METH USE ON INCREASE LOCALLY AND STATEWIDE

Eleventh Judicial Drug Task Force officers say they are stepping up efforts
to stamp out clandestine methamphetamine labs in Washington County.

In recent years meth, also called "speed," "crystal" and "crank," has been
the illegal drug of choice and led to many arrests for both users and
producers in and around Washington County.

Last month alone, two clandestine meth labs were discovered in Washington
County and another was found in neighboring Nowata County.

"The drug is definitely on the increase," said task force coordinator Ron
Wade. "We are going to make sure that the sheriff's office and the task
force are on top of what is going on."

Wade said the drug is quickly becoming the drug of choice for criminals and
drug users around Washington County.

"One of the local meth labs we raided was pretty large," he said. "The one
in Nowata was one of the biggest I have ever seen."

Last week's raid on a Nowata residence yielded not only a meth lab, but
also a large cache of guns, money and other merchandise.

According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), unlike most drugs, meth can
be made using over-the-counter materials including sulfuric acid, lithium,
phosphorus, and acetone, among other items. Producing meth or "cooking"
meth is a dangerous process that has, in many cases, resulted in death and
destruction. Often, the cooks themselves are meth users whose addiction has
spiraled to the point where they can no longer afford their habit and
resort to making the drug themselves, say officials.

In recent years, Oklahoma has ranked in the top five states in the number
of meth labs discovered. According to DEA reports in 2001, Oklahoma ranked
fourth in the nation, with 580 meth labs discovered, behind California,
Missouri, and Washington in sheer number of meth labs found.

"These are really dangerous," said Wade. "These people cooking the drug
don't realize the effect that this could have on them."

Wade said some meth labs have even been found in hotel rooms, potentially
putting volatile chemicals next door to people who had no idea what is
happening.

"What we see mostly around here is the 'Nazi cook' method," he said,
referring to a dangerous recipe for making the drug.

DEA definitions say meth, a powerful stimulant, works by interfering with
normal neurotransmission, specifically in the production of dopamine.
Dopamine is neurotransmitter that affects brain processes that control
movement, emotional response, and ability to experience pleasure and pain.
As with nearly all addictive drugs, meth produces an initial sensation of
pleasure due to the chemical imbalance created by the surplus of dopamine,
and can produce an equally significant "down" feeling, requiring the user
to take more of the drug to reach the same high. This is characterized by
"tweaking," a state of "meth binging" that is characterized by long periods
of sleeplessness and an intense desire for the drug. It is not uncommon for
meth addicts to report stints of up to 15 days without sleep.

Wade says that the task force hopes to have a drug tip line live by January
so that citizens may phone in police tips involving potential meth labs and
other drug related activity. He said that in the meantime, citizens may
call the current tip line at 337-2823 with any drug information they might
have.

"They can leave their tip on our answering machine," said Wade. "They don't
have to talk to a person."

"We take this very seriously," he said of the task force's efforts. "We
want to make it hard on anyone that would make and sell drugs in our community."