homemade or a discard retrieved from a clinic or perhaps even purchased from a drugstore. Another essential, anything that will serve as a tourniquet to cause the vein to bulge, making it more accessible. Absorbent cotton is another common item. It serves as a filter through which the liquefied heroin is drawn into the hypo, and as a blotter which will pick up and store the residue. This array of equipment is usually a good indication of heroin use. A radio is only one of a thousand places an addict might use to hide such material. The heroin user's habit is the prime focal point of his existence. This fact, plus the desperation that motivates his need for concealment, can prod him into some extremely clever and crafty ideas. The heroin addict's body itself provides clues to his use of the drug. Repeated injections will leave scars and there will frequently be signs of infection, caused by the unsanitary equipment he uses. Since body concealment is difficult for the soldier, the uniformed user may try to hide his habit by injecting the drug into less generally visible areas of the body. For this reason, physical examination of a suspected heroin user must overlook no part of the body. Attics have been known to inject the drug into the scalp or to hide drugs in thick hair. And they sometimes will use the veins of the instep as an injection point. We can divide the heroin user's symptoms into three categories. When he is under the influence of the drug, when he is suffering withdrawal or need of a fix, and when he may be reacting to an overdose. When under the influence of the drug, the heroin user is in a dream-like condition. He's lethargic, drowsy, detached from the world around him. Taking him into custody presents no particular problem, other than the fact that you might have to carry him. When he is in need of a fix, suffering from withdrawal symptoms, the user's image changes considerably. The physical toll taken by his habit has already caused an extreme loss of weight and a general deterioration. The use of and need for heroin generates a wide variety of possible symptoms. Nervousness, sweating, pains, cramps, itching, constipation, loss of appetite, and desperation for his next fix motivates a need for money that can drive him to any lengths. What do you say? The hamburger's getting cold. I'm not hungry, I told you. Take this to security, okay? What am I going to do with a watch? Okay, the hell with it? 20 bucks and it's yours. It's worth a hell of a lot more, but you can have for 20. Hey, I don't get it. Your soldier watched the hamming some month ago. Where'd this come from? It's my other one, my good one. Come on, Wilson. A favor. You get a dream deal and you do me a favor. You got the dough and I know it. Look, I got a watch. I don't want to buy nothing. I'm not going to lend you any money. You still owe me for the... Now he is ripe for burglary or any form of theft or assault that might bring him money. In this condition, the heroin addict is a definite threat. He should be approached with caution. If he gets no fix, however, the withdrawal symptoms will increase in intensity and he will be reduced to helplessness. Spasms, cramps, vomiting, diarrhea. He will be literally a mess. He'll look bad and he may smell worse. But your job, and it's a difficult one, is to recognize that he is a man in need of help. The situation is not as urgent as it appears. He is not in any immediate danger of death. In these instances, you simply pick him up and get him to a doctor. Heroin, obviously, is not manufactured to any tight standards of control. The fix purchased by the user can contain varying amounts of the drug and it may well contain a higher dose than he can tolerate. It is this overdose which accounts for most heroin fatalities. The heroin overdose is a quick killer. It works on the part of the brain that controls a respiratory system and the result is asphyxia. Medical attention can often help if it is administered quickly enough. Resuscitation may also help the overdose victim. When dealing with drug users, you have no way of knowing what drugs may be present on or in the mouth. So an airway or similar device should be available for emergency use. Other drugs in the depressant category are barbiturates and tranquilizers. Drugs of abuse in the stimulant category are cocaine and the amphetamine. As most high school kids know, depressants are downers and stimulants are uppers. These are all legally manufactured items, but they are produced in such large quantities that they frequently get into the hands of those who have no legal right to possess or use them. Some are amphetamines, uppers. Some are barbiturates and tranquilizers, downers. Prescribed by a doctor, their use is legal and safe. Without a prescription, illegal and dangerous. Cocaine is a powerful narcotic stimulant used by drug abusers. In the illegal drug trade, it is usually seen in the form of a white crystalline powder, which looks like ground glass or fine snow. It is generally sniffed into the nostrils by the user, but may also be injected into a vein. We've all heard about the truck drivers who keep themselves awake with uppers over a long haul. We've all read about the famous movie stars who put themselves to sleep permanently with overdoses of downers. And the final results will be announced on the 12 o'clock news. The famous actress Helen White is dead at age 56 as a result of an overdose of sleeping pills. Miss White was found dead at her Beverly Hills apartment at four this morning by her husband. Upers and downers. Easy to come by and easy to hide. Some identification is made possible by pill shapes and colors, which are coated by the manufacturers. But capsule contents can easily be changed. And some drugs are manufactured illegally by amateur chemists. Final positive identification is possible only by lab analysis. Remember, too, the contents of a standard package are easily juggled. And what looks like aspirin may be uppers or downers. When under the influence of barbiturates, the user displays symptoms very similar to an alcohol drunk. His movements are slow and unsteady. His