SURVEY - TEENS FINDING METH EASY TO GET

Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Brad Lacy has some news for
teenagers who think there's little to no risk in trying
methamphetamine once or twice.

"The people we come into contact with refer to meth as 'the devil,' "
said Lacy, who heads the West Central Illinois Task Force's Meth
Response Team. "For people who are hooked, it's not something even
they enjoy ... Meth can consume you very, very quickly."

Lacy's comments come in the wake of a national survey that showed
about 30 percent of 2,602 teens surveyed nationally believe there is
only a "slight risk" or "no risk" in trying meth once or twice.

The survey also showed about a quarter of the students believe it
would be "very easy" or "somewhat easy" to gain

access to meth, according to the study by The Meth Project, a
nonprofit anti-drug group that produces gritty ads to show the perils
of meth abuse.

"What kids have to realize is that it's not like taking a Tylenol
made in a controlled lab," Lacy said. "This stuff is made from
lithium batteries, drain cleaner, paint thinner, very toxic
chemicals. And the people making it don't have degrees in pharmacy
. it's made in filthy basements, not manufactured in the best
conditions."

The survey for The Meth Project was conducted by GfK Roper Public
Affairs & Media and questioned 2,602 junior and senior high school
students ages 12-17 at 43 schools across the country.

And about one in four teens said there are benefits to using meth.
Twenty-four percent of teens agreed with the statement that meth
"makes you feel euphoric or very happy," while 22 percent said meth
"helps you lose weight" and 22 percent said it "helps you deal with
boredom."

Dr. Michael Richardson, clinical director at Recovery Resources in
Quincy, said he's not surprised by the survey.

"It's part of the teen culture when it comes to drugs and alcohol,"
he said. "There is a misconception among young people that you can
control these things."

For young people trying to lose weight, using meth "blossoms in a
hurry to a full-blown addictive problem," Richardson said.

"Young people are sitting ducks to begin with," he said. "You have
Attention Deficit Disorder, hyperactivity, a whole cadre of kids on
medications to begin with. They tell you that meth serves the purpose
of controlling a lot of that .... It stimulates and feels like what
other people call normal."

Adams County First Assistant State's Attorney Gary Farha says before
the Illinois legislators tightened access to pseudophedrine pills, a
key ingredient for meth making, there were cases of teens being
caught with pills.

Lacy said most of the meth users his four-officer Meth Response Team
encounter are between the age of 20 and 40, and that the drug hasn't
made major inroads with area teens yet.

"But what we are seeing is the first generation coming up that's been
exposed to it," he said. "They are the ones with parents or guardians
from 10 or 15 years ago. It's like a kid growing up seeing his
parents drunk and thinking it's a social norm. Now these kids are
seeing mom and dad arrested for it (meth)."

Lawmakers and government officials said the survey highlights the
need for an aggressive public education campaign to inform kids about
the dangers of the highly addictive stimulant.

Lacy says the Meth Response Team does several presentations a month
for schools and other groups, educating people about the dangers of
the drug.

"For kids, meth is death," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the
federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "And if we really
want to do something about improving the survival of our adolescents
and help them become healthy adults, we've got to tackle this
problem head on."

Getting to kids at an early stage is crucial, Gerberding said. Of the
teens who have tried meth, 77 percent reported they used the drug
when they were 15 or younger, the survey showed.

On the positive side, a majority of teens -- 76 percent -- voiced
"strong" disapproval with trying meth once or twice, about the same
level as those who disapproved of trying cocaine or heroin.