'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.