ICED OUT: THE BR METH SCENE

*All names of individuals in this account have been changed to protect
confidentiality

Since the beginning of the year 2000, methamphetamine use has begun to
compete with marijuana as the drug of choice in the south and mid-west
regions. White blue-collar workers and the unemployed between the ages of
20 and 30 encompass the largest demographic of meth users. This demographic
is followed closely by college and high school students.

"Methamphetamine became easily available around this time last year,"
Vincent*, a former meth-addict who attends LSU, said. "When it first
exploded on to the scene, casual hard-drug users decided to experiment with
it. Next thing you know, they were taking it down like breakfast cereal."

According to a national household survey conducted in 2000 by the Community
Epidemiology Work Group, 8.8 million Americans have tried methamphetamine,
or around 4 percent of the population. Of this statistic, 24 percent were
under the age of 18 and 35 percent between the ages of 18 and 35. While
much of the meth in Louisiana is imported from California and Texas,
homemade labs have been cropping up in rural communities and isolated urban
areas. Vincent once manufactured meth in his kitchen for personal use. At
the time, he lived less than ten five minutes from campus.

Many of the chemicals required to manufacture meth are easy to come by.
Ephedrine, an essential ingredient, is often obtained by drug dealers via
over the counter pseudo-ephedrine found in cold medicines. As part of the
Methamphetamine Control Act of 1996, both ephedrine and its substitute were
added to the target list of traced substances under the Chemical Diversion
and Trafficking Act. This act allowed The Drug Enforcement agency to track
the sale of large quantities of these chemicals and bust several labs in
Mexico that were clandestinely shipping the drug to Texas. Another chemical
that is required for meth production is anhydrous ammonia. This drug is
often stolen from fixed tanks throughout Louisiana and transported in
anti-freeze containers and lantern fuel cans. Louisiana produces over 2/3
of all of the anhydrous ammonia in the mid-west.

The short-term effects of methamphetamine include increased activity,
decreased appetite, and a general sense of well-being. This feeling of
exhilaration is associated with the drug's effects on the dopamine carrying
centers of nerve cells in the brain. Effects can last anywhere from 8 to 24
hours depending on how the drug is taken. While meth can be consumed via
pretty much all traditional drug imbibing methods, snorting is prevalent
passage of choice for Baton Rouge users. Vincent said that the word "high"
does not accurately articulate the feeling one experiences while on meth;
he said the word "rush" more appropriately depicts the euphoric
rollercoaster one rides while on methamphetamine.

Although methamphetamine is commonly associated with the underground rave
scene, many individuals take the drug as a means of focusing to accomplish
tasks. Vincent would often snort the drug to help him study and to get
tasks done around the house. He said the effects of meth are not much
different from those obtained by taking adderall illegally. Adderall, a
prescription drug often purchased surreptitiously by those who do not have
a prescription for study purposes, is almost chemically identical to
methamphetamine. The Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder treating drug
is lacking one ethyl group which makes methamphetamine more potent, as well
as deadly. Both methamphetamine and illegally procured adderall are
considered schedule II substances, punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment
for possession. Substances listed in this category are considered to be
highly addictive.

Methamphetamine has several devastating long-term effects that manifest
themselves after a few months of repeated use. It is these consequences
that sent the chemical rollercoaster many users in Baton Rouge were on
careening of the tracks early this past summer.

"I remember a friend who had stayed up on meth for eight or nine days
straight," Trevor, an LSU history senior, said. "I went to his house and
saw him on the ground in a daze, shaking uncontrollably. I picked him up
and brought him out to my car so I could drive him to the hospital. I am
certain that had I not done something he would have died right there of
exhaustion."

Brain*, an economics senior, relates an experience he had with a friend who
at one time played college football for another university before
transferring to LSU.

"This guy was a pot-smoker who every now-and-then experimented with hard
stuff," Brian said. "Before he started doing meth earlier this year, he
easily weighted about 250lbs., all muscle. I saw him a few months later
twitching on the ground speaking gibberish by a stop sign at a party on
Carlota St. He must have weighted about 130."

Deleterious physical effects from repeated meth abuse include permanent
damage to dopamine centers in the brain, increased blood pressure, and
irreversible damage to the heart and blood vessels in the brain associated
with strokes. In addition to harm done to oneself, meth addicts can also
pose a danger to society. Addicts can go on "runs," where following a come
down they will try and obtain more meth as a means of keeping the high
going as long as possible. Users can stay up for days at a time while on a
run, and may resort to crime to fund their habit. Additionally, psychotic
features such as confusion and paranoia associated with amphetamine use and
concomitant insomnia can arouse violent behaviors in some people. Vincent
recalls one user who would consistently throw fits of rage, whom other
members of the former Baton Rouge meth community would avoid. In the book
"Base Instincts" by Jonathan Pincus, he states that greater than 70 percent
of all violent crimes are committed under the influence of drugs and
alcohol. In "Drugs and Behavior: An Introduction to Behavioral Pharmacology
(5th edition)," it is stated that as many as 40 percent of violent crimes
may be committed while under the influence of amphetamines alone.

It is Vincent's opinion that rehab is an inefficient means of quitting
meth. He said the high relapse rate is strongly correlated with the social
atmosphere of the drug community. The only way to truly remain on the wagon
is to divorce oneself from all other meth users. He said that most
individuals in Baton Rouge either quit via this method this past summer or
moved away. He said he knows of one LSU student who dropped out of school
and is currently living on the street, still fiending for the drug.

"When I first tried to quit meth, I still hung out with friends who were
using it. Eventually, I began using it every now and then at parties or on
weekends, and soon I was a full-blown meth head again," he said.

While Vincent is currently clean of meth, his outlook on drug abuse is
somewhat bleak.

"Everyone who quit meth eventually went back to the basics: alcohol and
pot," Vincent said. "Baton Rouge is an unbearably boring place to be stuck,
and some people need something to divert their mind from this fact."