ONCE A PARTY DRUG, METH MOVES INTO THE WORKPLACE

Stressed employees turn to the drugs to boost concentration
and stamina. But accidents and absenteeism tell the real
workplace story.

Lawyers use it to deal with grueling workloads. Movie executives say
they like how the buzz keeps them focused as they multi-task
throughout the day. It's most popular, researchers say, on
construction sites and in manufacturing plants where workers need to
stay alert during long hours of repetitive work. And the cost - as
little as $100 a month - makes it affordable to many.

While methamphetamines have long been a bane to law enforcement, and
treatment experts say the number of meth addicts has been increasing
for years, the drugs have graduated into a formidable problem in the
workplace.

The illegal drug, also known as "ice," "Tina" or "crystal," is a
powerful stimulant: A single dose can keep users high for up to 14
hours. At least initially, people say it makes them feel like a
superhero - confident, untouchable and able to accomplish a day's work
in a few hours.

It may be particularly attractive for the growing number of American
workers who, studies show, are putting in longer hours and being asked
to do more by their employers. For some, the drug seems to provide a
good solution to busy work schedules and demanding bosses.
Anecdotally, users talk of stirring meth into their coffee in the
morning before leaving for the office.

"A lot of people look at this like it's No Doz - just another way to
keep them awake and on message," said Nancy Delogu, a Washington,
D.C., attorney and an expert in workplace substance abuse.

Still, the problem of meth use remains largely unnoticed by much of
corporate America. While a small number of employers are recognizing
meth as a problem, researchers, treatment counselors, and state and
federal regulators say most employers have done little to address the
issue or the myriad problems - erratic behavior, accidents, increased
sick days and health costs - that are attributed to its use. Although
there are no government or private statistics on meth use in the
workplace, a major national survey in 2002 found that an estimated 77%
of people who use drugs of any type are employed.

California appears to have much at stake. Methamphetamine use is
highest in the West, where its use first soared over a decade ago in
cities such as San Diego and Honolulu. According to the California
Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, methamphetamines overtook
heroin two years ago as the No. 1 reason Californians are entering
drug treatment. Nationally, use of the drug has also been growing in
the Midwest and East, according to a 2002 study by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse.

"There is too much meth out there to explain this away as a party
drug," said Dr. Richard Rawson, associate director of UCLA's
Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, who has studied methamphetamines
for more than a decade. The drug is more abused worldwide than cocaine
and heroin combined, according to the World Health Organization. And,
Rawson said, it is popular with workers in overachieving, highly
productive economies such as those in Japan and South Korea.

Recently, several indicators point to methamphetamines' growing
influence in the workplace. According to a study this summer by Quest
Diagnostics Inc., a company that processes more than 7 million
employee drug tests each year, the number of workers testing positive
for the stimulant rose 68% last year.

The California Bar Assn. says one in four lawyers who voluntarily
enters drug rehabilitation programs is addicted to
methamphetamines.

The Entertainment Industry Referral and Assistance Center, an employee
assistance program for industry workers and their families, says it
sees one to two methamphetamine addicts a day. That figure is up
significantly from five years ago, said the program's director, Dae
Medman.

Researchers report a small but growing number of employers in
industries hit hardest by meth abuse - construction, sales and retail
companies - now screen employees for methamphetamine use, in addition
to cocaine, marijuana, opiates and PCP.

Methamphetamines have a long history of keeping people awake on the
job. Nazi troops used it during World War II, and many countries still
provide soldiers and pilots methamphetamines-like "go pills" to keep
them awake during long battles or flight missions. Before the U.S.
government banned the sale of methamphetamines in the 1970s, students,
housewives and businesspeople used meth, then known as "pep pills," to
regularly cram for exams or boost energy.

