Los Angeles, CA -- As families, law enforcement, and governments
worldwide continue their battle to thwart the menace of Drug abuse,
their efforts are being curtailed by the fastest rising threat to
date--homemade Methamphetamine.
According to a
report in Issue #37 of The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the
trafficking of methamphetamine and its abuse has been spreading
eastward over the past decade. The number of meth labs seized increased
25% between 2001 and 2004. The report also points out in detail,
state-by-state, the use of the drug from 12-year-olds on up to adults.
This
class of drugs are easily manufactured with readily accessible
over-the-counter medications and substances. For a few dollars these
chemicals can be procured and created in homes, offices,
schools--anywhere one can secret them.
Not only are they easy to
produce, but the procedures for manufacture can be found in any of
numerous venues, primarily websites that detail their deadly production.
Almost
every day the safety of citizens is compromised by these illegal
laboratories as they often explode, injuring and killing not only the
manufacturers but innocent civilians unaware of their existence. Rescue
squads and hospitals not only have to deal with treating the harmful
and deadly effects of these chemicals on the users but also the
devastating effects of explosions and fires and deadly fumes.
Add to this the byproduct of
toxic chemical wastes and it is obvious that growing meth use and
production is not only a hazard to the users but also to the
manufacturers, or 'cooks,' as they are called. In addition, law
enforcement, rescue, and hazardous waste responder personnel are at
risk when seizing these labs.
These drugs, sold cheaply in
alarming quantities, offer the user a powerful and equally addictive
high. The downside is an unprecedented Addiction ratio compared to
other similar substances. In a recent story, reporter Keith Elkins
focuses on the ease these substances are acquired and their horrid
after-effects.
The
U.S. (as well as other countries), families, and communities that are
suffering under the yoke of these chemicals are valiantly trying to
confront and handle the growing terror.
According to data
presented to Congress, the DEA has been making remarkable headway in
this battle.
On
April 6, 2006, the Administrator for the Drug Enforcement Agency, the
Honorable Karen P. Tandy, testified before the United States House of
Representatives Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Science,
the Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, and Related Agencies.
According to Ms. Tandy, the DEA has done remarkably well in battling
the menace of methamphetamine on several fronts. They spent $176
million in fiscal year 2005 to battle meth and $18.8 million to
administer 8,897 clandestine laboratory cleanups.
We must also
note the DEA's international alliances and efforts. Canada, Hong Kong,
and Mexico are working with the DEA to handle shipments of chemicals
that could be used to manufacture methamphetamines. Additionally in
2005, according to Tandy's data, 105 Mexican officials were trained to
handle chemical control and clandestine laboratories. Targeting netted
a bust in March 2006 of 200 pounds of methamphetamine.
On October 11,
2006, the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics put out
a release entitled "Methamphetamine Use Increasing Among State And
Federal Prisoners". Startling data was gathered that states that since
1997 'prior' meth use among state and federal prisoners has increased.
The Bureau states that the 7 percent increase of offenders using the
drug one month prior to their arrest jumped to 11 percent in 2004. Meth
use during an offense rose from 4 percent to 6 percent during the same
period. The data was collected via the BJS "Survey of Inmates in State
and Federal Correctional Facilities," done periodically since the
1970's, and in 2004 involved the use of confidential personal
interviews with a national representation of approximately 14,500 state
and 3,700 federal prisoners.
The study also states that of women
inmates, 17 percent of state and 15 percent of federal inmates had a
higher likelihood of having used meth in the month prior to their
offense.
Strong physiological, emotional and/or psychological dependence on a substance such as alcohol or drugs that has progressed beyond voluntary control. For more on addiction see the section Addiction Information in this website.
Drug
Any substance, other than food, that changes the function or structure of the body or mind when ingested. Drugs essentially are poisons. The degree they are taken determines the effect. A small amount acts as a stimulant. A greater amount acts as a sedative. A larger amount acts as a poison and can kill one dead. This is true of any drug. Each has a different amount at which it gives those results.
Drug abuse
The use of illegal drugs or the inappropriate use of legal drugs. The repeated use of drugs to produce pleasure, to alleviate stress, or to alter or avoid reality - or all three.
Methamphetamine
A commonly abused, potent stimulant drug that is part of a larger family of amphetamines.
Drug Info 
