OFFICIALS TRY TO COMBAT SCOURGE OF CRYSTAL METH

'Public enemy No. 1' taking hold in region, officer says

George Conner, left, a member of the Jackson Fire Department and a Haz-Mat
team, helps to disassemble a decontamination area that was on display Monday
during the 'METHodology: Defining a Different View About Methamphetamine in
the Community' conference. Treasure Henninga, also a Jackson firefighter,
helps with the disassembly of the decontamination area.

There were law enforcement officials, social workers, health care workers,
educators and workers in the court system. They gathered Monday at the Carl
Perkins Civic Center to learn about a problem that, despite their very
different jobs, each of them has already, or in the future, may have to face
- - methamphetamine.

The ''METHodology: Defining a Different View About Methamphetamine in the
Community'' conference was hosted by the Community Anti-Drug Coalition,
Jackson-Madison County Metro Narcotics Unit and several other organizations
throughout the community and state.

Meth is highly addictive, but the addiction is more psychological, since the
drug is much like dopamine, a chemical in the brain that triggers pleasure
responses, said Lt. Barry Michael of the Metro Narcotics Unit and one of the
presenters at the conference.

And while meth ranks behind marijuana and crack cocaine as the most widely
used drug in the Jackson area, Michael said, ''I still consider it public
enemy No. 1.''

The drug can be made at home with household chemicals. And meth labs can be
located almost anywhere, including motels, apartments, short-term rental
property, vehicles trailers, campers, garages, barns, storage facilities,
houses and wooded areas.

''The number of meth cases double and triple each year,'' he said. ''We
haven't seen a drug with that type of growth in a long, long time. It's
basically an epidemic, for lack of a better term.''

The drug can have devastating health effects as well, ranging from insomnia
to anorexia, mood swings to unfounded rage, calcium depletion to death.

Sid Nichols, a regional representative for Lakeside Behavioral Health
Hospital in Memphis, said he had been helping organize the conference for
about three months. Nichols said he was inspired to help organize a
conference in the area after attending a similar conference in Nashville.

''A lot of people can't take time away from their jobs lots of times,'' he
said. ''A lot of people who work out in the field may come in contact with
(meth) and not even know it.''

About Meth

Methamphetamine is classified as a chemical stimulant and is classified as a
Federal Schedule II drug.

It also is known as crank, crystal, crystal meth, ice, meth, speed.

Tennessee leads all Southeast states in meth lab seizures and ranks in the
top five states nationwide in lab seizures.

There is a prescription form of the drug known as Desoxyn used to treat
narcolepsy in adults and hyperactivity in children.

First synthesized in 1919, in Japan, it was heavily used by all powers
during World War II, but was not a mainstream drug until the 1980s. It is
rumored that Adolph Hitler used the drug up to five times a day, and it was
reported that Japanese Kamikaze pilots were injected with large doses of the
drug before a suicide mission.

During the 1930s, methamphetamines were used to treat asthma, decongestion
and depression.

The drug was originally produced as a recreational drug by biker gangs, then
Mexican cartels, now by individual producers.

The term ''crank'' came from motorcycle gang members who would hide the drug
in the crank cases of their motorcycles.

Meth is the most manufactured drug in the United States. More than 12,000
meth labs across the nation were seized in 2001.

Meth has become more popular because it is a better stimulant than crack
cocaine, there is a greater profit potential for dealers and it can be made
with common chemicals that are easily obtained. Source: Lt. Barry Michael,
Metro Narcotics

Meth class today

The Bolivar-Hardeman County Ambulance Service will host a methamphetamine
response class from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today at the Bolivar Municipal
Center, 211 N. Washigton St. The cost is free.

The class will be taught by the Tennessee National Guard Counter Drug
Division. The class will consist of a PowerPoint lecture, two videos and
exhibits. All Hardeman County emergency responders are urged to attend.

For those wishing to obtain continuing education units, this class has been
approved for 0.3 CEU's or 3 Contact Hours by the University of Tennessee
Martin.

The cost for CEU's is $20. Make checks or money orders payable to UT Martin.