NYT: As States Curb Homemade Meth, a More Potent Variety Emerges

[DeepModem Mom]

As States Curb Homemade Meth, a More Potent Variety Emerges
By KATE ZERNIKE
Published: January 23, 2006


DES MOINES, Jan. 18 - In the seven months since Iowa passed a law restricting the sale of cold medicines used to make methamphetamine, seizures of homemade methamphetamine laboratories have dropped to just 20 a month from 120. People once terrified about the neighbor's house blowing up now walk up to the state's drug policy director, Marvin Van Haaften, at his local Wal-Mart to thank him for making them safer.

But Mr. Van Haaften, like officials in other states with similar restrictions, is now worried about a new problem: the drop in home-cooked methamphetamine has been met by a new flood of crystal methamphetamine coming largely from Mexico.

Sometimes called ice, crystal methamphetamine is far purer, and therefore even more highly addictive, than powdered home-cooked methamphetamine, a change that health officials say has led to greater risk of overdose. And because crystal methamphetamine costs more, the police say thefts are increasing, as people who once cooked at home now have to buy it.

The University of Iowa Burn Center, which in 2004 spent $2.8 million treating people whose skin had been scorched off by the toxic chemicals used to make methamphetamine at home, says it now sees hardly any cases of that sort. Drug treatment centers, on the other hand, say they are treating just as many or more methamphetamine addicts.

And although child welfare officials say they are removing fewer children from homes where parents are cooking the drug, the number of children being removed from homes where parents are using it has more than made up the difference....


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/23/national/23meth.html?hp&ex=1137992400&en=b005ccf840ae1812&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[preciousdove]

1. For years Meth was handled by loosely knit "Hell's Angels" groups n/t

Wonder what this means in the grand scheme of things. Good or bad that money is now heading straight to Mexico. What will the changes to balance of power of the "underworld" mean?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. Remember Coke in the 80's?

now multiply that X5. It probably won't change the balance of power much, the same guys who are already bringing the stuff in have just increased the amount. A lot of the Super Labs were getting their raw materials from Mexico in the first place, now they're just shipping in the finished product instead, and you are right, more of the money is going across the border.

I have a few issues with the way they are going after Meth. I told everyone when they passed this silly law, that yes, it would get rid of most of the home labs (I'm not complaining about that), but it would not stop demand by any stretch. The good stuff from the SuperLabs or Ice was not that hard to get before, most tweakers would settle for homemade when they couldn't get the good stuff, other than a small sub-set that cooked it themselves. They didn't last more than a few years anyway, they either got caught or fryed themselves (brainwise).

Particularly disturbing is this...
"My fear is, when I ask what they think we should do, they'll say 'I don't know,' " Mr. Baudler said in an interview afterward. "We've increased penalties, we've increased prison time, we're still not getting in front of it."
IMHO - The "war on drugs" has not worked yet, why on earth did they think it would work this time?

The only thing that seems to work is #1 - you have to want to quit, same as any other addiction. and #2 you have to have at least 3 months and sometimes 6 to recover and feel like you can function without it again.
I've heard people say that kicking meth is harder even than kicking heroin. You need a lot of support, and it takes time.

[wiley]

3. Do you really think that

Republicans care about anyone who does Crystal Meth? Or any drugs except the ones they pay for from their doctors for their legitimate highs? The first thing they ask you in the ER now is if you have done any Tina, Ice or Crystal Meth. It is a nightmare to find treatment options, as in rehab care.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

5. no, I know they don't care.

Fortunately, some people in this country still do, maybe we can get someone to listen.

I've heard about the doctors asking, especially as rampant as it is, it makes sense. That stuff gets your heart going so fast, they could send you into cardiac arrest with the wrong treatment.

Believe me, I know it's a nightmare. Not only do most treatment programs not work for meth, there are what 1 or 2 beds available for every 10 addicts? Horrible situation.

[Fovea]

4. Another NAFTA 'benefit'

Free trade at its best, or not.

[dysfunctional press]

6. even meth-cooks are losing jobs to outsourcing...

"...But Mr. Van Haaften, like officials in other states with similar restrictions, is now worried about a new problem: the drop in home-cooked methamphetamine has been met by a new flood of crystal methamphetamine coming largely from Mexico.

And because crystal methamphetamine costs more, the police say thefts are increasing, as people who once cooked at home now have to buy it.

The University of Iowa Burn Center, which in 2004 spent $2.8 million treating people whose skin had been scorched off by the toxic chemicals used to make methamphetamine at home, says it now sees hardly any cases of that sort. Drug treatment centers, on the other hand, say they are treating just as many or more methamphetamine addicts..."

[Viva_La_Revolution]

24. even meth-cooks are losing jobs to outsourcing...

