Not even maggots crawling out of Melissa’s legs, caused by an infection from a dirty needle, could prevent her craving for heroin. Students watched in dead silence as she called up her drug dealer to have him shoot heroin into her IV line at the hospital.

Melissa is one of the many addicts interviewed for the documentary “Chasing the Dragon,” which was presented to students Sept. 14.

The counseling department organized for four DEA agents show the documentary to each class and answer any drug related questions they had.

“I think the biggest thing is that no one is immune and that there is help. That’s the bottom line,” guidance counselor Dr. Donna Noonan said. “If we are able save one person or if someone is able to help one person, that is all we want.”  

De Smet is the first high school in the St. Louis area to feature “Chasing the Dragon.” Acting as a pilot, the hope is to educate students about the dangers of opiate drugs like painkillers and heroin.

“All these stories are exactly the same,” Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Karin Caito said. “They started with prescription drugs and that led them to keep chasing that high because the drugs control their body. That is what is so scary.”