Quaalude withdrawal is dangerous
By MARILYN RILEY
First of a two part series
Since last spring, the Ann
Arbor drug market has been
flooded with Quaalude-the most
popular brand of a drug which
is known medically as metha-
qualone.
As use of the drug as a downer
becomes more widespread, more
evidence appears concerning the
drug's addictive .potential when
used for other than its prescrib-
ed purpose as a sleeping aid.
In spite of conflicting reports
from the various manufacturers
of methaqualone, Dr. Philip
Margolis of University Hospital
says "Our own experience with
Quaalude shows that it is prob-
ably addicting."
Doctors at University Hospital
report a half dozen cases of
people who have been success-
fully withdrawn from Quaalude
addiction at the hospital in the
last couple of months.
This low figure is misleading,
however, in trying to determine
the seriousness of the Quaalude
addiction problem in Washtenaw
county.
Dr. Richard Kunnes of the
Washtenaw County Community
Mental Health Center points
out that "it's clear we're only
seeing the tip of the iceberg in
terms of the number of people
addicted."
Kunnes es'imates there may
be "hundreds of people" in the
county who are addicted, but
who may not be aware of it
since they haven't tried to with-
draw from the drug yet.
The greatest danger with
Quaalude lies in the "potentially
fatal" nature of withdrawal
process which "makes it more
dangerous than heroin," ac-
cording to Kunnes.
Because-of this daneer. doctors
stress the necessity of under-
going withdrawal under medi-
cal supervision. If a person who
was addicted to Quaalude were
to quit taking it completely, he
would run the risk of suffering
fatal convulsions.
Doctors have devised two rel-
atively safe methods for treat-
ing Quaalude addiction. The
more time-consuming way is to
very gradually cut down the
daily Quaalude intake.
Another method, which Kun-
nes claims is "virtually 100 per
cent safe" is to substitute bar-
biturate addiction. This method,
which takes 4 to 5 days, has
been successful because more is
known about withdrawing from
barbiturates than Quaaludes.
Those who are sensitive to
barbiturates, h o w e v e r, must
undergo the more prolonged
Quaalude withdrawal process.
There are no set figures con-
cerning amount of Quaalude
consumed and length of time
consumed which could tell every
individual whether or not he is
addicted.
Kunnes estimates that if a
person were to take one Quaa-
lude a day for a week, he would
build up a tolerance and would
have to take two a day the
next week. In this way, "addic-
tion within four to six weeks
could occur very easily," says
Kunnes.
Withdrawal from Quaaludes is
currently done on an in-patient
basis in the psychiatric section
of University Hospital.
Margolis says although it is
safer to do the withdrawal in a
hospital setting, "My guess is
that we will develop tools to
handle it on an out-pa-ent
basis." He points out, however,
that anyone withdrawn on an '
out-patient basis still has access
to Quaaludes.
m&ttg n 43aA&tt
Vol. LXXXII, No. 52-S
Ann Arbor, Michigan-Saturday, July 29, 1972
Ten Cents
Eight Pages
U.S. admits
minor harm
.t0 12 dikes
By DAN BIDDLE
- With Whe Se{vice Reports
The U.S. State Department has released a study show-
ing bombing hits at a total of 12 locations on North Viet-
narn's vital dike system.
The eight page intelligence report, made public yester-
day, describes damage to the dikes as "minor" and backs
President Nixon's denial Thursday of charges from Hanoi
x that the U.S. is trying to destroy the dike system.
The North Vietnamese government claims that the U.S.
AP Photo
SOUTH VIETNAMESE PARATROOPERS move through the rubble of houses in Quang Tri City as
they slowly push their way toward the Communist-held center of the provincial capital.
Doek strike closes all major
British ports; food crisis likely
LONDON (-P) - A national
strike by 42,000 longshoremen
yesterday shut down all Brit-
ain's major ports - the life-
line of this island nation - and
the government prepared to
cope with a threat of economic
paralysis.
There appeared no immediate
anger of food shortages, how-
ever. and no moves to proclaim
r e tate of emergency were likely
before next week at the ear-
liest.
The strike idled more than
150 ships tied up in ports im
England, Wales and Scotland.
