SPEAKERS GIVE METH EDUCATION

There is not a community in the state that doesn't have methamphetamine in
it, Division of Criminal Investigations Agent Darrell Steward said Monday.

Steward was a presenter at the Community Methamphetamine Awareness meeting
at the Cody Auditorium.

For the past 10 years meth has been the No. 1 drug in Wyoming. Nationally,
Wyoming meth use ranks third behind Hawaii and Alaska.

Meth, known as "speed", "crank","crystal" or "ice", is a highly addictive
stimulant. The drug produces euphoric effects that can last up to 24 hours,
according to the National Drug Intelligence Center.

Meth is abused in four ways. It can be ingested, snorted, smoked or
injected. Smoking is the most common, but using a needle is more addictive
because it produces immediate effects.

Meth can cause serious physical problems such as increased blood pressure,
damage to the small blood vessels in the brain (potentially causing a
stroke) and rapid heart rate.

People who abuse meth may have episodes of violent behavior, paranoia,
anxiety, confusion and insomnia.

Steward discussed the products used to make meth and how it is made.
Ingredients used to make meth are sold in most stores. They include
over-the-counter cold and asthma tablets, acetone, rubbing alcohol, iodine,
starter fluid, drain cleaner, lithium batteries, and coffee filters.

"Cooking" meth is dangerous. Mixing incompatible compounds creates several
hazards. The vapors created can cause lung damage and chemical burns to the
body.

"Cooking meth is explosive and flammable," Steward said. "You could blow
yourself up doing it."

People who make meth often try to catch the vapors in a plastic bag or tin
can. Steward warned anyone who sees a bag or can alongside the rode with a
hose sticking out of it not to open it.

Also, if a glass jar or any other container has a blue substance inside it
should be left alone because it is likely explosive.

Maj. Kyle Mumm of the Wyoming National Guard talked about the Meth Watch
Program, which helps deter suspicious sales and theft of products used to
manufacture meth.

Retailers are provided with employee and management training, signs
(decals, stickers and shelf tags) and tips about strategic product
placement to deter theft. They also work closely with local law enforcement.

"Most meth comes in from Mexico, but local meth is still a viable component
of the problem," he said.

Mumm encouraged parents to talk to kids about drugs and warned that early
use of gateway products such as alcohol and tobacco is correlated with meth
use.

Shannon Miller of the Park County Drug Court said meth habits are often
funded through crime.

Once a person has been arrested, they can voluntarily enter drug court,
which combines supervision with treatment, she said.

The meeting concluded with a personal account by Brett Martin, a counselor
at Cedar Mountain Center and former meth user.

Martin said he drank alcohol in high school, which was how he got
introduced to meth. During the summer after he graduated in 1985, he took
meth for the first time.

"I felt real good," he said. "It was the best I'd ever felt, and I had all
this energy."

His initial use began a habit of weekend binges, which eventually
progressed to almost constant use.

Martin used meth for 10 years. For the first two years he snorted it until
he discovered the instant high caused by injection.

"Before the needle was even out of my arm I was high," he said.

Martin often used meth to stay awake. The longest he went without sleep was
three weeks.

"After four or five days your senses aren't what they used to be," he said.

He "got clean" in 1996 after being arrested and eventually went to college
to become a counselor.

"I spent 10 years of my life doing field research for what I do now," he said.