Vol. 3, No. 10
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March 15, 2006
Nevada's Online State News Journal
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Top News Story:
Methamphetamine Scourge Becomes Epidemic, Nationally And In Nevada
Action At Federal Level Demanded By Nevada AG and Others
by Johnny Gunn
Methamphetamine abuse is taking on epidemic proportions according to state and federal authorities, and they say it's only going to get worse. In Clark County about 60-percent of child abuse is the result of meth use. In Washoe County almost 1,000 meth related arrests took place last year. And Nevada Attorney General George Chanos, in testimony before Congress has said that "superlabs" in Mexico are primed to export tons of low cost meth into the U.S.
There has been a crack-down in this country on the distribution of large amounts of cough medicine, one of the prime ingredients of meth, and fewer and fewer little rural labs are able to manufacture the drug. Ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are found in medicines that can be purchased without a prescription. Many drug stores now keep cold and cough medicines with these ingredients behind the counter and have a limit on how much any individual can purchase.
It's been reported that individuals would enter a store and literally purchase cases of medicines such as Sudafed, NyQuil, and Benadryl. According to Chanos and others testifying in Washington superlabs in Mexico are now importing as much as 250 tons of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine each year. Attorneys General from all 50 states are calling for two things: limits on how much can be exported, and penalties for those exceeding the limits.
A little known section of the Patriot Act just renewed in Congress is called the Combat Meth Act, which restricts the sale of necessary meth ingredients, imposes tougher penalties for meth traffickers, and enhances international enforcement of anti-meth trafficking laws. Nevada Senator John Ensign said at the time of passage, "Meth is ruining lives in Nevada and throughout the country, and a crackdown on its sale and use is absolutely the right thing to do.
Ensign went on to say, "This deadly and highly addictive drug is, unfortunately, inexpensive and readily available. We must do all we can to assist law enforcement officers, and prosecutors as they work to curb the use of meth everywhere."
Representatives from the National Association of Attorneys General also met with White House drug czar John Walters to get his support in their efforts. According to Walters drug firms in many countries around the world supply the meth precursors to Mexico. If it weren't for the manufacture of meth, normal Mexican imports of meth chemicals would only amount to about 50-tons according to Chanos.
Besides Mexico, illegal meth manufacturing and exporting takes place in China, Germany, and India according to White House officials. Many of the world's leading chemical and medicine manufacturers are the prime suppliers to these so-called superlabs.
According to health officials across the Silver State, children in homes in which parents are meth abusers are not safe. Methamphetamine use can trigger rage from users and children are often the targets of such rage. Clark County officials say as many as 300 children per day can be found in local shelters, and as many as 60-percent are there because of meth use by parents and care-givers.
One federal program that has been well received in Clark County is called the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. According to Clark County Sheriff Bill Young, "The HIDTA program has been the most effective drug enforcement program in my 27-years of law enforcement." Parts of that law are before congress at this time. Young said recently, "It is imperative that continued funding be provided for the HIDTA program."
One congressional supporter of the plan is Nevada Congressman Jim Gibbons (R). "Meth is one of the most prevalent drugs in Nevada due to its addictive nature and accessibility," he said. "Meth use leads to property theft, domestic violence, and child abuse." It's been reported that children as young as 11-years have become addicted to the chemical.
Congress has passed one anti-meth bill that should help local law enforcement according to both Gibbons and Young. The Methamphetamine Epidemic Elimination Act includes provisions to restrict the sale of over-the-counter medicines used in the production of meth. It also strengthens federal penalties for meth traffickers and smugglers as well as those who produce or deal meth in the presence of children.
While Washoe County with a much lower population had almost 1,000 arrests for meth use last year, Clark County health officials said that as many as 1,170 people were diagnosed with meth abuse symptoms last year. During a recent Clark County symposium, doctors and law enforcement described some seriously horrific stories about meth abusers.
Abuse of the chemical can create fatal heart problems, will often result in open wounds, often deep enough for bones to be seen, and force the user to need more and more in order to maintain a euphoric perception. Coming down has serious problems for those around the abuser as paranoia, rage, and frustration can lead to physical attacks.
According to police agencies around the state, most robberies and break-ins take place in order to get enough money for the purchase of more meth. Crime statistics are indicating that the problem is in the epidemic stage and it will take more resources than many of the state's counties have to suppress the plague. One Clark County health official said Methamphetamine is the biggest drug problem in the country. Children in homes in which the drug is used often become abusers as well. High school students often use the drug, and according to many reports it is becoming a drug of choice in gay communities as well.
While there are some programs available to meth abusers, most are failures according to both health and police agencies. The drug is so strong; the desire for more doesn't go away simply by not using it for long periods of time. Most abusers who go through treatment programs are back on meth not long after treatment ends.
Federal legislation dealing with the availability of ephedrine and other meth precursors will help stem the availability of home-grown methamphetamine, but will not slow down any exporting from Mexico, China, Germany and other overseas manufacturing. It is an illegal chemical, and it will take all the efforts of national, international, state, and local policing to slow its use. According to Chanos, federal legislation dealing with the amounts of precursor chemicals that can be exported from the U.S. might help to a degree.
Distribution in Nevada comes from organized gangs, and there are several hundred of those in the state, and from other less organized groups. Nevada had hundreds of small meth labs at one time, but those are being closed by a shortage of the necessary chemicals for manufacture, and from law enforcement, and are being replaced by gangs distributing meth from Mexico and other foreign countries.
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