METH REMAINS DRUG OF CHOICE IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY

SACRAMENTO -- Despite a crackdown on Central Valley methamphetamine
labs, use of the deadly drug remains a serious problem in
California, state and federal officials said Wednesday.

More than 2 million Californians have used meth at least once and
treatment admissions jumped 500% from 1992 to 2004, according to the
state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs.

"We have made progress on the methamphetamine front but there is so
much more to do," said Renee Zito, director of the department.

Zito and other officials discussed the problem at a Sacramento news
conference observing "Methamphetamine Awareness Day," declared
Tuesday by Gov. Schwarzenegger.

Methamphetamine production in the Central Valley -- a longtime meth
hub -- continues to decline, leading to higher meth prices, officials said.

But demand is still strong and dealers have found other pipelines,
mainly by smuggling the drug in from Mexico. Three-fourths of all
meth used in California now enters from outside the state, said
Larry Brown, an assistant U.S. attorney based in Sacramento.

In the United States, a 1-year-old law requires sellers of some cold
medicines to register the drugs and keep them behind a counter. The
cold medicine chemical pseudoephedrine is a key meth ingredient.

Mexico is also paying closer attention to the problem. The country
this year put a 40-ton cap on the amount of pseudoephedrine that can
be imported, Brown said. Meanwhile, U.S. officials are working to
persuade other countries to stiffen regulations of cold medicine
chemicals. China, India and Germany are among the largest
manufacturers, Brown said.

But "law enforcement alone is not going to end this problem," Brown
said. "The demand has to be reduced or eliminated."

In the Valley, the highly addictive drug remains the drug of choice.

Of the clients admitted to publicly funded drug treatment centers in
Fresno County last fiscal year, 37% reported meth as their primary
drug, double the percentage of the next closest drugs, according to
the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. In Tulare County, 45%
reported meth as their top choice.

"Originally it was so easy to get and was pushed so hard ... and it
was really cheap," Randy Davis, Tulare County's alcohol and drug
prevention coordinator, said in a phone interview.

Prices have risen in recent years from $50 a gram to $300 a gram,
which is more than the going rate for cocaine, officials say. But
"people are already addicted so they will do anything to get it," Davis said.

That could explain the recent rise in metal theft from farms.
Thieves -- many of them meth addicts -- cannibalize equipment,
selling the scrap metal to take advantage of rising prices for
copper and aluminum, law enforcement officials have said.

As a stimulant, methamphetamine activates chemicals that elevate a
user's mood, raise blood pressure and even induce euphoria. Once the
high wears off, depression sets in and some users contemplate
suicide. In the long term, the drug can impede memory
and reasoning. Overdoses can lead to stroke, kidney failure and death.

In the coming weeks, Tulare County plans to hold community forums to
discuss what can be done to curb meth use. Possible solutions
include launching neighborhood watch groups or programs to clean
up blighted areas.

"If people take pride in where they live," Davis said, "generally
it's more difficult for drug dealers and gang recruiters to come in
and take hold."