FORT WORTH - Xanax is the new "gateway drug" for North Texas teen-agers, police said Friday, after a raid this week netted more than 1,000 grams of the drug.

A man at a house on Whitewood Drive was arrested and accused of supplying alprazolam to students from at least three Tarrant County high schools. Alprazolam is the generic name for Xanax.

Xanax, which is prescribed for anxiety, has replaced Valium as the recreational drug of choice for many teens, police and experts said. The teens often take it with alcohol, a combination that can produce a state of euphoria but can also cause unconsciousness.

"We're getting to the point that we're covered up with it," said Max Courtney of Forensic Consultant Services in Fort Worth. His agency helps law enforcement agencies with drug investigations.

"It's getting to the point of what Valium was a few years ago," Courtney said. "I don't know why it's increased. I guess it's just the effect that people want."

The highly addictive drug has been a factor in several crimes in Tarrant County. One of two women accused of faking a kidnapping this month in Fort Worth said she had taken a lot of Xanax.

In January, a 16-year-old boy was sentenced to probation for sexually assaulting an Azle High School student. Another teen had slipped Xanax into the victim's beer, a witness said.

And Xanax made national news in 2002 when Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's daughter, Noelle Bush, was charged with trying to use a phony prescription to buy the drug.

Statistics on seizures of Xanax in Tarrant County were not available Friday. But by all accounts, the drug is readily available.

"I would say it ranks as one of the top abused prescription drugs," said Michael J. Lewis, a diversion program manager at the Drug Enforcement Administration in Dallas. "We've seen a rise."

In 2002, 1.8 million people were taking anti-anxiety medications similar to Xanax, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the Health and Human Services Department.

Xanax abuse was noted in hospital emergency room reports across the country, according to the agency.

In 1995, 17,082 people treated for overdoses in emergency rooms nationwide had alprazolam in their systems, according to the agency's statistics. That soared to 27,659 in 2002, a 62 percent increase, according to federal statistics.

"And these are underestimated figures," said agency spokeswoman Leah Young.

The raid of a Fort Worth home Thursday by North Richland Hills and Fort Worth police netted 1,100 grams of alprazolam. Police arrested Wesley Dean Farrell, 34.

The raid capped a six-month investigation by North Richland Hills police after a group of young people, mostly teens, were arrested with the drug.

Those arrested ranged in age from 16 to 20, said Sgt. Andy Wallace of the North Richland Hills police.

Farrell was arraigned Friday on a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. He is accused of recruiting students to sell the drug for about $4 a tablet to their peers at Keller, Birdville and Richland high schools.

Farrell was in the North Richland Hills Jail on Friday with bail set at $10,000.

More arrests are possible, Wallace said.

Police said student dealers bought the drug, then sold it at parties or school.

While marijuana and alcohol still top the list of drugs being abused by Tarrant County teen-agers, Xanax is showing up more and more in seizures, officials said.

"What we are finding is that when we confiscate cocaine or marijuana, we are finding the Xanax," said Herschel Tebay, assistant director of the Metro Narcotics Task Force, which covers Tarrant and Ellis counties.

Local narcotics officers agreed that they've seen an increase in Xanax abuse.

"It's becoming the new gateway drug for a lot of kids," Tebay said.

Xanax users can be difficult to spot because the drug doesn't cause the pupils to dilate or necessarily cause extreme intoxication.

"Unless you see a student taking these, then you can't tell," Wallace said.

School officials said Friday that they are concerned about prescription-drug abuse and try to control it. Keller, Richland and Birdville high schools require medication to be administered by a school nurse. Drug dogs are used in unannounced searches at all three schools, officials said.

"Obviously, we're pleased that an arrest has been made," said Jason Meyer, a spokesman with the Keller school district. About 2,500 students attend Keller High.

Birdville school district officials are also watching the situation. Richland High has 1,978 students and Birdville High has 1,923.

"It's a concern to every parent," said Mark Thomas, a Birdville district spokesman.

Staff Writers Ben Tinsley and Diane Smith contributed to this report.

An alarming trend

?Alprazolam, whose trade name is Xanax, is used to treat anxiety disorders or to provide short-term relief from anxiety symptoms.

?Xanax tablets range in strength from 0.25 mg to 2 mg. The rectangular pills teens often buy, which they call "bars," are 2 mg.

?While marijuana and alcohol still top the list of drugs being abused by Tarrant County teen-agers, Xanax, which is highly addictive, is showing up more and more in drug seizures, officials say.

Addictive drug

?An overdose can induce drowsiness, clumsiness or confusion. In severe cases, it could cause a coma. Mixing the drug with alcohol can cause unconsciousness.

?The drug, which suppresses the central nervous system much like alcohol, is highly addictive. Withdrawal symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal and muscle cramps, sweating, confusion, tremors and convulsions.

?If you suspect a Xanax overdose, take the victim to an emergency room.

By Domingo Ramirez Jr.

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