Pubdate: Sun, 24 Nov 2002 Source: Advocate, The (LA) Copyright: 2002 The Advocate, Capital City Press Contact: http://www.theadvocate.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2 METHAMPHETAMINE 'EPIDEMIC' INFECTING STATE Use of methamphetamine is increasingly popular in south Louisiana. The drug increases the body's metabolism, giving the user more energy, and it produces euphoria. It stays in the body for hours after reaching a peak in two to three hours, with that longevity adding to its popularity, according to law enforcement Web sites. The drug also increases irritability and aggressive behavior. It cause anxiety and dramatic mood changes, tending toward violence. "Long-term meth use can lead to psychosis that mimics paranoid schizophrenia," says Dr. Richard Wise, a treatment center physician, on one Web site. The drug has been found to be psychologically, if not physically, addictive. Reactions from users of the central nervous system stimulant varies with the frequency of use. Police are particularly concerned about dealing with abusers who reach a level of stimulation they call "tweaking," when the user may have been without sleep for more than three days and may react violently, particularly when confronted. Concerns of law enforcement officers aside, the drug can create serious health problems, even death. The elevated heart rate can cause high blood pressure with attendant problems of kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, brain damage, liver damage and others. The depression accompanying withdrawal increases the tendency toward suicide, and the drug can cause permanent psychological problems. The highs and the lows of methamphetamine abuse aside, the drug is easily made and, unlike cocaine, is very much a domestic product. Law enforcement agents in general and in our area in particular are finding meth labs in a variety of places. For a time, it seems, many fledgling manufacturers thought the woods in Livingston Parish would be ideal, unaware that hunters and foresters visit their property all during the year. Amethamphetamine "chemists" can set up shop anywhere. More and more labs are being found inside homes; some equipment has been confiscated from automobiles. The ease of manufacture includes the availability of the materials used, although the procedure involves some explosive chemicals. The explosive nature of meth labs keeps law enforcement on its toes, but farmers have learned to be concerned about meth. Farmers mix anhydrous ammonia with water and apply the mixture as a fertilizer that enhances the nitrogen content of the soil to help it grow crops. Farmers store the anhydrous ammonia in large tanks on their farms, and thieves frequent the storage tanks to "harvest" the necessary ingredient for methamphetamine. Although farmers have been phasing out the use of the product -- it is considered a hazardous material -- St. James Parish sheriff's deputies on stakeout recently captured two men trying to steal the chemical. Farmers have been warned to exercise caution if they think someone is stealing their farm chemicals because the thieves might be dangerous. Anhydrous ammonia is also a coolant, and thieves trying to steal some from a shrimp processor at Golden Meadow on Monday caused a spill that resulted in a evacuation of nearby residents and stopped boat traffic and highway traffic on Bayou Lafourche and La. 1 for six hours while the spill was cleared. U.S. Attorney David Dugas of the Middle District of Louisiana told the Press Club of Baton Rouge in March that meth labs were rare in the area until last fall, but he predicted a methamphetamine "epidemic." Not only is the drug dangerous to those who take it -- it can be taken orally, smoked or injected -- it's toxic and explosive materials make it dangerous to the manufacturers and to police officers as well. Law enforcement officers are learning a lot about the drug, because their own well-being is at stake. And they never know when or where they may stumble upon some ersatz chemist who is endangering himself, the police and the public through a dangerous process that creates a dangerous product. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart