METH TAKES TOLL ON THE BODY AND BRAIN

PLYMOUTH - The typical methamphetamine user is a white male, in his
mid-twenties. He only planned on trying meth once, but is now
addicted. He lives in Marshall County. He could be your neighbor.

The average "mether" in the county is a white male between the ages
of 19 and 30, according to Jason Faulstich, Indiana State Trooper and
head of the Meth Suppression Team at the Bremen post. Statewide, the
average user age is 25 years old, but statistics are showing younger
users, including more women.

A lot of the younger generation started with peer pressure. They were
at a party, they tried it once," said Faulstich.

Plymouth Canine Officer John Weir deals with meth users on a daily
basis. "When I ask, they usually just say their friends convinced
them to just try it once," he said. "Some women say they used it to
lose weight."

Many meth cooks, here in Marshall County, will try to get people
addicted for their personal use, said Faulstich. "They're cooking up
batches and taking them to parties, getting people hooked so they
have suppliers to go out and get them Sudafed," he said. Other drug
dealers are starting to lace marijuana with meth in order to attract
new and younger users. Unfortunately, once is all it takes to become
addicted to the most powerful stimulant drug available, said Faulstich.

Meth works by increasing the amount of dopamine released into the
brain, giving users a feeling of pleasure or euphoria. Meanwhile, the
process kills off brain cells.

Dopamine levels increase 300 percent when using cocaine, and 1,100
percent when using meth. Once someone has taken meth for the first
time, they will never get that same high again, said Faulstich.

That's the ultimate goal, to go back to that first high. But they'll
never get it," said Indiana State Police Detective Mark Senter.

The physical and psychological effects of the drug are as powerful as
the addiction. Most users will experience a complete change in
personality and show aggression, depression, memory loss,
hallucinations, and compulsive behaviors. Most lose or quit their
jobs. "They don't care about their family, their kids, everything is
second to the drug," said Senter.

Physical effects include the rotting of teeth, skin sores and rapid
weight loss.

Meth ranges in several different forms, from powder to crystals to
ice," said Faulstich. In Marshall County, powder is the most common form.

Meth is not naturally white, said Faulstich. Cooks actually have to
clean the drug with acetone to whiten it.

It ranges from a chunky brown powder to white. It has a pink color
sometimes because of the original Sudafed. You see a lot of brown
because they've messed it up or did it in an old bucket," he said.

There are two major ways to produce meth. In Marshall County, this is
referred to as the "Nazi" method. In Central and Southern Indiana,
the Red P" method is more common.

The Nazi method uses anhydrous ammonia, which is easy to find in
Marshall County, said Faulstich. "We're more agriculture, so they
have access to these chemicals," he said.

The Red P method uses iodine red phosphorus. "The bigger cooks make
Red P; it's more complicated," he said.

The majority of users smoke meth using aluminum foil boats filled
with the powder. They use a miniature blow torch underneath the boat,
and inhale the smoke into their nose or mouth, using the outside of a Bic pen.

Others use glass pipes or light bulbs to smoke the drug. Meth is so
potent that it is not usually snorted like cocaine or other drugs,
said Faulstich. "Those that have it real bad will cook their own
urine, recycle it," he added. Addicts that can no longer smoke it
through their nose or mouth do start to inject the drug, which
usually results in sores in their skin, he said.

Most users in Marshall County turn into meth cooks for their own
addiction, said Senter. "Maybe their cook got busted, so they have to
learn how to do it. We don't see these guys making money doing this.
They're making it for themselves," he said.

Some cooks sell enough meth to get by, since they usually do not
work, said Faulstich. A gram of meth sells for $80 to $100, and will
last a week or a weekend, varying on the user. Many users will binge
on the drug for three or four days before their body crashes, said Senter.

The physical impact meth has on an individual is extreme. Even more
threatening is the effect meth and meth labs can have on children,
the environment, local businesses and the legal system in the county.

For more information on these topics, continue to read future
articles about "Meth in Marshall County" in the Pilot News.