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 Doctors at University Hospital report a half dozen cases of people who have been success- fully withdrawn from Quaalude addiction at the hospital in the last couple of months.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.