breathing may be shallow. His face may be flushed. Thought, movement, action, reaction, speech, all are slowed by the drug. Did you get your head on a band? Excuse me. Sorry. What's the matter, man? It's on the bed. The extent of his lethargy is dependent upon the dosage and his own tolerances. And overdose can cause coma and death. Excessive use of barbiturates can cause physical addiction and withdrawal brings a wide variety of symptoms. Increasing nervousness, insomnia, tremors, nausea, delirium, weakness, failure of muscular coordination, cramps, vomiting, convulsions, and often death. It is extremely important to know and remember that depressants, downers, barbiturates, and certain tranquilizers can be killers. Without medical help, the user can die from overdose all withdrawal. It is all too easy to mistake the depressant user for a drunk, particularly since he will frequently mix his pills with liquor and thus even smell like a guy who has simply had a few too many. In this case, his use of alcohol and downers impaired his judgment, leading him into trouble. The simple, obvious solution may seem to be one of, book him, lock him up, and let him sleep it off. But that obvious simple solution could well result in a fatality. Under the influence of an overdose, or the even more powerful effects of a mixture of alcohol and depressants, he can slip quickly into a coma. In a matter of minutes, he can be a dead man. In all cases where drug abuse is indicated or suspected, medical advice and assistance should be the first step. Do you think this man is under the influence of barbiturates? Yes, sir, we did. I would just like to know if he's going to be all right. If the gentleman ever sees it up in the hall, we'll have to check the blood level first. If it is felt that the man will require medical treatment, your job will be to turn him over to competent medical personnel for treatment and possible rehabilitation. Stimulants, the uppers, excite the central nervous system. The governors are thrown loose and the motorists race ahead at top speed. The stimulant abuser is thus usually very visible. He is on the go at double time, animated, talkative, restless. He doesn't sleep and isn't interested in food. Most important, he is emotionally unpredictable. His mood can change suddenly. I'm out. What do you mean, out? I'm out, that's all. Out, out, out, out. What do you think we are, a bunch of idiots? You're not out. You're way ahead you can afford to lose. Now, turn those cards back over. Now, what are you getting so excited about? Look, I got a... What the hell do you have? Either turn those cards back over or give back the money you want. Come on, Smitty. You already need to give it back. All right, look, I'm not going to play. I'll kill you, Joe. Don't kill you without me getting me, but I'm going to get you first. Remember, the man who is high on stimulants is always a potential threat. Let me go. I'll kill you. When taking him into custody, be ready for sudden bursts of violence. Do not be fooled by a period of peaceful calm. This man is reacting to an attack of nausea. He's got chills. He's sweating. He's suffering from abdominal cramps. His walk is a bit unsteady. Any better? A little. Put the shakes. Feel hot. Put the chills at the same time. Yeah. I had food poisoning last week. Doesn't feel lousy. You sure you're going to be all right? In fact, he's exhibiting more than a couple of the symptoms shown by drug abusers in stages of withdrawal. But the fact is, he never had anything stronger than an aspirin in his life. The man is just plain sick. Just plain sick. It isn't easy or sometimes even possible for the military policeman or CID agent to tell whether a man is displaying symptoms of drug abuse or whether he's just plain sick. But the point is you must realize the possibility. The man whose actions are irregular, unusual, or abnormal may be a drug user. Now, this doesn't mean you have to be suspicious of every little twitch or stumble or arrest every man who looks a little bit sleepy. Remember, it's usually a combination of factors that indicate the narcotics or drug offense, not just one isolated item. But you must be alert. And you must back that alertness with a well-rounded knowledge of all narcotics and other drugs of abuse. What do they look like? What effect do they have on the user? You must have all the answers. Remember, when drug abuse is suspected, follow the guidelines. One, protect yourself from possible assault. Two, protect the individual from possible self-injury. Three, get a medical attention as quickly as possible. When under the influence of his drug, the heroin user is in a dream-like condition. Taking him into custody usually involves no particular problem other than possibly having to carry him. But when in need of a fix or suffering withdrawal symptoms, the heroin addict can be a definite threat and should be approached with caution. When suffering extreme withdrawal symptoms, the heroin addict becomes a repulsive-looking mess. But you must realize that he is a man in need of help. In this condition, he is not in any immediate danger of death. But he does need medical attention. A heroin overdose kills quickly. If administered promptly, resuscitation may help to save the person's life. Barbiturates are deadly when abused. Mistaking a barbiturate addict for a drunk can be fatal, since he can slip quickly into a coma and may die without medical attention. In all cases where drug abuse is indicated or suspected, medical advice should be sought. The stimulant abuser is particularly dangerous. Uppers pull out the stops, and he is emotionally unstable. Always be ready for sudden, unpredictable bursts of violence. Many symptoms of drug abuse are identical with symptoms of common illnesses or drunkenness. Only a doctor can make a final, reliable diagnosis of the cause of those symptoms. But there may be times when you'll be forced to make a judgment, and that responsibility is an important one. It leaves you no choice but to become an expert on the subject of drugs and drug abusers. The knowledge is available, and the rest is up to you.