Exploring the Explosive and Addictive World of Meth

Al Lenhardt, President and CEO

Speed, chalk, ice, crystal, glass, crank - no matter what you call it, methamphetamine is a powerfully addictive illegal drug that affects the central nervous system.  Sometimes called the poor man’s cocaine or the crack cocaine of the new millennium, meth can be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken orally. It is easily made in clandestine laboratories from inexpensive household materials like those contained in cold medicine and batteries. Meth labs can be found anywhere from backyards and mobile homes to car trunks and storage facilities.  Originally associated with west coast biker gangs, meth has become a substantial problem across the country.

What makes meth particularly onerous is the debilitating effects it has on the user and how easy it is to manufacture. Meth labs are popping up in communities throughout America; they respect no boundaries. The labs also create environmental threats to the neighborhoods in which they are found. When the labs are discovered, HAZMAT teams must remove the chemicals and test for environmental damage. Meth labs are potentially explosive and often booby-trapped by criminals to ward off potential intruders.

Law enforcement agencies are increasingly alarmed both because of the ease and dangers associated with the manufacture of meth and the violence associated with its use. Moreover, its manufacture can generate toxins that endanger children and neighbors. The Drug Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement agencies have produced alarming pictures of the chemicals and “cooking kitchens” for meth that show explosive and toxic iodine, alcohol, and the drug ephedrine brewing in beakers. Children playing around these chemicals are in need of protection. Increasingly, states have enacted statutes that increase criminal sanctions when children are exposed to the chemical residues associated with meth production.

The challenges for communities doing battle with methamphetamine encompass enforcement, treatment, and prevention. Research around effective treatment is relatively new. The drug is highly addictive and the profile of users defies stereotypes. Collaboration among agencies and organizations in law enforcement, treatment, and prevention is essential if a community is to respond effectively to this illegal drug scourge.

The National Crime Prevention Council has worked to curb this epidemic by holding methamphetamine summits around the country, providing hands-on working sessions that focus on identifying the issues around meth and crafting comprehensive strategies to address the problem at both the state and local levels. Summit participants form working teams to discuss issues, identify needs, and define solutions. Trained facilitators work with groups to maximize the effectiveness and the outcomes of this unique problem-solving summit conference. Council staff follow up with community-action planning. Participants leave the summit with planning tools, including a list of recommendations that enable communities to implement comprehensive solutions and strategies to mobilize resources to prevent and reduce the proliferation of meth and meth labs.

Other ways communities can address the meth problem include the following:

• Acknowledging the problem and becoming vocal about the associated dangers and harm.
• Identifying appropriate agencies for the creation of a community meth task force that would include law enforcement, treatment providers, schools, environmental protection agencies, child protective services, drug stores (any business selling over-the-counter medications containing ephedrine or sudoephedrine), and key political leadership
• Developing public awareness campaigns to help citizens realize the dangers associated with meth labs and meth use
• Training social workers, public utility workers, and others who provide services in homes to identify key meth lab components in order to make them aware of the hazards associated with meth production
• Educating adolescents about the dangers of meth, its impact on behavior, and its highly addictive nature.