Between 400 and 500 more ships
were estimated to be headed for
a s -
GROOOOVVEEEEY
It will be partly sunny and
pleasant today with tempera-
tures ranging from a high of 77
j to a low tonight of 55. The
chance ot rain is zero today, 5
per gent tonight.
or waiting outside British
ports. Some of these were be-
ing diverted to other European
ports.
Agriculture Minister James
Pr i o r cautioned housewives
against panic-buying for food,
declaring:
"There is plenty of food in
the shops and a lot more in
reserve. With very few excep-
tions, like imported fruit, there
is absolutely no reason why
anyone should- not be able to
buy his usual food at the usual
prices."
A few increases were reported
but most food prices remained
unchanged.
The government did not spell
out what emergency steps might
be taken. but it is known to
have plans ready for declaring a
state of emergency and has not
ruled out eventual use of troops
to move essential supplies if toe
strike persists.
In the meantime, officials in-
dicated they would await the
outcome of a meeting Monday
of the coauthors of a new man-
agement-labor plan overhauling
the labor situation on the docks.
It was this plan that the
longshoremen rejected - Thurs-
day and which prompted them
to call the nationwide strike.
They claim the plan does not
satisfy their demands for more
job protection and higher sev-
erance pay.
The strike also reflected the
longshoremen's angry mood over
Britain's controversial industrial
relations law, aimed at curbing
wildcat strikes and otherwise
regulating labor relations.
The workers also are protest-
ing anew the jailing a week ago
of five longshoremen for de-
fying an industrial court or-
der against illegal picketing.
In the House of Commons,
employment secretary Maurice
Macmillan said the government
had made it plain that "at a
proper time we are prepared to
consider representations about
the working" of the Industrial
Relations Act.
The opposition Labor- party
has demanded repeal or revision
of the act.
has directed over 135 air-
craft sorties at the dike sys-
tem, which controls flood
waters in the densely popu-
lated Red River Delta plain.
The U.S. study says "a few
dikes hove been hit by stray
bombs directed at ilitary-asso-
ciated targets nearby-. . . no
majtor dikes have been
brached."
BULLETIN
CUSTER, S.D. (A -- Demo-
cratic presidential candidate
George McGovern said late
last night the continued vice
presidential candidacy of Sen.
Thomas Eagleton was under
serious consideration and said
the future of the ticket depends
on a decision they must both
make.
"Sen. Eagleton has the right
to withdraw from the ticket,
just as I have the right to
withdraw," McGovern said.
"But I'm not going to" change
vice presidential candidates
"without his concurrence." See
earlier story, Page 3.
A July 1 report from Agence
France P r e s s e correspondent
Jean Thoraval in North Viet-
nam described a dike some 40
miles south of Hanoi which- had
been demolished by three U.S.
bombiag raids, creating the dan-
ger of "major flooding in the
teas districts of thseHanm Ha
province."
. Yesterday's State Department
report stated that "no damage
has been observed in the Hanoi
area."
State Department officials said
the new report was based on
a e r i a 1 reconnaissance photo-
graphs taken July 10-11 and cov-
ering -the entire delta area.
However the State Department
refused to make the photographs
See 'MINOR,' Page 8
"
continu~es
SAIGCN (>' -- Control of the
provincial capital of Quang Tri
is still being contested as South
Vietnamese marines have re-
placed paratroopers who suffered
heavy casualties in an unsuccess-
ful assault on the city's inner
Citadel.
The heavily fortified Citadel
remains in North Vietnamese
hands. The marines are trying to
drive smaller North Vietnamese
units from outside the fortress
walls.
South Vietnamese infantrymen
recaptured a third district town
on the central coast in o t h a r
action' yesterday, but retreating
North Vietnamese engaged ano-
ther government force in house-
to-house fighting a few miles
away.
Field informants said about 0,-
000 government troops moved in-
to the district town of Hoai An
with "very light resistance," end-
ing a three-month occupation by
the Communist command.
North Vietnamese troops- who
left the area Thursday night ran
into another government unit on
,the outskirts of Bong Son, a
district town five miles north-
east. Hundreds of civilians fled
their homes when house-to-house
fighting erupted on the city
limits, a witness said.