UTAH'S HOMEGROWN METH LABS CREATING AN EPIDEMIC OF ADDICTED TOTS

After police raided a suspected Salt Lake City drug house recently, they
found a working methamphetamine lab, loaded firearms and several open jugs
of toxic chemicals.

They also discovered two filthy, hungry boys. An adult in the home was
jailed for operating a meth lab and for child abuse. Later, blood and hair
tests of one of the boys revealed the presence of methamphetamine in his
system.

"He tested positive and has exhibited withdrawal symptoms," said Lisa
Jorgensen an investigator with Utah's Child Protective Services. "He's a
5-year-old addict." The boy's 2-year-old brother also was found to have
traces of meth in his system.

Call it the "crack baby" epidemic for the new millennium.

Experts say Utah's standing as a haven for "Mom and Pop" meth labs is
causing untold damage to children who live in drug-addled homes where adults
brew toxic mixtures on their kitchen stoves. Used needles, beakers with drug
residue and contaminated vials are typically scattered on the floor where
infants crawl and play.

Authorities who must wade through the chemical mess left by the home-cooked
high are worried about the long-term negative consequences for children who
grow up in such an environment.

"When one of these drug houses is discovered, it's not uncommon for our
agents to be in moon suits while babies are crawling around in diapers,"
said Don Mendrala, federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) spokesman.

Young children become addicted to the drugs when they inhale second-hand
smoke or sample chunks of crystal meth left lying on the floor. Likewise,
pregnant women who smoke or snort the highly addictive -- and cheap -- drugs
often get their unborn children addicted, Jorgensen said.

Indeed, the most frequent users of meth are women between the ages of 20 and
35 -- the age of childbearing, said Pat Knell of the Salt Lake County Health
Department.

The effects on children are not widely known because long-term studies have
not been done on the newly recognized problem. What is known, Knell said, is
that children go through some of the same withdrawal symptoms of vomiting,
diarrhea and chronic sickness as their "tweaking" -- street slang for users
of meth -- parents.

"It takes two years to get off meth," she said. "You feel pretty rotten for
about two years."

Parents addicted to meth are more concerned about their next high than
ensuring their children receive adequate care. The results are predictable.

"These are some of the most abused and neglected children I've ever seen,"
Jorgensen said at the 10th Annual Utah Gang Conference held recently in
downtown Salt Lake City. "The house is filthy, the kids are missing school
and they are always sick. In some cases, the only meal they get is at
school."

Added Mendrala of the DEA: "The abuse is broad, encompassing. The focus for
users is on the drug; family, food and personal hygiene take a distant
second. Kids are not going to be cared for, fed or bathed with any
regularity."

When a working meth lab is discovered by police, the children are
automatically removed from the home, given a mental health screening and
moved to foster homes. After they are removed from the toxic environment,
they begin the healing process. The road to recovery, though, is a long one
for children addicted to the drug.

"They go through withdrawals and feel terrible," Jorgensen said. "We see
developmental delays and hearing loss."

The adverse effects are not just physical. Experts fear the meth-house
epidemic will create a class of social deviants, people prone to violence
and who abhor law officers.

"In tweaker's homes we see drugs, guns and very hard-core porn," Jorgensen
said. "We get a lot of very neglected and sexually abused kids."

Jorgensen said people on meth frequently enjoy pornography and some like to
take photographs of themselves and others engaging in lewd acts. The
pictures and pornographic magazines are often scattered around the home,
easily accessible to children.

"I've seen a 3-year-old who can describe sexual acts and sees nothing wrong
with it," Jorgensen said. "These kids -- and I'm talking 10 and under --
seem to have no inhibitions."

Children who live in the meth culture learn from parents who have loaded
handguns scattered around the house and are willing to use gunfire to
protect their illegal operations, experts say. The drugs can net about $25
on the street for two hits, but many meth cooks make the drugs to satisfy
their own cravings, Knell said

"People on meth become violent, paranoid and they're well-armed," she said.
"To them, everyone is a cop."

The burgeoning meth culture doesn't seem to be slowing down in Utah,
officials say. Last year, for example, 266 labs were discovered by police
around the state. Only four other states -- California, Missouri, Arkansas
and Arizona -- had more. On a per capita basis, Utah remains the No. 1 meth
state in the U.S., a dubious trend that began a few years ago in a state
known for its squeaky-clean image.

Meanwhile, the boys found in the Salt Lake City drug house are doing OK, but
will live with the effects of growing up in a meth lab for some time.

"They slept for two days, they went through sweating, cramping, diarrhea and
have developmental problems," Jorgensen said. "They are in a foster home and
are going to be in counseling and rehab for years to come."