A teenage student has become the latest victim in Dallas to die from a powerful and highly addictive new street drug known as ‘cheese’. The rise of the drug, a mixture of black tar heroin and powdered headache tablets, has been described as an epidemic. Dealers often sell it at $2 a time to get youngsters hooked. Because it is snorted, teenagers do not realise they are taking such a lethal heroin-based drug.

Of course, that ignorance ended with the first autopsy – 2 years ago.

Since 2005 at least 23 teenagers in the Texan city have died after taking cheese, so called because it resembles crumbled Parmesan.

The drug is mass produced in Mexico and smuggled across the border in increasing quantities. The authorities are so concerned that a special regional ‘cheese task force’ has been set up to tackle the problem.

Junkies – and people as stupid as junkies – have no excuses. And I haven’t yet seen a successful drug-smuggling operation that wasn’t paying off some portion of law and order. Both sides of the border.