METH USE GROWING HERE IN STATE'S TOP AREA FOR DRUG

The highly addictive drug "meth" is showing up in southwestern Michigan
communities in a surge of illegal manufacture and use that has authorities
alarmed.

"There are 'super labs' out West," said Allegan Police Chief Rick Hoyer,
"but, in Michigan, we see mom-and-pop labs" operated by groups making
methamphetamine for their own use.

Allegan, Van Buren, Kalamazoo, and St. Joseph are the top four counties in
Michigan for the number of clandestine labs, according to the St. Joseph
County Department of Human Services.

These four counties, along with Cass, Branch, Calhoun, Barry and Ottawa,
account for 80 percent of the meth arrests in the state, the human services
department reported.

Police are so concerned about this disturbing trend that they are taking
their message to the people.

In Kalamazoo County, where meth possession soared from between 40 and 50
cases four years ago to more than 350 last year, the sheriff's department
is offering presentations to raise public awareness.

St. Joseph and Van Buren counties have created community task forces.

In Van Buren, task force coordinator E.J. McAndrew said they're looking for
"anybody interested in standing up to drugs in their community." Their goal
is to build an anti-drug coalition that fights meth at a grass-roots level.

"We're at the point now where community awareness is our No. 1 ally,"
McAndrew said. "Our goal is to get as many people as possible involved in
each town, because they're the ones who can really make an impact."

As use of the drug spreads, waves of crime follow. Police encounter meth
addicts on routine traffic stops, domestic violence calls and during fire
investigations. Social workers see cases of child abuse and neglect
committed by parents who use meth.

Since clandestine labs typically need anhydrous ammonia to manufacture the
drug, farms that use ammonia fertilizer for crops are targets for theft and
extensive property damage.

Police are bracing for spring.

"Obviously it's a time we see an increase in production because anhydrous
ammonia will start hitting the fields in April," Hoyer said.

The cover provided in rural areas and the chance to steal large amounts of
farm fertilizers make southwestern Michigan a prime location for
manufacture of the drug. Labs have been found in open fields, homes, hotel
rooms and trunks of cars, said Heidi Bertschinger, a Western Michigan
University social-work intern assigned to the St. Joseph County Human
Services Department.

Nationally, Michigan ranks 18th in the number of meth-making operations,
according to Bertschinger.

Everything needed to produce the addictive drug, except anhydrous ammonia,
can be purchased in most retail stores. The primary ingredient is
ephedrine, a compound commonly found in over-the-counter cold tablets.
Large numbers of the tablets are necessary to manufacture meth in power or
crystal form, which can be snorted, injected or even chewed to produce a
powerful high.

The production, or "cooking," process is quite dangerous since it can
produce highly toxic and explosive chemical reactions, Bertschinger said.
Current research indicates that only about 4 to 6 percent of meth users are
able to kick the habit, she said.

The toll on the community from the use of this drug can be devastating,
especially when children are involved.

Bertschinger said meth is becoming increasingly popular with teenagers and
women who want to lose weight. The powerful stimulant affects the central
nervous system, increasing metabolism, heart rate and blood pressure.

"They think they can take a little 'hit' and it will have no long-term
effect," she said. But users find they must take increasing amounts to
produce highs, which can keep them awake and energetic for days, followed
by periods of sleep that can last equally as long.

"Kids have called 911 in Cass County, reporting that they think their
parent may be dead when they can't get them to wake up. The parent is
coming down off methamphetamine," said Chris Kadulski, director of the St.
Joseph/ Cass Department of Human Services.

Effects of the drug include uncontrollable body movements, shortness of
breath, excessive dilation of pupils, and damage to internal organs.

In a Kalamazoo County Sheriff's Department presentation by Capt. William
Timmerman and Deputy Phil Neuman in Oshtemo Township last week, a
videotaped interview with a meth addict showed the physical toll. The woman
talks to a police officer about wanting to turn her life around and be a
better mother to her children. She appears battered. Her cheeks are sunken
in. Her teeth are broken and rotting. She fidgets uncontrollably. She is
gaunt and looks old. She is 34.

Children who come to school smelling strongly of cat urine may not just be
from a dirty home, Bertschinger said. The odor can indicate they are living
where meth is being cooked.

Child Protective Services workers who retrieve children from homes where
meth has been made are cautioned to cover the children in plastic ponchos
and leave behind any clothing or toys to avoid contact with meth residues.

Officials also warn people to be careful about using coffee pots provided
in motel rooms. Meth-makers who set up operations in motel rooms may use
those containers and leave residue from the drug's production.

Police who deal with meth addicts also find the psychological effects of
the drug -- it creates extreme paranoia and hallucinations -- can lead to
dangerous behavior.

"When we chase them, they run like anything," said Neuman said. "Remember
the paranoia and delusions. They want to get away."

Those who find what they think may be a meth lab or who encounter someone
they suspect may be high on meth should leave the area and call their local
police department or sheriff's office.