An Innocent Name for a Deadly Drug

May 24, 2007 — -- In the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, police believe that an innocuous sounding substance is responsible for the drug overdose deaths of 21 people, all younger than 21-years-old.

The "cheese," as it's called on the street, is a highly-addictive mixture of black tar heroin and over-the-counter sedatives such as Tylenol PM.

The drug has become popular in some middle and high schools because it is so cheap -- single doses are sold for $2 or $3 -- and because no needles are necessary.

Sgt. Jeremy Liebbe, a narcotics officer for the Dallas Independent School District Police, said drug dealers have targeted a new market for "cheese" -- school kids as young as 9 years old.

"To market heroin to kids," Liebbe said, "you've got to get rid of the needle, because even the hardcore cheese users have said, 'I wouldn't stick a needle in my arm to get high, but I'll snort it up my nose.' So you've got to get rid of the needles and you've got to make it cheap enough for kids to afford."

Liebbe believes the nickname "cheese" originates from the Spanish word "chiva," which is street slang for heroin. The mixture also has the consistency, if not the color, of Parmesan cheese.

One 17-year-old girl recovering from a heroin overdose in a Dallas rehabilitation center said she became addicted after using "cheese" as often as four or five times a day.

The girl, a junior in high school, said students would snort the mixture in class or school bathrooms using hollowed-out ballpoint pens. "Cheese" became popular, the teenager said, "because it's so cheap."

Police in the Dallas area first noticed "cheese" in August 2005. Since then, they have handled more than 200 cases, most of them in Hispanic neighborhoods.

"The guys bringing it in are usually the Mexican-affiliated gangs," said Liebbe. "They're going to end up selling to the neighborhoods that they're comfortable in."