POLICE SEEK RESIDENTS' HELP TO FIGHT METH

First Of Two Parts

Methamphetamine labs may not have the stranglehold they once had on
New Mexico, but the number of victims the drug is enslaving continues
to rise. Statewide, police are turning to the Meth Watch program to
combat the addictive substance, and in Rio Rancho, that means more
public education.

Friday's first meth-awareness class, presented by the Rio Rancho
Department of Public Safety on behalf of the Meth Watch program, came
not only with information, but also with a challenge to act. About 15
people attend the class.

DPS spokesman John Francis gave encouragement to those he called to
aid the officers in their struggle against methamphetamine in Rio
Rancho: "The efforts of one person can forever change the lives of many."

Despite a decline in methamphetamine labs throughout New Mexico -
there have been no busts in Rio Rancho for two years - meth use is
increasing, Francis said, thanks to easy access to the drug from Mexico.

"Just because the meth labs are down doesn't mean people aren't using
it, and it doesn't mean meth labs aren't in Rio Rancho," Francis said.

DPS Director Robert Boone also wanted to reinforce to the class that
the meth problem, denouncing an Associated Press article, in the
Albuquerque Journal, that said the meth epidemic was "grossly
overstated." According to the article, some prisons on the West Coast
documented that more than one quarter of new inmates had
methamphetamine in their systems.

But Boone went on to say that there would be too much methamphetamine
use until it is eradicated.

"If it's my kid, if there's one case of meth in the world, it's one
too many," Boone said.

What is meth?

Methamphetamine (also known as speed, ice, chalk, crank, fire, glass
or crystal) is usually a white, bitter-tasting powder, easily soluble
in liquids, Francis said. Crystal meth, or ice, resembles rock candy
and is smoked in a pipe or tube, similar to crack cocaine. One gram
of the substance equals about 10 to 15 "hits," Francis said.

Meth is cooked from a variety of common household ingredients,
including acetone, anhydrous ammonia, brake fluid, brake cleaner,
drain cleaner, ethyl or either, iodine crystals, lighter fluid,
batteries, lye, hydrochloric acid, red phosphorus, sodium metal and
coffee filter.

The ingredient, however, that has received the most attention is
ephedrine, a common ingredient in cold medicine.

Use of the resulting product, which causes a high, is fraught with
danger. Methamphetamine causes increases in heart rate, blood
pressure, body temperature and rate of breathing, Francis told the
class. As a neurotoxin, it also causes brain damage.

"High doses or chronic use of methamphetamine have been associated
with increased nervousness, irritability and paranoia," Francis said.
"Withdrawal from high doses produces severe depression."

Chronic abuse of the substance results in a "psychosis similar to
schizophrenia," Francis said. Associated behaviors include paranoia,
picking at the skin, self-absorption, and hallucinations, both
auditory and visual.

It is also not uncommon for a meth user to display violent or erratic
behavior, Francis said. Such behavior is frequently displayed by
chronic and high-dose users.

What to look for

The most distinctive evidence that a methamphetamine lab may be
nearby is probably the smell. Francis described it as similar to nail
polish remover or cat urine.

Meth houses also commonly have windows that are blacked out or
otherwise covered to prevent people from looking in.

"These people are paranoid all the time," Francis told the class,
explaining their obsessive desire for privacy. "They see people that
aren't there."

Despite the common presence of paranoia, meth cooks often leave
excessive amounts of garbage, particularly from the items used in the
cooking process, in their trashcans or yards, Francis said. There may
be multiple empty containers of any of the products necessary for
methamphetamine creation in the yard or in the trash, Francis said.

An unusually high number of visitors at odd hours of the day is also
a frequent indication of a meth house. Francis said that meth is
rarely sold on the street, as users prefer to buy through social networks.

It is also often simple to identify a meth user, as abuse of the
substance results in an often-horrific physical appearance. Loss of
teeth and weight is commonly associated with the drug, Francis said.
Methamphetamine decays the teeth, while meth users frequently do not
get proper nutrition because of their addiction.

"These people don't eat for days and days at a time," Francis said.
"That's why they become so emaciated."

Francis also cautioned landlords to beware of renters who pay in
cash. A woman Francis knows rented her home in the East Mountains to
a man who paid in cash. Despite her assertion that this was a "nice
man," six months later the house had to be "gutted," Francis said,
because the renter started a meth lab.

Race and social status, however, cannot be used to determine if
someone is likely to be a meth user. The drug's abuse crosses all
racial and economic lines, Francis said, devastating black, white or
Hispanic families and affecting anyone from the unemployed poor to
wealthy stay-at-home moms.

What to do if a lab is nearby

Meth users are often violent because of the drug, and Francis urged
that residents call police rather than get personally involved.

"If you come across meth users in the street, it is common that they
are violent," he said.

Likewise, citizens should not enter a meth house because of the
dangers of explosion or chemical exposure. Entering the building,
Francis said, is best left to the police and firefighters in the
proper equipment.

Francis offered two numbers residents can call: the DPS non-emergency
number (891-7226) and the Crime Stoppers number (843-STOP). Callers
can remain anonymous when calling either number, Francis said.

Last Friday's class earned rave review from city councilor Marilyn
Salzman, the lone member of the governing body to attend. Francis
said Salzman has been a "big supporter of meth education."

Salzman said she was proud of the citizens "who did give up a Friday
night in the summer" to attend the class.

"For me, this was a journey, and seeing it culminate tonight is very
rewarding," Salzman told the class.

Salzman said she wanted to get involved in meth education when she
learned how "shocking" the effects of the drug were.

Although there is not a second methamphetamine class scheduled,
Francis said they are merely waiting to set a date. DPS is also
hosting the Citizen's Public Safety Academy, a 12-week course
beginning July 25.

Coming ... why meth is dangerous and how to clean up the mess.