Pubdate: Sat, 24 Dec 2005 Source: Janesville Gazette (WI) Copyright: 2005 Bliss Communications, Inc Contact: http://www.gazetteextra.com/contactus/lettertoeditor.asp Website: http://www.gazetteextra.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1356 Author: Mike Heine Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) AUTHORITIES SEE THE SIGNS OF UNWANTED TIMES Jed Sperry has been working narcotics for 18 years, and methamphetamine, he said, is the most addictive and most destructive drug he's seen. "Even though all drugs are bad, it has to be the worst drug that I've seen come around," Sperry said. He is special agent in charge of the narcotics bureau in the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation. "It really reaches up and takes a hold of someone's life where their whole life just revolves around it," Sperry said. Meth, like cocaine, is a powerful stimulant. But meth also causes hallucinations, paranoia and a feeling of sheer pleasure, Sperry said. Methamphetamine can come in powder or rock forms. When a powder, it can also vary in color from white to yellow, brown, orange or pink. Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Justice "Take cocaine and you get a stimulant rush, an adrenaline-type rush. There is a sort of edginess that people describe," Sperry said. "With meth, you get that adrenaline rush, but you also get this euphoric-type feeling along with it. It's sort of like that best feeling, that euphoric feeling, that anyone can achieve." It's that feeling, he said, that makes meth so addictive. People get hooked and will do just about anything to have it, resorting to theft, burglary, robbery or more violent crimes. The addiction consumes users' lives, said Sgt. Jeff Patek of the Walworth County Drug Unit. "Their main goal is to get high," Patek said. "Taking a shower, eating, those aren't part of life anymore. That's not part of their goals. It's just, 'I want to get that next high.'" The high meth creates also lasts much longer than most other drugs on the market. People who use meth will frequently binge for several days and then sleep for days, Sperry said. He heard of an addicted mother who left her infant in a playpen with crackers and water while she used meth for days at a time. "It's unbelievable what these people will do," Sperry said. Meth users often are nervous to the point of paranoia. They may feel that people, particularly police, are constantly watching them, said Mike Myszewski, director of the Wisconsin Department of Justice Narcotics Bureau. "One guy said he was driving his car on the highway and he thought someone was running beside him," Myszewski said. Users may develop "crank bugs," which is a feeling that insects are crawling under their skin. Addicts will scratch themselves to the point of bleeding, Sperry said. Users may go days without showers or changing clothes and may develop what police call "meth mouth." Teeth turn black and fall out. Users often lose their appetite and drop weight, Myszewski said. "People don't eat. They may not eat for days," he said. Methamphetamine comes in several forms and can be ingested in many ways. Meth can be a powder, varying in color from white, yellow, brown, gray, orange or pink. It can also be rock-like chunks, according to a U.S. Department of Justice fact sheet. The drug can be injected, smoked, snorted or swallowed, according to the fact sheet. The way the drug is used will alter the effect on the body. Smoking or injecting produces an almost instant and intense rush. Snorting or swallowing takes more time for the same effect, usually three to five minutes for snorting and up to 20 minutes if taken orally, according to the fact sheet. Methamphetamine can be produced easily with what are mostly household products. Recipes and instructions are abundant on the Internet. Authorities estimate that every person that makes meth teaches 10 others how. Identifying labs can be easier than spotting the drug itself. So-called super labs can be created inside homes or garages and make mass quantities of the drug. Portable labs used to make smaller amounts can be found inside hotel rooms, in car trunks, or even in suitcases. Most noticeable to any lab is the pungent odor, Patek said. Chemicals needed to make meth may smell like acid or animal urine. A neighborhood lab will have people regularly coming and going, usually at odd hours, Patek said. Meth chemists may also have an excess amount of garbage, particularly chemical bottles. The chemicals can become toxic, and neighbors who suspect a lab should stay away and contact authorities. Cleaning up a lab requires the use of hazardous materials teams and may cost several thousand dollars. Meth seizures Wisconsin in 2004 was far below neighboring states in methamphetamine drug seizures and in labs discovered by local, state and federal authorities. Wisconsin Seized: 0.0 kg Labs: 78 Minnesota Seized: 24.6 kg Labs: 168 Illinois Seized: 12.4 kg Labs: 1,058 Iowa Seized: 39.1 kg Labs: 1,335 Source: U.S. Department of Justice Web site - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman