Methamphetamine - aka meth, speed, go-fast - is a chemical from hell that must be culled from American society before it kills our nation.

Illegal drugs in general, such as heroin, cocaine and meth, have taken America to a place it never intended to visit.

When I joined the Riverside County district attorney's office in 1987, I recall my then-boss, Supervising Deputy District Attorney Dave Downing, noting "the Coachella Valley would be a quiet place without dope or alcohol."

What he was referring to was the criminal justice system. As I quickly learned, most of the cases we handled were related in some fashion to the usage or abuse of illegal drugs, alcohol or both.

[continues 600 words]