Methamphetamine use is on the rise. The 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse reports that 9.4 million people have tried it at least once nearly triple the figure in 1994. The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) notes that more than 10,000 people landed in hospital emergency rooms in 1999 after using methamphetamine. On a list of 85 drugs causing death in 1999 in the United States, methamphetamine is ranked sixth. And the mortality rate for meth is climbing: it increased 38 percent from 1998 to 1999.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and dangerous stimulant. It's street names are Crack, Chalk, Crank, Croak, Crypto, Crystal, Fire, Glass, Meth, Speed, and White cross. The most popular forms are powder, crystal, pill, and capsule. It can be inhaled through the nose, swallowed, smoked, or injected.

The attractions for using meth include the "rush" or "high" that comes from initial exposure but also include the ability to stay awake for long periods, weight loss, and increased alertness. These come at a high price, however, as meth also causes many other physical effects, some of which can be fatal. These include increased heart rate and blood pressure, insomnia, decreased appetite/anorexia, respiratory problems, irritability, confusion, anxiety, paranoia, and violent behavior. Meth addicts are sometimes called "Tweakers", and can stay up for days at a time before needing sleep.

Continued exposure can lead to hypothermia, convulsions, cardiovascular problems, and irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain. Researchers have reported that as much as 50 percent of the dopamine-producing cells in the brain can be damaged after exposure to even low levels of methamphetamine. This brain damage is like that caused by strokes or Alzheimer’s disease.

Methamphetamine is usually found in powder form in colors ranging from white to tan, and can be swallowed, inhaled through the nose, or injected. It is sold in small plastic or paper packets or plastic bags. The paraphernalia associated with inhaling the drug are razor blades, mirrors, straws, and rolled dollar bills; the paraphernalia associated with injecting the drug include syringes, spoons, and surgical tubing, bandanas, or a belt used to constrict the vein.

Meth labs are not always a "laboratory" in the traditional sense. They can be in a garage, basement, attic, or hotel room, and can even be in a vehicle. Easy but dangerous to make, meth is manufactured in everything from home labs to barns. An upsurge of production in the early 1990s in the San Joaquin Valley of California quickly spread to the Midwest, where manufacturers steal anhydrous ammonia fertilizer, a key ingredient, from farmers. The typical Midwestern meth “cooker” is a white male between 15 and 30 years old, with little education and living in poverty, often unemployed.

The chemicals involved are toxic, including anhydrous ammonia and ether, and can produce dangerous by-products. Several recipes exist for the creation of meth, and are passed around on the street, in prisons, and can also be found on the Internet. Meth has become such a phenomenon that different types of labs even have slang names. The most popular, called the "Nazi Lab", uses common everyday ingredients like cold medicine and paint thinner. One of the most dangerous labs, called a "Red P" lab, uses red phosphorous in the mix. The slightest mistake here, and instead of meth, the lab will generate a cloud of phosgene gas which kills almost instantly.

Other ingredients include drain cleaner, methyl alcohol, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and strips of lithium metal removed from batteries. Any of these ingredients, if not handled properly, can cause an explosive reaction. Another attraction of cooking meth is the lure of money. Since the ingredients are so common, and recipes are so easy to find, it can be made in relative secrecy and fairly cheaply, then sold for a hefty profit.

The chemicals used in meth's manufacture are so common that people, often kids, routinely find lab waste dumped along roads or streams. Cooking one pound of meth generates five pounds of waste materials. Exposure to meth lab chemicals can cause liver disease, inflammation and scarring in the lungs, skin eruptions, profound anemia and impaired immune function.

In the meth industry's early days, police took few precautions when raiding labs. That started to change in the 1980s, amid growing concern that police and others who responded to lab seizures were exposing themselves to chemical hazards. Now police are generally required to wear chemical resistant clothing and a respirator, commonly referred to as a "moon suit."

How to recognize a drug lab

Many people may be unaware that they're living near a meth lab. Here are some things to look for:

• Late night secretive activity in a rural/farm area.
• Unusual, strong odors (like cat urine, ether, ammonia, acetone or other chemicals).
• Residences or buildings with windows blacked out.
• Renters who pay their landlords in cash. (Most drug dealers trade exclusively in cash).
• Lots of traffic - people coming and going at unusual times. There may be little traffic during the day, but at night the activity increases dramatically.
• Excessive trash including large amounts of items such as: antifreeze containers, lantern fuel cans, red chemically stained coffee filters, drain cleaner and cold medicine.
• Unusual amounts of clear glass containers being brought into the home.
• The mixing of unusual chemicals in a house, garage or barn by persons not involved in the chemical industry.
• Possession of unusual chemicals, such as large quantities of MEK, Coleman Fuel, Toluene, Acetone or cold/allergy medications.

Now That You Think You've Discovered A Lab, Who Do You Call? If you suspect that someone is illegally manufacturing drugs, do not approach the area. Call the Henry County Sheriff's Office at 309-937-3911. Or if you want to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers of Henry County toll free at 1-800-227-2324, or 309-937-2324. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards for tips that lead to felony arrests.