Pubdate: Thu, 24 Nov 2005
Source: Huntsville Item (TX)
Copyright: 2005 Huntsville Item and Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.itemonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1126
Author: Tori Brock

A METH DEALER'S STORY

Mike's an addict from way back. He's been addicted to some drug or 
another for decades, but he said none has ever done to him what meth 
has. Mike's name has been changed to protect his identity, and from 
an interview in the Walker County Jail on Monday, he said meth is a 
drug no one should touch.

"I started meth a couple of years ago," the 30-something-year-old man 
said. "I had always done marijuana." Marijuana is the drug of choice 
for many, but expedience is key, according to Mike, and the timing 
issue led him to meth.

"I was on probation for marijuana," he said. "Marijuana stays in your 
system longer than meth. Meth gets out of your system in three days 
and you can pass a piss test." While many addicts report a need to 
"tweak" or disassemble anything within reach, Mike said the drug had 
the opposite effect on him.

"A lot of people take things apart and don't put them back together, 
but I build toys," he said. "It kept me awake. It motivated me. "It 
was like drinking pots and pots of coffee," he added. "I wasn't 
hungry. You just want to be doing something. I lost probably 50 or 60 
pounds once I started using, because I wasn't eating."

After beginning use, an addict can enjoy the effect the drug has on 
their system, while the drug is busy tearing apart various components 
of their body. "I have dentures on the top," Mike said, pulling back 
his lips, revealing the dentures and about four blackened teeth 
lining his bottom jaw. "My muscles and joints cramp. My whole body hurts.

"It hurts your sexual drive. It's painful to have sex, so it's not 
something you want to have," he said, looking down at his hands. "It 
deteriorates your whole body."

While the pain he feels in his body is bad, Mike said it's nothing 
compared to the pain in his heart.

"It's hurt my family," he said. "My girlfriend is out there. Her 
electricity is off. She's not used to dealing (with me being gone). 
She's used to me taking care of her."

Meth is more expensive than cocaine, according to Mike, but there's a 
reason addicts are drawn to the drug.

"At $100 a gram for meth, when coke's $50, meth costs more, but it 
lasts longer," he said. "With meth, you can be up for three or four 
days. A gram of coke can be gone in a couple of hours.

"With meth, you'll see people up all night long. If you see someone 
in the middle of the night mowing their lawn with a spotlight, 
chances are, they're on meth," he said with a laugh. "A meth head can 
always recognize a meth head."

Selling drugs in Walker County can be a lucrative business, Mike 
said, and he would know. He's sold as well as used.

"There's people doing meth that you wouldn't even think were doing 
it," he said. "The meth problem here is bad. It's worse than anything 
else we have.

"I'd say $70,000 a week moves through here at least," he said. "It's 
a big deal."

Getting meth into the system isn't hard, and addicts have gotten 
creative about ingesting the drug.

"You can snort it. You can smoke it. You can shoot it. You can eat 
it," Mike said. "You can put it in your coffee and drink it.

"My drug counselor told me smoking it was the quickest way to get it 
to the brain - the quickest way to get a buzz," Mike said, adding 
that his drug counselor probably didn't intend for him to use the 
information to later get high. "I wish I'd never gotten involved, 
that's for sure."

Mike said through years of marijuana and cocaine use and abuse, he 
never had any of the problems he's having now.

"It's a bad drug. It's worldwide," he said. "I messed with the meth, 
that's what took me down here. I don't think I'd be locked up here 
right now if it wasn't for meth."
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MAP posted-by: Beth