Pubdate: Tue, 23 Sep 2003
Source: North Texas Daily (TX Edu)
Copyright: 2003 North Texas Daily
Contact:  http://www.ntdaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2842
Author: Margaret Myrick

METH LAB SEIZURES INCREASE IN STATE

The prevalence of methamphetamine use in North Texas may be underestimated, 
especially in rural areas surrounding Denton, but whether meth use is a 
problem on campus remains questionable.

"We're very concerned about meth use," said Peggy Fogle, director of NT's 
Wellness Resource Center, which offers substance abuse counseling to 
students. Fogle said some students have misconceptions about its effects.

Meth, or methamphetamine, is chemically similar to amphetamine, but has a 
stronger effect on the central nervous system. The National Institute on 
Drug Abuse said meth use can cause memory loss, aggression, violence, 
psychotic behavior, and potential heart and neurological damage.

"It also contributes to increased transmission of infectious diseases, 
especially hepatitis and HIV/AIDS," the institute said.

"I've heard of people taking it at parties, but I don't know if it's 
getting that popular around here," John Jurado, Hurst junior, said.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported an increase in meth labs 
throughout the southwest. Dr. Alan Leshner, institute director said, "this 
drug, once dominant in the west, is now spreading throughout the Midwest 
and into other areas of the country, emerging in cities and rural settings 
thought previously to be untouched."

The Texas Department of Public Safety reported a 542 percent increase in 
the seizure of meth labs in Texas since 1998. Because it is cheap and easy 
to make, meth labs can be set up anywhere -- in hotel rooms, self-storage 
buildings and vehicles.

In August 2002, the North Central Texas Narcotics Task Force and Wise 
County Sheriff's Office arrested three Wise County residents for producing 
five pounds of meth per day. According to a statement made by the Denton 
County Sheriff's Department, the house was so contaminated that "birds were 
falling from trees around the house."

In September 2002, three more were arrested for producing meth in a Krum 
residence, as well as inside vehicles. Found at the residence were large 
amounts of chemicals, chemical containers and a "burn pile," where 
chemicals are manufactured into the drug.

An article on stateline.org discussed the relative ease in which meth can 
be produced.

"Its key ingredient is pseudoephedrine, a chemical found in 
over-the-counter cold medicines like Sudafed," the article said. "Anyone 
with cold tablets and a few other ingredients -- iodine and lithium from a 
battery, for example -- can prepare meth without any special equipment."

Meth use is not simply dangerous to its users: Anyone who lives near a 
building where meth is being produced can suffer from the disproportionate 
amount of toxic waste it produces.

"When you start snorting something up your nose or shooting it in your 
veins, you've really gone to a different place," Dean Haddock, Bedford 
graduate student, said. "The drugs like meth, cocaine, crystal --- the 
speed categories -- are going to contribute to a lot of health problems in 
the future."

However, he mentioned that many famous literary authors have used drugs, as 
cited in a book in the NT campus bookstore called "Writing on Drugs."

The Department of Public Safety offers a list on their Web site of signs 
that a neighbor might be manufacturing meth. Some indicators are blacked 
out windows, excessive amounts of garbage containing empty chemical bottles 
or containers with hoses taped to the neck or strong ammonia odors.