Pubdate: Thu, 29 Nov 2007
Source: Fresno Bee, The (CA)
Copyright: 2007 The Fresno Bee
Contact:  http://www.fresnobee.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/161
Author: E.J. Schultz, Bee Capitol Bureau, METH REMAINS DRUG OF CHOICE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY

SACRAMENTO -- Despite a crackdown on Central Valley  methamphetamine 
labs, use of the deadly drug remains a  serious problem in 
California, state and federal  officials said Wednesday.

More than 2 million Californians have used meth at  least once and 
treatment admissions jumped 500% from  1992 to 2004, according to the 
state Department of  Alcohol and Drug Programs.

"We have made progress on the methamphetamine front but  there is so 
much more to do," said Renee Zito, director  of the department.

Zito and other officials discussed the problem at a  Sacramento news 
conference observing "Methamphetamine  Awareness Day," declared 
Tuesday by Gov.  Schwarzenegger.

Methamphetamine production in the Central Valley -- a  longtime meth 
hub -- continues to decline, leading to  higher meth prices, officials said.

But demand is still strong and dealers have found other  pipelines, 
mainly by smuggling the drug in from Mexico.  Three-fourths of all 
meth used in California now enters  from outside the state, said 
Larry Brown, an assistant  U.S. attorney based in Sacramento.

In the United States, a 1-year-old law requires sellers  of some cold 
medicines to register the drugs and keep  them behind a counter. The 
cold medicine chemical  pseudoephedrine is a key meth ingredient.

Mexico is also paying closer attention to the problem.  The country 
this year put a 40-ton cap on the amount of  pseudoephedrine that can 
be imported, Brown said.  Meanwhile, U.S. officials are working to 
persuade other  countries to stiffen regulations of cold medicine 
chemicals. China, India and Germany are among the  largest 
manufacturers, Brown said.

But "law enforcement alone is not going to end this  problem," Brown 
said. "The demand has to be reduced or  eliminated."

In the Valley, the highly addictive drug remains the  drug of choice.

Of the clients admitted to publicly funded drug  treatment centers in 
Fresno County last fiscal year,  37% reported meth as their primary 
drug, double the  percentage of the next closest drugs, according to 
the  Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. In Tulare  County, 45% 
reported meth as their top choice.

"Originally it was so easy to get and was pushed so  hard ... and it 
was really cheap," Randy Davis, Tulare  County's alcohol and drug 
prevention coordinator, said  in a phone interview.

Prices have risen in recent years from $50 a gram to  $300 a gram, 
which is more than the going rate for  cocaine, officials say. But 
"people are already  addicted so they will do anything to get it," Davis  said.

That could explain the recent rise in metal theft from  farms. 
Thieves -- many of them meth addicts --  cannibalize equipment, 
selling the scrap metal to take  advantage of rising prices for 
copper and aluminum, law  enforcement officials have said.

As a stimulant, methamphetamine activates chemicals  that elevate a 
user's mood, raise blood pressure and  even induce euphoria. Once the 
high wears off,  depression sets in and some users contemplate 
suicide.  In the long term, the drug can impede memory 
and  reasoning. Overdoses can lead to stroke, kidney failure  and death.

In the coming weeks, Tulare County plans to hold  community forums to 
discuss what can be done to curb  meth use. Possible solutions 
include launching  neighborhood watch groups or programs to clean 
up  blighted areas.

"If people take pride in where they live," Davis said,  "generally 
it's more difficult for drug dealers and  gang recruiters to come in 
and take hold."
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart