FULTON SHERIFF SAYS METH IS BIGGEST DRUG PROBLEM

Crack Cocaine, Heroin Not Considered Significant Problems

CANTON - Methamphetamine is the most prevalent and dangerous drug in Fulton
County, Sheriff Dan Daly said at a small public meeting Wednesday night.

"We do not have a significant crack problem here in Fulton County," Daly
said, adding that only occasionally do authorities come in contact with heroin.

Meth, however, is on the rise across Illinois, officials at the meeting said.

Half a dozen Fulton County residents, all women, attended the meeting
sponsored by the Fulton County Health Department at the First
Congregational United Church of Christ in Canton.

Also speaking were one agent from the Drug Enforcement Agency and another
from the West Central Illinois Drug Task Force. Both asked not to be
identified.

Daly said meth spread to Illinois from Missouri about five years ago. The
problem is worst in rural areas, where anhydrous ammonia used in the
manufacture of meth, is more available and often stolen from farms.

Meth addicts can develop a feeling of euphoria and invincibility. Daly said
hard-core users can stay awake for as long as 14 days at a time, Daly said.
Then, the effects of the drug wear off, and they can sleep for two or three
days before beginning the cycle again.

Other side-effects are paranoia, blackened teeth and weight loss, Daly said.

"It's not unusual for a person to lose 100 pounds if they're a heavy user
of methamphetamine," he said.

The DEA agent spoke of "meth bugs," a condition that causes users to
scratch constantly, sometimes until their skin is raw.

The agent saw one addict use a dental pick to try to get the imaginary bugs
out of his skin.

Some items used in the manufacture of meth were shown at the meeting. They
include ephedrine pills, hoses, coffee filters, table salt, a gas can and
batteries.

Daly said 19 meth labs were seized in Fulton County last year, and nine
have been seized this year.

On Tuesday, the West Central Illinois Drug Task Force arrested four people
at a rural meth lab between Astoria and Havana, Daly said.

At least one them had been arrested multiple times for making meth, Daly
said, adding more details of the arrest will be released today.