Pubdate: Fri, 05 Nov 1999 Source: Kalamazoo Gazette (MI) Copyright: 1999 Kalamazoo Gazette Contact: 401 S. Burdick St., Kalamazoo, MI. 49007 Fax: (616) 388-8447 Feedback: http://kz.mlive.com/about/kz/toeditor.html Website: http://kz.mlive.com/ Forum: http://kz.mlive.com/ Author: Herton Escobar, Kalamazoo Gazette NEW DRUG ON THE RISE IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN The good news: Use of crack cocaine is declining in Kalamazoo. The bad news: Use of methamphetamine, a much more addictive and harmful drug, is on the rise in southwest Michigan. That is what Capt. Jerome Bryant of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety and other law enforcement agents told an audience of judges, parole officers and social workers at a workshop Thursday during the Michigan Association of Drug Court Professionals conference at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center. Bryant said consumption of crack cocaine has declined considerably over the last few years, based on the decreasing number of arrests, seizures, hospitalizations and deaths related to the drug. On the other hand, drugs such as marijuana, LSD and methamphetamine are on the rise, with marijuana being the most popular in Kalamazoo, Bryant said. "The drugs of the '60s now are coming back to the kids of the '90s," he said. "Marijuana is a big thing. I don't know if we will ever get rid of that problem." Traffickers also have boosted the quality and potency of marijuana, making it a more dangerous and more expensive drug, Bryant said. And because of the higher prices, more users and dealers are going home to grow their own, he said. "I've seen basement operations that are better than greenhouses," he said. Economic factors also may have contributed to the decline of crack as a drug of choice on the streets, while opening the door to a new, unwanted guest in the neighborhood - methamphetamine. A rock of crack cocaine costs between $10 and $20 and provides a high that can last from 20 minutes to one hour, which can amount to a $200 to $300 daily habit for heavy users, Bryant said. For about $100, however, one can buy a gram of methamphetamine and stay high for up to 16 hours. Methamphetamine, also known as "speed" or "meth," is a new drug in Michigan, and so far only has been detected in the southwestern counties, said state police Detective Lt. Tracey McAndrew of the Southwest Michigan Enforcement Team. "It's the worst drug I've ever had to deal with," he said. "It's one of the most addictive substances known to man." Meth addicts are extremely prone to violence and suffer acute paranoia, sometimes going for several days without sleep, McAndrew said. The drug often gives users the sensation that bugs are crawling on their skin, causing them to dig on their own bodies. Studies also show meth to be much more harmful to the body than crack, especially to the liver. The presence of methamphetamine in southwest Michigan has increased as much as 300 percent over the last two years, McAndrew said. "We are struggling at this point to keep up with it," he said. McAndrew said 99 percent of meth users are white. The drug also is popular among young girls, because amphetamine is a hunger suppressor. One of the biggest dangers of meth is that it can be made relatively easily, using commercial chemicals at home, which makes labs hard to detect. It is produced in several different forms, and can be smoked, snorted or injected. "This isn't something that can be imported," McAndrew said. "People are making it locally." The workshop was one of several training sessions held during the Michigan conference, which concludes today. "The White House looks to Michigan as an example," Donald Vereen, deputy director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said during a general session Thursday morning. "There are number of ways Michigan is a leader." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake