LESS FORCE FAVORED TO HANDLE DRUG USERS

NEW BALTIMORE -- Sgt. Tom Cuthbertson believes that when dealing with drug
users, guns that shoot rubber bullets and small bean bags are options that
police agencies should consider.

Cuthbertson said drug users, especially those high on crack cocaine and
methamphetamines, can be unpredictable. But less-lethal weapons that subdue
and not kill "would save (the suspect) from potential injury," he said.

Cuthbertson was one of a number of police officials attending a
demonstration last week of less-lethal weapons at the Macomb Criminal
Justice Training Center in Fraser.

Methamphetamines are highly addictive drugs that are easy to make using
common equipment and ingredients. It is typically produced in makeshift
labs -- often in homes -- using frying pans, hot plates and blenders.
Ingredients for "cooking" the drug include ammonia, cold tablets,
fertilizer and lye.

In the past two years, U.S. Customs agents in Detroit have confiscated
trucks containing more than 64.3 million tablets of pseudoephedrine, a
prescription antihistamine used to make methamphetamines.

Methamphetamines can be injected, snorted, smoked or taken orally. It can
produce addiction, psychotic behavior, hallucinations, violent behavior,
anxiety and confusion.

Crack cocaine and methamphetamines both stimulate the body's central
nervous system, said Dr. James Larkin, director of emergency services at
Mt. Clemens General Hospital.

"You are basically hyped up ... think of drinking a pot of strong coffee,"
Larkin said.