SEABROOK POLICE PREPARE FOR RISE IN USE OF CRYSTAL METH

SEABROOK - It's not a question of if, but when, the meth epidemic will hit
the state.

So say Seabrook police, who on the border of Massachusetts await the next
illegal drug influx like sailors looking toward a coming storm.

"Heroin is traditionally cheap and available," said Seabrook Police Officer
Jeffrey Stackpole. "This, unfortunately, is the drug of the future we're
dealing with."

Unlike heroin, which infected Seabrook as an "epidemic," according to the
State Police Narcotics Unit, methamphetamines will require no clandestine
trips to Lowell or Lawrence, Mass., to secure the drug.

It will be manufactured in local homes and motels, in cars, and in the
woods, and then the sites will be abandoned, leaving a hazardous-materials
mess for taxpayers to clean up.

Catching meth-makers will be difficult, as the materials used to create the
crystalline white drug are legal: Sudafed, Contact, or similar cold
products containing pseudoephedrine, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide,
matchbook striker pads, batteries, iodine and Coleman fuel, to name a few.

The meth ingredients are pulled from the drugstore items by hot or cold
method, over a burner, or through shaking.

Two empty plastic Coke bottles and surgical tubing has created many a meth
lab in the back of a car, which is later abandoned, Stackpole said.

The hot method heats highly flammable ingredients, Stackpole explained, and
explosions are common. The cold method is no less volatile.

Every pound of meth made creates five pounds of hazardous waste. Meth labs
are transient and often hidden outdoors.

While no labs have been found in Seabrook or surrounding towns, three have
been discovered in the Rochester-Dover area.

"It would not surprise either of us if it's here," said Stackpole,
referring to himself and Seabrook's undercover Drug Task Force officer.
They and Officer David Buccheri are attending meth seminars to find out
what they're dealing with and how to recognize meth before the epidemic
completes its northeasterly spread.

Nearly 3,000 meth labs have been found in Missouri, more than 1,000 in
Illinois and Indiana, and 48 in New York State.

Other states have moved Sudafed to shelves behind the pharmacist's counter.

"At least three labs have been found in the state so far," Stackpole said.
"There is an epidemic in the West."

The highly addictive stimulant releases dopamine in the brain, boosting
feelings of pleasure. Users can stay high for days without eating or
sleeping, making the drug as attractive to high school and college students
as speed.

As the drug wears off, deep depression signals the need for another dose.
The chemicals erode brain tissue. Users literally burn out.

The fertilizers, battery acid, matchbook striker surfaces and hydrogen
peroxide in meth reduce saliva in the mouth, resulting in more bacteria,
which erodes teeth. "Meth mouth" is a common affliction among users.

The high is similar to cocaine, Stackpole said, but lasts much longer. A
single dose creates a six-to eight-hour high, compared to cocaine which
lasts eight to 20 minutes.

A dose costs about the same as cocaine, $70 to $100 for a gram, he said.

"It's one of the most addictive drugs you can get," said Seabrook's
undercover drug officer.

It can be snorted, smoked or injected, and goes by numerous names: speed,
meth, crank, ice, crystal, glass.

"It's literally an epidemic in other parts of the country and it's working
its way toward us," Stackpole said.

Recipes are easily available on the Web. Ingredients are cheap, profit
margins are great, the middle man is eliminated, and the addiction is
immediate.

For $140 in ingredients, meth-makers can profit $2,000, Stackpole said.

"It's not a matter of if it's coming. It's just when."