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Itawamba / Fulton Narcotics
The Narcotics Investigation Division of the Itawamba County Sheriff's Department is combined with the Narcotics Investigation Division of the Fulton Police Department and works to enforce the Mississippi Uniformed Controlled Substance Laws through the use of criminal and civil laws. Both agencies are members of the North Mississippi Narcotics Unit in Tupelo Ms and work jointly with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN) and The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). It continually works to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking, and manufacture of illicit drugs in Itawamba County Ms. It also strives to gather information for the protection of the public for use by the Itawamba County Criminal Investigation Division, Mississippi Bureau of Investigations and Mississippi Homeland Security as a large majority of crime is drug related. The Narcotics Division strives to educate the general public on the latest trends that are occuring in the community.

*Methamphetamines -also known as meth, crystal, crystal meth, speed, crank, ice, glass, shards, or chaulk
**Meth can be snorted, swallowed, smoked, injected, or injested.
-Pattern of use:
Meth is a highly addictive and very dangerous drug. It is most often used in a "Binge and Crash" pattern because tolerance for methamphetamine occurs within minutes - meaning that the pleasureable effects disappear even before the drug concentration falls significantly - users try to maintain the high by binging on the drug.
-Effects of Use:
Meth, even in small doses can increase wakefullness and physical activity while decreasing appetite. A brief, intense "rush" is reported by those who smoke or inject the drug. Meth abuse has toxic effects as well. A single high dose has been shown to damage nerve terminals in the dopamine - containing regions of the brain. High doses can elevate body temperature to dangerous, sometimes lethal levels, as well as cause convulsions. Long term meth abuse has many damaging effects. In addition to addiction to meth, cronic meth users exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also display a number of phycotic features including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions (for example - the sensation of insects creeping on the skin - which is called "formication"). The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts. Meth can cause a number of cardio-vascular problems also - These include rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and irreversable, stroke producing damage to small blood vellels in the brain. Hyper-thermia(elevated body temperature) and convulsions occur with high doses of meth and if not treated immediately can result in death.

*Powder Cocaine slang/street names - snow, sneeze, coke, C, blow, dust, flake, icing, baseball, candycaine or candy cane . . .
*Crack Cocaine slang/street names - crack, rock(s), crack rock, gravel ball, blow caine bones, Devil's Dandruff, eighball, sleet . . . .
*This is just a few of the slang/street names for cocaine and crack cocaine - there are many others

Cocaine is very harmful to your body and your mind. It is made from the coca plant and causes short-lived high that is immediately followed by opposite, intense feelings of depression, edginess, and craving for more of the drug. Cocaine may be snorted as a powder, converted to a liquid form and injucted with a needle, or processed to a crystal form (crack) to be smoked. Because crack is smoked, the user experiences a high in less than 10 seconds. The effects of crack and cocaine are sinilar, although because of the fack that crack is smoked - there are additional risks. General effects with both include constricted blood vessels, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, restlessness, irritability, anxiety, and with long-term use, violence and paranoia are also factors. The additional risks of smoking crack include respitory problems such as shortness of breath, chest pains, lung trauma and bleeding. As with cocaine, crack is highly addictive. Evidence shows that when cocaine and crack are smoked (as opposed to other methods), there is increased risk of compulsive cocaine-seeking behavior.
Effects on the Body
People who use cocaine do not often have good eating or sleeping habits. They experience increased heart rate, muscle spasms, and convulsions. If they snort cocaine, they can also permenantly damage their nasal tissue. Cocaine use can cause heart attacks, seizures, strokes, and respitory failure. People who share needles can also contract hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, or other diseases. Cocaine interferes with the way your brain processes chemicals that create feelings of pleasure, so you need more and more of the drug to feel normal. People who become addicted to cocaine start to lose interest in other areas of their life. Using cocaine can make you feel paranoid, angry, hostile, and anxious, even when you are not high.

*Ecstasy's chemical name is 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine (MDMA)
The negative effects of Ecstasy include but are not limited to involuntary teeth clenching, a loss of inhibitions, transfixion on sights or sounds, nausea, blurred vision, chills and sweating. The after effects of the drug include sleep problems, anxiety, and depression. It increases the heart rate and blood pressure, as well as seizures are possible. It also causes severe dehydration and hyperthermia which can lead to a breakdown of muscle tissue, kidney, liver, and cardio-vascusar failure. Ecstasy has also been found to be a factor in hundreds of deaths each year in the US.
Repeat use of Ecstasy will damage the cells that produce serotonin, which has an important role in the regulation of mood, appetite, pain, learning, and memory. There is also research suggesting Ecstasy use will disrupt or interfere with one's memory and may cause erectile disfunction.
The bad thing about noticing signs of Ecstasy use is there are not any confirmed signs of use if the user is not under the influence of the drug at that time.

Pharmaceutical or Prescription drugs can be injested (swollowed), crushed and snorted or injected.

- Prescription Drug abuse is a growing problem also. Many people believe that it is okay to take the pharmaceutical drugs simply because they have "legitimate" uses but taking them just to get "high" or "self-medicate" is very dangerous. These drugs, just like other illicit drugs are addictive and are also harmful to the human body and mind.
- Many parents are less likely to tell children about the dangers of prescription drug abuse than they are other street narcotics and other illicit drugs and alcohol abuse. Although parents generally know the dangers of prescription drug abuse, very few parents discuss prescription drug abuse with their teenager. Part of the reason for this is that alot of parents do not realize that this is a problem but prescription drug abuse is growing more and more popular with adolescents and teenagers in grades 7-12. When asked their reasons for taking this type of drug as opposed to other illicit drugs the top three answers given by teens are:
The drugs are easy to get from parents medicene cabinets, The drugs are not "illegal" drugs, and if they get caught with them all they have to say is "I have a prescription for that at home".
- We want parents to know that this is a bigger problem than just taking "prescription drugs". Many times when the prescription drugs are not available or just "not enough" anymore, the user will begin to use another type of illicit drug such as heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamines.
There are many different types of pharmaceutical drugs which are being abused. The most commonly abused are:
*Opioids used to treat pain
*Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants used to treat sleep disorders and anxiety
*Stimulants used to treat narcolepsy (a sleep disorder)
These drugs will normally be in pill form and there a wide variety of colors, shapes, sizes, and strengths.

Some signs or symptoms of abuse are (but not limited to):
Slurred speech, appear very tired - fall in and out of sleep (nodding off), hard time sitting or standing straight, may be unbalanced or uncoordinated, oblivious to surroundings.
Users may also have a decrease in ambition or efficiency, have anger control problems, become confused, depressed, have severe mood swings, become dishonest.
There are also some times changes in appearance such as a fluctuation in weight, eye redness, or red/runny nose.