Meth and You: What's Cooking in Your Neighborhood? Provided as a Public Service by Crime Stoppers of Henry County Remain anonymous and receive cash for your tips!  Crime doesn't pay, but Crime Stoppers DOES!  Up to $1000 cash for information that leads to a Felony arrest.  1-800-227-2324                    309-937-2324

What is Meth?
Methamphetamine is a synthetic drug produced and sold illegally in pill form, capsules, powder and chunks.  Similar to adrenaline, it stimulates the central nervous system and is extremely addictive.  Methamphetamine is also known as meth, crank, glass, speed, crystal, ice, batu, chalk, shabu, or zip.

Detecting a User
Meth users often become agitated and feel "wired." Their behavior becomes unpredictable. They may be friendly and calm one moment, angry and terrified the next. Some feel compelled to repeat meaningless tasks, such as taking apart and reassembling bits of machinery. Others may pick at imaginary bugs on their skin.  They frequently suffer from insomnia and weight loss.

Effects of Meth Use
Effects of usage include addiction, psychotic behavior, and brain damage. Chronic use can cause violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, moodiness, delusions, paranoia, and death. Brain damage caused by meth is similar to Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and epilepsy.  Pregnant women may have premature labor, detachment of the placenta, and low birth weight babies with possible neurological damage.  Intravenous (IV) drug users may be exposed to AIDS, hepatitis infections and sores at the injection site, and infection of the heart lining and valves.

Effects of Meth on Non-users
Users aren't the only ones who are affected by meth. Meth labs regularly blow up in ordinary neighborhoods, damaging ordinary people who may not even know what meth is. Economic costs fall on local, state, and federal governments, which must allocate additional resources for social services, treatment, prevention, research, and law enforcement.

Environmental Hazards
Producing a pound of meth creates five to six pounds of toxic waste. Meth cookers often pour left over chemicals and sludge down household drains, storm drains, or directly onto the ground. Solvents and other toxic by-products used to produce meth pose long-term hazards because they can persist in the soil and groundwater for years.  Clean-up of labs is extremely resource intensive and beyond the capability of most law enforcement offices.  Contaminated soil must usually be incinerated. The average cost of a cleanup is about $5,000 but can reach $150,000.

Careless practices by meth cookers can result in explosions and fires that injure and kill not only the cookers, but also law enforcement officers and firefighters who respond. Exposure to the potent chemicals used in the making of meth can enter the central nervous system by touching or breathing and cause neural damage, effect kidneys, and burn or irritate the skin, eyes and nose.

The Consequences (Source: US Drug Enforcement Administration (will open in new window)