METH! MORE AND MORE, ILEGAL DRUGS SEEPS INTO SAMPSON

Part one in a series.

Methamphetamine, a dangerous, an unpredictable and sometimes lethal drug,
represents the fastest growing drug threat in America today.

Often referred to as speed, ice, crank, and crystal, methamphetamine, or
meth, can be smoked, snorted, injected or taken orally. It may have a
variety of appearances but typically is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting
powder that dissolves in water. The most common for of the drug is crystal
meth, or "ice," named for its appearance, similar to that of rock candy.

Meth became popular in the early 1990s along the west coast. Because
production and trafficking for a period of time were concentrated primarily
in the west and southwest United States, particularly California, Arizona,
Utah, and Texas, availability and abuse were high in those areas. However,
the expansion of Mexico-based meth traffickers and the growth of
independent U. S. laboratories has dramatically increased the availability
and abuse of meth across the country. In 1998, meth labs were, for the
first time, found in New Jersey, Delaware, and Massachusetts.

The growing popularity of meth among youth in America raises concern. A
survey from Partnership for a Drug-Free America shows that the number of
high school seniors that have used the drug doubled from 1990 to 2000. The
study also shows most teens in the United States do not see the great risk
in trying meth and use among teenagers is now comparable to the national
level of cocaine use by teens.

A powerful drug, methamphetamine acts by changing how the brain works.
Having a similar chemical structure to amphetamine, it can cause the
inability to sleep, paranoia, aggressiveness and hallucinations.

Regardless of how methamphetamine is introduced into the body, it
eventually ends up in the bloodstream and is circulated throughout the
brain where it has various affects on brain structures.

Dopamine, a nerve cell transmitter that allows nerve cells to communicate
with one another, is often referred to as the pleasure neurotransmitter
because it helps you feel good from things like eating a good meal, riding
your favorite fair ride, or sinking the long putt. When the signal is
transmitted to another cell, Dopamine is either destroyed or taken back
into the cell to be recycled.

Methamphetamine, in a sense, fools the cells into believing it is Dopamine.
The cell picks up the Methamphetamine and the person receives an extra
sense of pleasure that can last all day. Eventually, these pleasurable
feelings stop and are followed by unpleasant feelings called a "crash" that
often leads a person to using more of the drug. Continued use of
methamphetamine will cause a person to have a difficult time feeling
pleasure from anything, even with the use of the drug.

Short-term effects of meth are; increased alertness, sense of well-being,
paranoia, intense high, hallucinations, aggressive behavior, increased
heart rate, convulsions, extreme rise in body temperature (as high as 108
degrees), uncontrollable movements like twitching and jerking, violent
behavior, insomnia, impaired speech, dry, itchy skin, loss of appetite,
acne, sores, and numbness.

Effects on the mind include; disturbed sleep, excessive excitation,
excessive talking, panic, anxiousness, nervousness, moodiness and
irritability, false sense of confidence and power, delusions of grandeur
leading to aggressive behavior, uninterested in friends, sex, or food,
aggressive and violent behavior, and severe depression.

Long-term effects are; fatal kidney and lung disorders, possible brain
damage, depression, hallucinations, disorganized lifestyle, permanent
psychological problems, violent and aggressive behavior, weight loss,
insomnia, paranoid schizophrenia, decreased social life, malnutrition, poor
coping abilities, disturbance of personality development, lower resistance
to illnesses, liver damage, stroke, and death.

A clandestine laboratory is used for the primary purpose of illicitly
manufacturing controlled substances, such as cocaine and methamphetamine.
The labs are typically small, utilizing common household appliances,
glassware and readily available chemicals.

Clandestine laboratories come in all sizes and are found in a variety of
locations. the fastest growing type of lab is the meth lab, or "crank" lab.
Methamphetamine labs have been seized in homes in residential areas,
vehicles, apartments, hotels, kitchens, bathrooms, garages and various
other outbuildings.

Many of the chemicals used are caustic or corrosive, and some of the
processes create noxious and harmful fumes. Additionally, many of the
chemicals can be found in common household items such as lantern fuel,
cleaners, acetone, muriatic acid, and diet pills.

Labs in rural areas are generally larger and produce strong chemical odors
which could be easily detected by neighbors in more populated areas.

Meth labs are increasingly becoming a public safety hazard. even months
after a lab has been closed, chemical residue that has seeped into the
carpet or wood can be dangerous. Police and firefighters must take special
safety courses to handle meth situations because of the likelihood of
explosions, invisible poison gases and other dangers. people who come into
contact with the highly toxic chemicals used to make the drug can become
sick and prolonged exposure can lead to cancer, or death.

One key ingredient, hydriodic acid, can dissolve flesh in seconds and has
fumes so toxic small amounts can collapse the lungs. There's red
phosphorous, another ingredient which, if mishandled, converts to yellow
phosphorus, and can ignite spontaneously.

Besides hydrotic acid, other chemicals include prosphene gas, which is so
deadly that one sniff kills. Meth cooks also use solvents like ether,
chloroform and freon. A gallon of ether has the same explosive properties
as five sticks of dynamite.

The precursor and main ingredient of meth is ephedrine. the chemical is
contained in many legal drugs, including bronchodilators, like Vick's
Inhalant, decongestants, like Nyquil Nighttime Cold Medications, diet
pills, and therapeutic agents like Dioxin.

Other legally purchased items which have been found in clandestine labs are
iodine crystals, red phosphorous (sometimes extracted from matchbooks),
isopropyl alcohol, and Red Devil Lye, sodium metal or lithium battery
ribbons, liquid ammonia, engine starting fluid, salt, and drain cleaner.

In part two, Denise, a young attractive college student with career goals
tries methamphetamine for the first time. Follow the story to see how the
drug takes everything from her.