Some major concerns with meth use in the workplace are increased risk
of accidents, especially in the manufacturing and transportation
industries, as well as loss of productivity and higher employee health
costs, according to workplace experts and researchers.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is concerned
about the drugs' rising use in the workplace because employees can
become disoriented and develop a lack of coordination, said Dr. Don
Wright, director of occupational medicine. The agency now includes
information about methamphetamines on its website and provides
training materials to help employers recognize workers who may be
using the drug. "As this becomes a longer trend, we are definitely
growing more worried," he said.

Katherine Deck, associate director of the Center for Business and
Economic Research at the University of Arkansas, is studying the
economic impact of methamphetamine use in Benton County, Ark.
According to the study's preliminary findings, meth use cost area
employers $21 million last year - about $42,000 per affected worker -
in higher absenteeism and health costs. "Employers are going to be
surprised what this drug can mean to their bottom line," said Deck,
whose study was financed by Wal-Mart, the retailing giant that is
headquartered in the Arkansas county.

Methamphetamines work by blocking the brain's ability to cleanse
itself of the euphoria-causing neurotransmitter dopamine. That can
lead to intense feelings of pleasure and an elevated mood that last
for hours, compared to a cocaine high that lasts for around 45
minutes. Many people snort the drug, but others smoke it or inject it
intravenously.

Researchers say the drug has become as easily available as cocaine in
recent years. At their most extreme, meth users are easy to spot: They
can be extremely fidgety, sometimes aggressive and often talk rapidly
without stopping. Many experience rapid weight loss, and they may
appear overconfident, even cocky. Those who stay on the drug for days
often don't sleep and may become paranoid or delusional.

People who temper their use of the drug, known as maintenance users,
are more difficult to spot. After all, many of the drug's initial
characteristics - increased concentration and the ability to work
longer hours - are traits valued by managers and unlikely to be seen
as a "problem."

Carol Falkowski, a drug researcher at the Hazelden Foundation, a
prominent drug treatment center in Center City, Minn., said some meth
users could maintain their use for long periods of time and never
become addicts. "There are definitely people who can hide" their use
of the drug, Falkowski said.

Meth users tend to bottom out more slowly than people who use cocaine
or heroin, possibly because the drug is so cheap and doesn't often
lead users into financial ruin, according to a 2002 study in the
Journal of Addictive Diseases. Prices for meth vary around the
country, but users can usually get a hit for as little as $10.

Elizabeth Stuart, a 36-year-old mother of three from San Jose, has
worked as a radiology technician at a local hospital for the last five
years. Four years ago, she started using meth, after spending a few
years dipping into her son's attention deficit disorder medication, a
stimulant, to boost her energy. She stopped after her son's doctor
suspected she was abusing the medication and refused to write more
prescriptions.

Initially, she said, meth helped her balance life at home with the
stresses at work, where she felt she was better able to concentrate.
"It was my super-drug," she said.

Eventually, however, things began to fray. Stuart said she started
losing her grip at home and by the end lost interest in work. Before
entering a 30-day treatment program last month, she was often arriving
late to work and was calling in sick once or twice a week. She said
her bosses never said anything to her about the possibility she was on
drugs. After asking her boss for help, her employer, who declined to
be interviewed, allowed her to combine her vacation and sick days and
take an unpaid leave. "I really thought this drug kept me in control,"
she said.

Research is starting to document the long-term effects of meth use on
the brain, which appear to be severe. According to one recent study,
long-term users suffer losses in memory and cognitive ability similar
to those of people with Parkinson's disease.

UCLA's Rawson has found that users begin to reverse brain damage once
they've stopped using the drug for about a year. Although some
treatment experts have reported that meth addiction is very difficult
to kick, Rawson's research has found that success rates for treating
meth addicts are about the same as cocaine users - about 50% to 60%.

Stuart, of San Jose, returned to work last Thursday. At first, she was
uncomfortable, but she relaxed after her boss and co-workers told her
how happy they were to see her. "Other than my kids, right now my job
is everything," she said. "I hope to God I can keep it."