'TWEAKERS' A HEALTH THREAT TO SELVES, OTHERS

Drug Enforcement Agent Brent Barnes walked into a house in Kearns to
bust a meth lab two years ago. But in addition to toxic chemicals and
a drug addicted meth "cook," Barnes found a baby in the basement
covered in lice.

"Meth addicts aren't exactly the cleanest people in the world," Barnes
said. "But what's sad is that they're so concerned about getting their
next 'tweak,' they forget about their kids."

He said ambulance workers called to the scene refused to treat the
child until she was "decontaminated" -- washed off to remove traces of
the dangerous chemicals that float in meth labs.

"I had to wash her off myself before they took her to the hospital,"
Barnes said. "The baby was so infested with lice that the hospital
advised me and everybody else that had been near her to shave our
heads. There were a couple of us with bald heads from that
assignment."

Meth has been identified as the biggest drug problem in Utah and much
of the West during the past decade.

In 1999, the DEA received reports of 64 fires, 40 explosions, 35 booby
traps, and 341 children found at meth labs, mainly in the West. The
long-term effects on users and children exposed to its toxic fumes
still are not known. But law enforcement officials say its impact is
"evil."

Methamphetamine, chemically similar to adrenaline, works on the
central nervous system, forcing the brain to produce excessive amounts
of dopamine, a feel-good chemical released naturally when people are
happy. As a result, meth users feel euphoric and have a tremendous
amount of energy, staying up for days at a time, earning the nickname
"tweakers."

Meth once was prescribed by doctors to treat narcolepsy, attention
deficit disorder and obesity. Investigators say it has become popular
among women who want to lose weight. It's referred to as the "Jenny
Crank Program."

The drug promotes a vicious cycle in a user's brain. After such an
intense high, the body is depleted of its ability to naturally release
dopamine and adrenaline. That leads to depression and exhaustion so
severe that users need more meth to feel good again.

"It's really hard to get off of because you're looking at feeling
miserable for years," said Lisa Jorgensen, an investigator with Utah's
Department of Child Family Services, who works with families affected
by meth.

"People that I would have totally expected to get their lives together
and get their kids back just haven't been able to stay clean,"
Jorgensen said. "You think about how a parent feels about their kid
and there's something about the drug that's more powerful than that
connection."

Analysts say meth is more addictive than cocaine.

One dose -- about $20 worth -- can get a person high for eight to 12
hours. And because they feel so miserable when they come off the drug,
users often binge for four or five days, Jorgensen said.

Meth users often are poorly nourished and sleep-deprived. The
combination also makes them paranoid. Chronic users often have bad
teeth, because the drug leaches calcium from the body.

"We had a woman who'd been using meth for nine months. She was eating
a piece of bread and her molar cracked in half," Barnes said.

Meth labs also are a danger. The chemicals used to make the drug are
explosive and a danger to everyone. One pound of meth produced yields
five to six pounds of toxic waste, Barnes said.

Meth cooks improvise, squeezing the ingredients out of household
products such as pseudoephedrine (which is found in cold medicines),
hydrochloric acid, iodine, rock salt, Drano and lighter fluid.

"When I bust a meth lab, I'm probably making the greatest
environmental impact I can in law enforcement," Barnes said.