AS DRUG GROWS IN DEMAND, FAULKNER COUNTY TOPS LIST OF STATE PRODUCERS

(Editor's note: This is the first in a series of stories exploring the
impact on Faulkner County of what is considered by authorities as the
nation's biggest drug problem - crystal methamphetamine.)

Arkansas has a title to be ashamed of -- that of the state with the
most crystal methamphetamine labs per capita, according to the
Arkansas State Crime Laboratory.

Conway Police Department Lt. Bob Berry heads the Conway Regional Drug
Task Force, which covers all of Faulkner County. He and other local
law enforcement personnel are seeing firsthand the rapid growth of
drugs, specifically meth.

"We're seeing a lot of methamphetamine," Berry said, adding that seems
to be the drug of choice nowadays. Marijuana and crack are second and
third, respectively, he said.

Faulkner County Sheriff Marty Montgomery agreed. "We are being
consumed with the manufacturing of crystal methamphetamine," he said.
"There is not a day that we don't work with the task force or our own
leads on the manufacturing of crystal methamphetamine."

With 566, Faulkner County ranked sixth out of the 75 Arkansas counties
for total number of drug-related arrests in 1999.

Topping the list was Pulaski County with 1,944. Washington, Benton,
Sebastian and Crittenden counties were second through fifth
respectively.

These numbers are according to the Arkansas Crime Information Center.
County numbers for meth arrests specifically were not available.

However, of the 230 drug arrests made by the task force between
January and September this year, nearly 37 percent of them were for
methamphetamine-related offenses. Cocaine and marijuana tied in second
place with 26 percent each.

The other arrests were for LSD, drug paraphernalia, fraudulently
acquiring prescription drugs and theft.

The drug task force has raided more methamphetamine labs already this
year than it did two years ago and may pass last year's numbers.

Berry said the task force has served 52 drug-related search warrants
so far this year, 29 of which were for meth labs. There were 22 meth
labs busted in 1998 and 40 last year.

What is methamphetamine?

Crystal methamphetamine is a synthetic amphetamine used as a stimulant
for the central nervous system. An amphetamine is a chemical that has
stimulant properties similar to adrenaline.

The drug is made by combining several toxic chemicals in a somewhat
elaborate, and very dangerous, process.

Chemicals, many of which are explosive, are heated until certain
compounds separate from one another. One compound is removed and the
other is then added to water or another chemical and the heating and
mixing occurs again.

Some of the substances involved include starter fluid, liquid
fertilizer and battery acid. Over heating one chemical, or mixing one
with another before the right stage in the process, can cause explosions.

Some of the chemicals used also emit a gas that, if inhaled, could
result in death.

Meth is produced and sold illegally in pill form, capsules, powder and
chunks. It is extremely addictive, according to experts.

It can be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken orally, and its
appearance varies depending on how it is used. Typically, it is a
white, odorless, bitter-tasting powder that easily dissolves in water.
In crystallized form, it is generally clear, large chunks resembling
hard-rock candy.

Crystal meth is smoked in a manner similar to crack cocaine and about
10 to 15 "hits" can be obtained from a single gram of the substance.
The euphoric effect of smoking meth lasts longer than that of smoking
crack, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

In the beginning

While accounts of its origin vary, Norman Kemper, forensic chemist in
the drug laboratory at the state crime lab, has traced methamphetamine
back to World War II.

"Allies and German troops both used it as a stimulant for the
soldiers," Kemper said. It's likely meth was in the U.S. at the same
time, he added.

"The spread started on the west coast," he said, adding that was
around the 1960s. Some accounts show the drug existed as far back as
the early 1900's.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, motorcycle gangs
first started the spread of the drug, and still do some, but Mexican
drug traffickers took over as leaders in the mid 1990s.

"Super labs," capable of producing 10 pounds of meth in a cycle are
being seen more and more throughout the United States. However, in
central Arkansas most of the meth seen comes from small labs run by
the same people who use the drug, police say.

