Pubdate: Wed, 20 Aug 2014
Source: Yakima Herald-Republic (WA)
Copyright: 2014 Yakima Herald-Republic
Contact: http://special.yakimaherald.com/submit/
Website: http://www.yakimaherald.com/home/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/511
Author: Donald W. Meyers

DESPITE NATIONAL DECLINES, METH STILL RAMPANT IN YAKIMA COUNTY

Methamphetamine may be on the decline nationally, but officials say
the stimulant's use is still going strong in Yakima County.

"We see the occasional prescription drug deal and still see some
marijuana cases, but those are related to juveniles in school," said
John Durand, chief criminal deputy for the Yakima County Sheriff's
Office. "I would say meth is the big one right now."

Meth possession and selling are the most prevalent drug offenses on
the Yakima County Superior Court docket. And the drug contributed to
more than half of the county's fatal overdoses last year.

If there is any good news, it's that the number of local clandestine
labs making the drug -- and the resulting hazardous waste site they
create -- are becoming more scarce due to restrictions on the chemical
ingredients and a lack of availability of meth made in Mexico.

A national survey by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found the
number of meth users who said they used the drug in the past month
decreased almost 40 percent from 2006 to 2012.

But in Yakima County, police and prosecutors say they see no sign that
meth is in decline. If anything, it's gaining popularity.

"The No. 1 drug threat in the Yakima area is methamphetamine," said
Jodie Underwood, spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement
Administration.

Meth is a powerful -- and highly addictive -- stimulant derived from
amphetamine. It is typically in the form of an odorless,
bitter-tasting, crystaline powder that can be injected, smoked or snorted.

More than 20 percent of the 250 pounds of meth seized statewide by the
DEA last year was taken in Yakima.

"The majority of drug cases I prosecute are for methamphetamine and
heroin, with methamphetamine being more predominant," said Joshua
Camp, a Yakima County deputy prosecuting attorney who handles drug
cases. "This trend in drug use has not changed for at least three years."

During a 10-day period ending Aug. 22, the Yakima County Superior
Court conducted 57 hearings related to meth possession or
distribution, compared to 10 for heroin and nine involving cocaine.
One of the cocaine cases also involved meth possession, as did two of
the heroin cases.

Part of the drug's popularity in Yakima County is its relatively low
cost, officials say.

"It's fairly inexpensive and there are so many different ways of
manufacturing it that it makes it difficult to track it," Durand said.

Police say a kilogram -- roughly 2.2 pounds -- of methamphetamine
costs a dealer about $11,000, while the same amount of cocaine can
cost around $35,000.

For users, the prices are about $40 per gram for meth.

Compared to cocaine, meth provides a longer high, giving the user
"more bang for the buck," Camp said.

"Methamphetamine is still considered a less 'classy' drug than
cocaine," Camp said, "but the difference in price, addictiveness and
length of high has led to methamphetamine's predominance and the
decline of other stimulants such as cocaine."

In small doses, meth can make someone more awake and less hungry.
Long-term use can cause anxiety, insomnia, violent behavior, severe
weight loss and hallucinations, such as feeling insects crawling under
the skin. It can also cause deterioration of teeth, a condition
commonly called "meth mouth," as well as fatal increases in body
temperature and blood pressure.

In Yakima County, statistics show more people are dying from
methamphetamine overdoses.

So far this year, out of 13 people who died of accidental drug
overdoses, eight were meth-related, Yakima County Coroner Jack Hawkins
said. At the current rate, the county will exceed the nine meth deaths
of 2012, the highest number in at least 11 years.

 From 2003 to 2013, there were five heroin-related deaths, and one of
them also involved methamphetamine, the coroner's records show. This
year, there has been one heroin-related death.

While usage and fatalities are up, there are fewer meth labs here or
around the state.

The state Department of Ecology, which oversees cleaning up meth labs
because of the hazardous materials involved in making the drug,
reported cleaning up only one meth lab in Yakima County last year and
30 statewide.

The Yakima County lab was the first found in the Yakima Valley since
2010, according to Ecology's records.

In 2002, Ecology cleaned up 43 meth labs in the Yakima Valley, the
most since 1990. Statewide, the number of meth labs discovered peaked
in 2001, at 1,890.

Part of the reason for the decline is it's harder to get meth
ingredients, which were once readily available in over-the-counter
cold remedies.

In 2010, the Legislature required drugstores to keep medicines
containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine --
chemicals used to make meth, under lock and key. The law also required
retailers to keep a log of who was buying the drugs and limited the
quantities that someone could buy per day.

Underwood, with the DEA, said meth dealers are finding it easier to
import the drug from "super labs" in Mexico, which ship
methamphetamine in liquid form into the United States, where it can be
converted into crystal form for sale.

The DEA reports there still are meth labs operating around the
country, but not on the scale that they do in Mexico. 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D