METH USERS CRAMMING NORTH DAKOTA'S PRISONS

State officials say methamphetamine users have flooded North Dakota's
prison population in the past five years.

In that time, the number of inmates claiming meth as their drug of choice
has increased from 10 percent of the prison population to 60 percent.

Elaine Little, director of the Department of Corrections and
Rehabilitation, said the growth of the prison population can be traced
directly to the number of drug offenders coming into the system.
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In turn, the corrections budget has felt the effect in its dental and
medical bills.

"It's had a dramatic impact on the department," Little said. "It's really
filling up the jails and our prisons."

One of those costs comes from prescription drugs. At the state's new
women's prison in New England, medical director Tara Bieber said inmates
recovering from meth addiction often are given a medication to help them sleep.

Meth users also are commonly given anti-psychotic and anti-depressant
drugs, she said.

The illegal stimulant is made with chemicals that are widely available,
including cold medication and anhydrous ammonia farm fertilizer.

Use of the drug seems to have increased because it is relatively cheap and
easy to manufacture, said Kerry Wicks, the Corrections Department's
director of chemical dependency services.