METH DECLINES, BUT FLAVORS MAY ENTICE CHILDREN

In its time, methamphetamine has gone by a number of names. Ice and
glass because of its appearance. Speed because of the fast-paced,
jittery high it brings. And now, strawberry, for its newest flavor.

Flavored meth, especially a variety known as "Strawberry Quick," has
been popping up across the country, particularly in Western states.

Strawberry has been reported in California, Washington and Nevada,
among other states, along with chocolate, cola and caramel flavors.
Meth flavors haven't appeared in Arizona, but the conventional wisdom
among law enforcement is that they will in time, and they are
designed appeal to a broader, younger clientele.

"They are marketing it to younger people," said Capt. David Neri,
commander of the Counter Narcotics Alliance here. "We do expect to
see it since it is already documented all over the region, and we are
still trying to establish its origins."

Methamphetamine is made from pseudoephedrine and a number of common
chemicals such as lye and battery acid. It can be ingested through
smoking, snorting and injection.

"They start offering flavored stuff to make it easier for the
distributing organizations," said Richard Wintory, a deputy Pima
County attorney who handles methamphetamine prosecutions. "They are
interested in marketing products."

Still, Wintory was skeptical that flavored meth would increase use
levels across the state, let alone in Southern Arizona.

"There is such a tendency for us to worry about the next great
crisis," he said.

While much has been made of the meth epidemic, first-time meth users
age 12 and older declined from 318,000 in 2004 to 192,000 in 2005,
according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health by the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Moreover, the use of meth among teenagers has been declining since
2000, according to the U.S. National Drug Intelligence Center. For
example, the center reports that in 2000, 4.3 percent of 12th-graders
used meth. In 2005, about 2.5 percent of 12th-graders used meth.

Whatever the origins of flavored meth may be, Neri and others in law
enforcement characterized the new flavors as essentially a
countermarketing tool to a number of community anti-meth campaigns,
like the one done locally by the Meth Free Alliance, that highlight
the horrors of the drug.

"They are trying to make it more attractive," he said.