By Tony Bylsma CCDC*
In
Alhambra, California, on August 5th 2004, officials
seized approximately 3,100 pounds of Marijuana and 21
pounds of "ice" Methamphetamine with a
street
value of more than $31.5 million dollars. Quite a
haul, but unfortunately not that unusual.
Most people know something about
marijuana, but what exactly is meth-amphetamine?
Methamphetamine is a powerful
stimulant Drug closely related to amphetamine. It is
commonly referred to as "speed,"
"crystal," "crank,"
"go," and most recently, "ice," a
smokable form of the drug. Relatively inexpensive and
highly addictive, methamphetamine is currently a major
concern across the United States.
The illegal manufacture of
methamphetamine is a relatively simple process and can
be carried out by individuals without special
knowledge or expertise in chemistry. It is often taken
in combination with other drugs such as Cocaine and
marijuana and, like Heroin and cocaine, can be
inhaled, injected, ingested or smoked.
Methamphetamine first causes a
pleasurable sensation, which is followed, as the
'high' subsides, by a rebound of negative feelings.
The user is left feeling irritable, depressed and
desiring, what? More of the drug. In the mean time,
the body is developing a tolerance to this particular
poison and so the same dose no longer delivers the
same experience, demanding a stronger drug or just a
larger dose.
Prolonged abuse of meth can produce
symptoms similar to those of schizophrenia, i.e.,
panic, paranoia, auditory and visual hallucinations,
repetitive behavior patterns, and delusions of
parasites or insects on or under the skin.
California is ground zero for meth
production. The state is home to 80 percent of the
nation’s meth labs, making the drug a major export
to other states. In addition, 97 percent of the nation’s
“super labs,” those that produce more than 20
pounds of meth in a single batch are located in
California.
This however, isn’t an epidemic
that is confined to California. For some reason meth
production seems to be centered in certain areas such
as Missouri, Iowa, Arizona and Nevada. But it is on
the West Coast where the problem is most pronounced.
For years, the incidence of
methamphetamine in California and the West Coast has
been way out of portion to the rest of the country.
One indication of the amount of use of a drug is the
number of mentions in hospital emergency department
visits. These mentions could be from overdoses,
unexpected reactions to a drug or from accidents while
under the influence, even if other drugs were
involved. In 2002, a report by the Drug Abuse
Awareness Network (DAWN) showed the methamphetamine
mentions for twenty-one American cities. Of those
cities, which included New York, Philadelphia and
Boston, nearly 60% of the meth mentions were in three
California cities, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San
Diego.
This is a complex social and
economic problem with far reaching effects. But
complex problems can have simple solutions. One
solution is to reduce the demand for methamphetamine
through education. At the Narconon program we are
often amazed at student responses to our drug
prevention presentations. Comments like, "I never
knew that crank was that harmful!" or "You
really opened my eyes to the dangers of meth!"
are common.
It can be deadly to overestimate
what students know and understand about dangerous
drugs. It is up to parents, educators and health
professionals to ensure that the vital truth about
this and other drugs of abuse are fully understood by
young and old alike. If our citizens are really taught
the dangers and consequences of methamphetamine use;
if they are given the actual information on which to
base their decisions, this problem could become a
memory.
