DRUGS OF CHOICE IN G.I.: METH AND MARIJUANA

Ingredients For Meth Harder To Come By Here, But It's Brought In From West
And Mexico

The poor man's cocaine and Mary Jane -- methamphetamine and marijuana
- -- are the two most prevalent drugs on the streets of Grand Island.

Since the Tri-City Federal Drug Task Force was formed in 1996, the
landscape of the city's drug scene has changed very little, said Sgt.
Clyde Church, task force coordinator.

The officers used to see more cocaine in Grand Island, but that gave
way to the cheaper meth transported to the area from other places such
as Arizona, California and Mexico, he said.

Because of the higher trafficking numbers in this area, meth labs
aren't as prevalent as they are in other states. The labs that are
found here tend to produce smaller, personal use amounts, he said.

In addition, ingredients are getting harder to come by in Nebraska as
retailers move products containing pseudoephedrine behind the counter
as the result of the passing of LB117, he said. Pseudoephedrine,
commonly found in cold medication, is a primary ingredient in cooking
meth.

"Meth cuts across the whole gamut," he said. "Rich. Poor. People of
all ages. The youngest person I've seen was 14 years old and the
oldest was in his 60s. They have all different backgrounds. It has no
boundaries."

Meth is still cheap in this area. An eighth of an ounce, commonly
referred to as an "8-ball," has a street value of about $200. However,
anyone with $20 can probably score a rock of meth in Grand Island,
Church said.

Officers are now seeing more "ice," a crystallized form of meth that
is more pure than powder. An 8-ball of ice runs between $1,000 and
$1,200, he said. Ice is 25 to 50 percent pure, compared to powder
meth, which is 8 to 12 percent pure, he said.

People who buy ice are usually aware of the fact that it has a higher
potency. One summer in the mid-1990s, a batch of powder meth hit the
streets that was almost 100 percent pure, he said.

"We had a lot of people hospitalized then," Church
said.

The last few years the number of drug arrests has leveled off,
although there has been some fluctuation. According to the Police
Department, there were 318 drug violation arrests in 2003, versus 416
in 2004.

Statewide, the number of arrests for drug violations rose by 6
percent, although the Nebraska Crime Commission reported that crime
was down 5 percent in the state.

Marilyn Keelan, statistical analyst for the Crime Commission, said the
overall crime rate is figured using eight index crimes: murder and/or
manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft,
motor vehicle theft and arson. Those eight crimes date back to the
1930s when the FBI first started tracking state crime rates. Drugs
were apparently not a big issue back then, she said.

The Crime Commission took over the job of collecting statistical
information in 1971 and stuck with the original eight index crimes for
continuity. The common categories allow the commission to compare
numbers over decades, she said.

On the local front, Church said the patrol officers have been doing a
better job lately looking for drugs during traffic stops. The task
force's mission, he said is to "go for the top guy" -- to search out
the drug traffickers and take them down. Many of their cases end up
with federal charges, he said.

In 2003, there were 430 arrests in Grand Island, including federal
arrests, and in 2004 the total was only five higher. As of the end of
July, 288 arrests had been made this year in the city for drug
violations, according to the task force's records.

Many communities and leaders in the state continue to look for ways to
combat Nebraska's drug issues, especially those associated with meth.

According to The Associated Press, a study commissioned by the
Legislature to look at how to treat meth addictions is under way.

The study will be done by the University of Nebraska at Omaha, with
key findings to be turned over to the Legislature in December. A full
report will follow in the spring of 2006. The study will examine
whether existing facilities, such as the now-defunct Hastings
Correctional Center, could be used as treatment centers, according to
The Associated Press.