LOCAL TEENS LEARN HARSH REALITY OF METHAMPHETAMINE USE

25 Meth Arrests In Brown County In 2002

A roomful of inquisitive teen-agers met this week to inquire into the use
and abuse of methamphetamine.

Kandis Schwab, former Aberdeen community coordinator for the Methamphetamine
Awareness and Prevention Project of South Dakota, also known as MAPP-SD,
addressed the crowd of more than 50 kids in the Brown County Courthouse
annex basement.

The event was Schwab's last duty as community coordinator for MAPP-SD. She
stepped down from the position to take a job helping at risk youths at an
Aberdeen treatment center.

Methamphetamine, also known as meth, crank, crystal and ice, often gives the
user a euphoric high, leaving them addicted and wanting that feeling to
return again and again.

In 2002 there were 25 meth arrests in Brown County.

Statewide 450 users were treated for meth addiction in the same year.

In North Dakota 259 meth labs were busted in 2002; 29 labs were raided in
South Dakota during the same year.

On Thursday night the teen-agers asked a barrage of questions, many of which
proved their knowledge of the drug culture. Others exhibited their
curiosity. All inquires addressed issues that are on the minds of people
young and old.

Brown County Teen Court presented the meeting, bringing teen volunteers and
youth offenders who have gone through the court system together for an hour
and a half.

The following is a partial list of questions that the youths anonymously
asked and Schwab openly answered.

Q. Who uses methamphetamine more, girls or guys?

A. Meth use is currently split down the middle between men and women.
Nationwide statistics show that males and females ages 11 to 63 are now
using the drug. Previously, white males ages 25 and up were the predominate
users.

Q. If methadone is available for heroin users trying to quit the drug, is
there a drug available for methamphetamine users to aid in their recovery?

A. No. Methamphetamine addicts are forced to go completely clean during the
process of recovery.

Q. Is methamphetamine used for any medical purposes?

A. It is no longer used in medicine. It was once used in asthma inhalers as
well as for the treatment of chronic obesity.

Q. What does meth look like?

A. Meth can vary from region to region. In South Dakota it is usually a
powder substance of a pink, green or white color. One form of the drug even
resembles ice or crystal.

Q. How much does the average person spend on meth?

A. The answer varies from user to user, depending on the level of their
addiction. Schwab said she knows of a person currently in recovery who spent
about $2,500 a week on meth.

Q. Is the meth purchased on the street is diluted with rat poison or battery
acid.

Q. Why do meth addicts often break out with acne?

A. The body can't accept the chemicals. The liver rejects the substances,
then the kidneys, eventually the chemicals come seeping out of the skin's
pores.

Q. How much meth does it take for a person to die?

A. It depends on the person's tolerance level. A single dose of meth can
kill, especially if combined with other drugs.

Q. What happens when a person attempts to quit meth?

A. They go through a stage of depression; it can last anywhere from three
months to three years.

Q. Have you ever used meth?

A. No. While growing up Schwab said she was in an environment of
drug-dependent individuals and became determined to never use drugs.

"I grew up watching that and not ever wanting to be a part of it," she said.