METH: A DRUG LIKE NO OTHER

Realtors Against Meth (RAM) is sponsoring meth awareness
presentations throughout the Northern Hills which will begin this
week in Spearfish.

SPEARFISH: A community leaders' luncheon will be held in Spearfish at
11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 11, in the Northern Hills Holiday Inn
and then at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday a parents' and adults' session
will be held at the high school.

STURGIS: Then on Tuesday, Jan. 17, presentations will begin in
Sturgis at 9 a.m. in the Sturgis Middle School and at 1:30 p.m. at
the high school. At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, there will be a
no-host community luncheon at the Sturgis Armory and then at 6:30
p.m. there will be a parents' and community session at the Sturgis
Community Center Theater.

LEAD-DEADWOOD: Finally, the presentations will move to the
Lead-Deadwood area beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 24 in Lead with the
fifth through eighth grade presentation at 10:30 a.m., in the
Lead-Deadwood High School auditorium. The high school session will
also be in the auditorium at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 24. At 11:30
a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, RAM will host a community leader luncheon
at First Gold Hotel and Gaming in Deadwood (attendees for this
luncheon must RSVP to Terri Keehn at 717-1544 no later than 10 a.m.
Jan. 20.). At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, a parents' session
will be held in the Lead-Deadwood High School auditorium.

SPEARFISH - Methamphetamine is a drug that is unlike any other drug
in the world, according to recent reports from drug educators, law
enforcement officials, social workers and other people who maintain a
daily mission to fight the war on drugs nationwide.

"One of the things that meth does is it gives you that immediate
high, that huge rush," said Robert Nickisch, meth educator for
Sturgis' Action for the Betterment of our Community. "And after that
you never feel quite the same again and your normal is lower than it
ever has been. So the more meth you use the lower and lower your
normal is and the less and less you can feel any pleasure. So, you
try and take more and more meth (to get the original high.)"

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, some physical
effects of meth use include hypothermia, convulsions, and
cardiovascular collapse. Long term effects can also include kidney
complications, lung disorders, brain and liver damage, and blood clots.

Additionally, the National Drug Intelligence Center reports that
since meth is such a powerful stimulant that affects the central
nervous system, the drug can cause insomnia, anxiety, paranoia, mood
swings, hallucinations, delusions and violent behavior. It is during
the "tweaking" stage, when the user is more prone to hallucinations
and paranoia, when thought patterns can become particularly
dangerous, sometimes leading to homicidal or suicidal tendencies.

The tweaking phase is the "down side" of meth use when the user
cannot seem to satisfy the need for more meth no matter how much they may take.

According to reports from Northern Hills Alcohol and Drug Services in
Spearfish and Sturgis, meth is manufactured using highly toxic
chemicals such as freon, anhydrous ammonia, and sulphuric acid, and
the drug is classified as a psychostimulant.

Much like cocaine, which has the same classification, meth causes the
body to accumulate massive amounts of the neurotransmitter dopamine,
producing an euphoric high for the user.

However, unlike cocaine, which is produced from all natural
materials, the chemical makeup of methamphetamine creates a longer
effect on the body. According to official published reports from
Northern Hills Alcohol and Drug Services, while cocaine has a
half-life of about one hour in the body, meth's half-life can be 12 hours.

"Cocaine is based on a natural product and is metabolized fairly
quickly in the user's body. As a natural product, cocaine use will
send strong abuse and withdrawal signals back to the user.
Methamphetamine is a chemical compound and is metabolized very
slowly. Methamphetamine sends very little abuse and withdrawal
signals back to the user (in the beginning); yet the internal damage
it does to the user's brain and internal organs is almost immediate,"
stated one report produced by Alcohol and Drug Services for the
Northern Black Hills Association of Realtors. The report is entitled
"Methamphetamine: The ugliest drug in the world."

According to officials from Northern Hills Alcohol and Drug Services,
the extended period of time that meth stays in the body combined with
the chemical damage caused to internal organs is one of the main
reasons the drug is so addictive. As one of the most addictive drugs
in the world, meth educators said studies have shown that nine out of
10 people who use methamphetamine are addicted the first time.

Further, Deb Hughes of the Lawrence County Department of Social
Services said the damage to the brain is permanent the first time
someone uses meth, or is directly exposed to its by-products. Changes
to brain function and to the user's ability to handle normal life
functions may be alarming.

Both local and national experts agree on the real danger to and from
meth addicts in the "tweaking" phase.

"During the tweaking stage a methamphetamine user often has not slept
for days and consequently is extremely irritable," one report from
the National Drug Intelligence Center states. "The tweaker also
craves more methamphetamine, which results in frustration and
contributes to anxiety and restlessness. In this stage the tweaker
does not need a confrontation or provocation to become violent."

In fact, according to Nickisch, some of the most heinous, violent
crimes committed are commonly linked to methamphetamine use.
According to Northern Hills Alcohol and Drug statistics, 89.4 percent
of violent crimes in South Dakota are meth related. That, Nickisch
said, includes everything from domestic crimes, to sexually based
offenses and homicides.

"Meth is much more violent," Nickisch said. "You're in danger every
time you walk by a meth user. There is a particular stage in meth use
called tweaking when they are the most violent. You could go from
sitting across the table being a nice person to being a deadly enemy
in the snap of a finger. That's what it does."

In addition to the violent tendencies that can result from long-term
usage, police and other drug educators say due to the long period of
time the drug is in the body, and the permanent damage the drug
causes, addiction treatment can take significantly longer compared to
treatments for other drugs and alcohol. The standard 30 to 90-day
treatment model simply does not work for meth addicts, who often
require between 12 to 18 months of intensive in-patient rehabilitation.

"(That's) to even have a little chance," said Dale McCabe, of the
S.D. Division of Criminal Investigation in Rapid City.

This treatment, officials say, is often paid for with tax dollars
since many rehabilitation facilities receive funding from the state.

"You are paying more and more for treatment of meth related addiction
because the standard 30 day model for coke addiction and so forth, it
doesn't work," Nickisch said. And even after an intensive treatment
period, Nickisch and McCabe said due to the heavy hold the drug has
on the body, the user still may not be able to kick the habit.

This, officials say, can affect everything from tax payer's dollars
allocated to state-run treatment facilities, to families that are
broken up while a meth user is in treatment.

Overall, drug enforcement and education officials said the long and
short-term physical and social effects of methamphetamine are the
biggest reason members of the community should stand up and take
notice of an ever-growing drug problem. The fact that the drug has
the potential to affect even non-users through violent tendencies,
tax dollars, negative influences and other aspects makes
methamphetamine one of the most dangerous drugs around, officials say.

"We simply cannot allow the community to develop a tolerance for meth
like we have tolerated alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and in some
cases, even cocaine," Nickisch said. "Meth is much more dangerous."