THE NEXT BIG FEAR: METHAMPHETAMINES As the region struggles with opiate addiction, another perilous drug threat looms - abuse of methamphetamines. "It's on its way," Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said. "And it scares the hell out of me." North Shore "meth" cases, for now, are isolated. Beverly police arrested a Hells Angel with a small amount of the drug in October 2004. Last December, another Beverly man was charged with having 21 grams of the drug. Police initially pulled him over for driving erratically. He was described in a police report as "extremely high strung," a tell-tale sign of methamphetamine abuse. Blodgett's office is also prosecuting a handful of methamphetamine cases in Newburyport, Amesbury and Gloucester. Lawrence has yet to see a methamphetamine arrest, according to police Chief John J. Romero. Police say methamphetamines - an odorless, crystal-like powder, made from a toxic mix of chemicals including cold medicines and drain cleaners - now sells in this area for $150 to $200 per gram. The drug - also called speed, crystal meth, ice, crank, croak, tweak and go-fast - can be swallowed, smoked, snorted or injected. Drug store workers are often the first to spot methamphetamine abuse when they see customers buying or shoplifting large amounts of cold remedies and cough syrups, police said. Some pharmacies, including Target, have removed the drugs from the shelves to prevent abuse. "They'll buy 500 packages of Sudafed at a time," said Salem Detective Lt. Thomas Griffin. The drug also poses a threat to the public through those who cook it in makeshift labs set up in homes, apartments, hotel rooms and even car trunks. People who live near these home labs, and police officers and firefighters who investigate them, are also in danger of developing physical problems, including cancer. "It's not just an individual problem," said Griffin. "Toxic waste is created. Entire houses have to be torn down. ... The cleanup is horrendous." Griffin recently attended a daylong seminar on methamphetamines at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va. Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration talked about meth labs, the dangers they pose, and "what to watch out for when you're dismantling them," Griffin said. In Danvers, firefighters have undergone training to prepare for a fire or explosion in a meth lab. There are hazardous materials concerns and other safety risks, including booby traps set by dealers, noted Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Farrell. "They don't want to get caught," he said. Griffin said parents should be alarmed if their children develop a penchant for cold medicine or cough syrup. "If they start to have a lot of cough medications around, beyond the norm, that's something to really be concerned with," he said. And, he noted, meth labs aren't always sophisticated operations. "It is something you can make in small amounts," he added, "right in your own bedroom."
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