METH LAB SEIZURES INCREASE IN STATE

The prevalence of methamphetamine use in North Texas may be underestimated,
especially in rural areas surrounding Denton, but whether meth use is a
problem on campus remains questionable.

"We're very concerned about meth use," said Peggy Fogle, director of NT's
Wellness Resource Center, which offers substance abuse counseling to
students. Fogle said some students have misconceptions about its effects.

Meth, or methamphetamine, is chemically similar to amphetamine, but has a
stronger effect on the central nervous system. The National Institute on
Drug Abuse said meth use can cause memory loss, aggression, violence,
psychotic behavior, and potential heart and neurological damage.

"It also contributes to increased transmission of infectious diseases,
especially hepatitis and HIV/AIDS," the institute said.

"I've heard of people taking it at parties, but I don't know if it's
getting that popular around here," John Jurado, Hurst junior, said.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported an increase in meth labs
throughout the southwest. Dr. Alan Leshner, institute director said, "this
drug, once dominant in the west, is now spreading throughout the Midwest
and into other areas of the country, emerging in cities and rural settings
thought previously to be untouched."

The Texas Department of Public Safety reported a 542 percent increase in
the seizure of meth labs in Texas since 1998. Because it is cheap and easy
to make, meth labs can be set up anywhere -- in hotel rooms, self-storage
buildings and vehicles.

In August 2002, the North Central Texas Narcotics Task Force and Wise
County Sheriff's Office arrested three Wise County residents for producing
five pounds of meth per day. According to a statement made by the Denton
County Sheriff's Department, the house was so contaminated that "birds were
falling from trees around the house."

In September 2002, three more were arrested for producing meth in a Krum
residence, as well as inside vehicles. Found at the residence were large
amounts of chemicals, chemical containers and a "burn pile," where
chemicals are manufactured into the drug.

An article on stateline.org discussed the relative ease in which meth can
be produced.

"Its key ingredient is pseudoephedrine, a chemical found in
over-the-counter cold medicines like Sudafed," the article said. "Anyone
with cold tablets and a few other ingredients -- iodine and lithium from a
battery, for example -- can prepare meth without any special equipment."

Meth use is not simply dangerous to its users: Anyone who lives near a
building where meth is being produced can suffer from the disproportionate
amount of toxic waste it produces.

"When you start snorting something up your nose or shooting it in your
veins, you've really gone to a different place," Dean Haddock, Bedford
graduate student, said. "The drugs like meth, cocaine, crystal --- the
speed categories -- are going to contribute to a lot of health problems in
the future."

However, he mentioned that many famous literary authors have used drugs, as
cited in a book in the NT campus bookstore called "Writing on Drugs."

The Department of Public Safety offers a list on their Web site of signs
that a neighbor might be manufacturing meth. Some indicators are blacked
out windows, excessive amounts of garbage containing empty chemical bottles
or containers with hoses taped to the neck or strong ammonia odors.