:rofl:

[thebigidea]

7. "emerges?" Its been the speed of choice for decades

[elehhhhna]

8. Hell I know it was around in the late 70's and I was naive & sheltered,

then.

[Bridget Burke]

9. It was around in the late 60's, too.

Anyone remember "Amphetamine Annie" by Canned Heat?

[laststeamtrain]

10. I remember a 'Speed Kills' PSA from the late '60s that had Frank...

...Zappa saying, "Don't take speed. It'll make you just like your parents."
Other notables did them too. But I remember Frank's because it was so right on.

[Laughing Mirror]

18. The one the radio played in DC was Zappa saying:

"Speed. Rots yer teeth, rots yer liver, rots your brains ...
CUCA RACHA!!

(I guess he recorded several.)

Crystal meth was called "crank" in DC and there was even a well-known local rock band that went by that name: Crank.

[High Plains]

12. Her mouth worked like a grinding mill

Her lips were chapped and sore
She saw things at the window
She heard things at the door...

You might think you're flying, baby
On those little white pills
But you know you're coming down fast
Cause speed kills!

Ironically, Bob "Bear" Hite, the man who sang those words, died of a barbiturate overdose.

edited: to add a comma

[MadHound]

11. Just legalize the damn shit, all of it.

It isn't like we're going to stop people from doing it, that should be amply clear by now. So, let us legalize it, tax it, control the quality of it, and sell it to any damn tweaker who wants to burn their brain out. Instead of having people running around, blowing up their houses, spreading toxic waste, and ripping off everybody else for drug money, the actual number of people using would go down, the secondary crime wave would go away, and we would open up another revenue stream for our use.

But god forbid we take money away from the cops, lawyers, and politicians:eyes: Malcolm X was right, they all walk hand in hand in hand.

[High Plains]

13. Yes, way past time to legalize all this stuff.

You can't regulate what you prohibit. (A notion that is useful to keep in mind when discussing immigration policy as well.)

Before people start jumping in with horror stories about what meth has done to their friend or cousin or whomever, let me just point out that these bad things all happened when meth was illegal.

Instead of spending billions to throw amphetamine users in jail, we need to legalize it, regulate and tax it, and use some of the savings to fund treatment for those people who get in trouble with it. The cops need to be out of it except, as is the case with alcohol, to deal with law-breakers and idiots.

Actually, the shit is already legal. Methamphetamine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act. The brand name is Desoxyn. Hmmm, maybe we just put Desoxyn AND Sudafed back among the over-the-counter products at the drug store.

[ktlyon]

16. no problem with the border either

Can you imagine the "mind blowing" drugs the drug companies could be selling if drugs were legal.

[High Plains]

17. Now it's left up to individual entrepreneurs

If we are to talk seriously about legalizing drugs, we have to talk seriously as well about how we stop companies from attempting to profit through advertising.

One solution is to to make it a state-run operation, where the profit motive could be tempered by social responsibility. Like with state-run liquor stores...

[kineneb]

22. worst drug is already legal: alcohol

And history saw what happend during Prohibition- the use went up and the quality went down (bathtub gin-uck!). I just am not worried about legalizing drugs. I have watched too many relatives pickle themselves on alcohol. So far, I have not heard of anyone dying from an overdose of pot, but one reads about a number of deaths from alcohol poisoning. Also, until we have a decent health care system, people will continue treat their psychatric problems by self-medicating themeslves.

[pitohui]

14. i told you so

someone who knows how to search this site can find my posts where i pointed out that these nuisance laws are just price supports for mexican meth manufacturers

[High Plains]

15. I always put in in terms of increasing the Mexicans' market share

[AngryAmish]

19. This may not be bad

yes, I know drugs are bad and all that. in fact, I think pot should be legal along with some psychodelics (mushrooms yes, LSD I don't know enough about it but I think it would be ok). Hard drugs - heroin (and similar narcotics) and coke and speed should be illegal. Just because it causes so much addiction.

Anyway, the mexican drug gangs add an element to professionalism to the manufacturing process. People will not be turning their trailers into toxic waste cites just to get high.

[High Plains]

20. A reduction in meth labs is the upside

Black market profits and associated violence is the downside.

I understand why people think some drugs should be illegal, but I would submit that their illegality only makes everything worse. If some people get addicted or otherwise fuck themselves up with drugs, we should deal with that as the public health problem it is, but criminalizing the whole sphere clearly hasn't worked. We've had a hundred years of drug prohibition. Time to end the failed experiment.

[bemildred]

21. Gee, who could have predicted this? nt

[Robb]

23. This is exactly what I would've wanted from the law

Now it is a drug problem, not a public safety issue of its own.