Awake for days

Methamphetamine use increases heart rate, blood pressure, body
temperature, and rate of breathing, and it frequently results in
violent behavior in users. Meth also dilates the pupils and produces
temporary hyperactivity, euphoria, a sense of increased energy, and
tremors, according to the DEA.

Chronic abuse produces a psychosis similar to schizophrenia and is
characterized by paranoia, picking at the skin, self-absorption, and
hallucinations, the DEA reports. Violent and erratic behavior is also
frequently seen in high-dose methamphetamine abusers.

The most dangerous stage of the cycle is known as "tweaking."
Typically, during this stage, the abuser has not slept in three to 15
days and is irritable and paranoid. The user has an intense craving
for more meth but no amount will help recreate the high.

Withdrawal

After the effects of meth wears off, severe withdrawal sets in that is
more intense and longer lasting than both speed and cocaine.

William Sutton, a state prisoner who is serving the remainder of his
sentence in the Faulkner County Detention Center, has seen the
symptoms of withdrawal in many prisoners.

Sutton is a licensed drug counselor and he earned his credentials
while incarcerated on robbery charges.

He said most the people he sees have gone 14 to 16 days without the
drug.

"They are very hypersensitive to other people's moods and behaviors
and have an attention span of about 10 seconds. They're also
depressed, often to the point of having suicidal thoughts." Sutton
said. Some are also psychotic.

Sutton said for many years, experts did not think meth was physically
addictive, but that thought has changed. In long-term users, it is not
only possible but also probable, he said.

Long-term is a varying time period that depends on many factors,
including what other drugs the meth addict is using. Meth users often
use other drugs, such as alcohol or barbiturates, to curb the effects
of meth. But for the average user, two months of using will result in
a physical dependency, Sutton said.

The Faulkner County Detention Center offers a drug counseling class
that lasts between 28 and 35 days, Sutton said, adding it is a class,
not therapy sessions. Therapy for a true meth addict should take at
least 90 days and could last up to six months, he said.

"You'll start to see a big change in about 6 months in most," he said.
Sutton explained recovering meth users have to get away from the
people they associated with while using or they will go right back to
doing the same things.

The attraction

Sutton agreed with law enforcement officers who say there is not an
average profile of a meth user. He as seen 18-year-olds who started in
their early teens, and 50- and 60-year-olds who have used for years.
He has seen male and female meth addicts.

There is also no average economic background or profile. Officers who
work undercover with the drug task force said they have gone into
structures that would be considered uninhabitable by most and they
have also seen labs in up-scale homes.

Labs have been found this year in various locations inside the Conway
city limits, including in apartment buildings and motel rooms as well
as in Mayflower, Wooster, Enders, Greenbrier and Quitman.

One attraction of the drug, said officials, is the easy way in which
meth can be made. Most of the supplies needed can be bought at
Wal-Mart or any other similar store and labs can be set up anywhere,
even the trunk of a car.

"In most labs, you'll find gallon jars and plastic jugs, not beakers
and such," Sutton explained. "And those who (make meth) describe it as
beautiful to watch."

The recipes for making meth have also been streamlined, Berry said. A
batch of meth can now be made in two or three hours.

The meth cooker also gets a sense of power, Sutton explained, because
they often become the leader in their group of friends and associates.
Because of the paranoia associated with users, the groups are
generally small and very close.

It can be hard for the user to break away from their group because
they likely have nowhere else to go, Sutton explained.

"I've seen a lot of younger users whose mother or father use and
taught them," he said. "They've been in the same group maybe 10 years
and their whole family is involved. You can't bring them in here for
28 to 35 days (of treatment) and tell them to go out and change their
whole social group."

Power also comes from the money that can be made. What costs a few
hundred dollars to make has a street value of several thousand
dollars, according to experts.

A former meth manufacturer said half a pound can be made for $300 to
$400 dollars. That can be sold for $2,000 an ounce or a total of $16,000.

The making of crystal methamphetamine is not only a growing business,
but also one with the potential for quite a profit margin.