Pubdate: Sun, 07 Aug 2005
Source: Lowell Sun (MA)
Copyright: 2005 MediaNews Group, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.lowellsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/852
Author: Matt Murphy
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

CRYSTAL METH ON RISE; WHY YOU SHOULD CARE

Last year, police busted one clandestine methamphetamine lab in all of 
Massachusetts.

Now, police in Greater Lowell have found two in a little more than a month. 
And while police say that isn't enough to indicate the corrosive drug is 
making  inroads, it is enough to make them take notice. "I was talking to 
my counterpart in Kansas City and it's a tremendous problem out there," 
Lowell Police Superintendent Edward Davis said. "There have been  rumors of 
it coming this way for many years, but these are serious indicators,  and 
we have to be vigilant." In some states, such as Hawaii, 
crystal-meth-related deaths are rising sharply this year. And police blame 
the drug for increasing counts of violent crime and destroyed lives.

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez recently called methamphetamine "the 
most dangerous drug in America" for the toll it takes on children and society.

Commonly known as "crystal meth," "speed," "ice," or "poor man's 
cocaine,"  methamphetamine can be cheaply and easily manufactured in 
people's homes using  over-the-counter drugs and household products. The 
highly addictive stimulant, which can be smoked, snorted or injected, 
produces a euphoric high by triggering a massive release of dopamine in the 
brain. Davis said he has not seen an increase in methamphetamine on the 
streets. But he adds that a June 11 meth-lab bust in Chelmsford, and 
Thursday's arrest in a  lab on Broadway Street, causes him concern.

Recently, National Association of Counties asked 500 law-enforcement 
agencies in 45 states what their top drug problem is. About 58 percent said 
it is methamphetamine.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that 12.3 
million Americans have tried methamphetamine and 1.5 million people are 
regular users. "It's certainly on our radar screen," said Michael 
Botticelli, the assistant commissioner for substance-abuse services at the 
state Department of Public Health. "We've been fortunate in Massachusetts 
and New England that we have not seen the crystal-meth production that 
exists elsewhere in the country, but that doesn't mean we haven't seen 
pockets of crystal-meth use," Botticelli said. As the drug's popularity has 
spread toward the East Coast, Botticelli said health experts have seen 
pockets of methamphetamine abuse -- particularly among urban gay men -- in 
cities like New York, Philadelphia and Boston. The drug's main ingredient 
- -- pseudoephedrine -- can be extracted from nonprescription cold medicine 
and cooked over high heat with other chemicals  like iodine and anhydrous 
ammonia using recipes easily found on the Internet. Botticelli said 
Massachusetts is exploring similar legislation, as well as increasing the 
criminal penalties for large-scale meth production. Lisa Najarian, the 
clinical site manager for outpatient services at the Lowell Community 
Health Center, said she remembers being warned in the late  1980s that 
crystal meth was making its way toward the East Coast. But Najarian and 
Pauline Yore-Brown, LCHC director of behavioral health services, said less 
than 1 percent of inpatient and outpatient addicts seeking treatment admit 
to using methamphetamine.

Those numbers are consistent with patient admissions across the state, 
Botticelli said.

But Najarian added that six months ago, a meth user would come to the 
clinic only occasionally.

Methamphetamine addicts do not go through physical withdrawal symptoms like 
heroin users, Najarian said, but do suffer from cravings and depression. 
The health center treats addicts with therapy and acupuncture to reduce 
those cravings. Brown, Najarian and Botticelli all said education and 
prevention outreach are critical to preventing widespread use from creeping 
into New England. The Department of Public Health has been working closely 
with Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey's office on a variety of substance-abuse issues 
and has conducted regional seminars educating public leaders on prevention 
methods, Botticelli said. During the past year, Healey visited cities 
across the state, including Lowell and Fitchburg. Though the conversations 
often focused on heroin abuse, Botticelli said crystal meth has not been 
ignored.

"Certainly, while heroin is really in epidemic proportions here in New 
England, we have had concerns over preventing crystal meth from taking hold 
as  it has in other parts of the country," he said. "We want to get ahead 
of the curve."
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