Pubdate: Fri, 07 Oct 2005
Source: Collegiate Times (VA Tech,  Edu)
Copyright: 2005 Collegiate Times
Contact:  http://www.collegiatetimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/699
Author: Jenna Licursi, Associate News Editor
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

POLICE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR METH USE

The area's police departments are on the lookout for methamphetamine
use this fall, and while use in the area isn't as high as the police
force prepared for, officers are always on the watch.

"We were expecting the current meth epidemic to be bigger than it has
been. We were prepared for the equivalent of PCP and LSD of the 1970's
in the west," said officer Geoff Allen, crime prevention and analysis
at the Virginia Tech Police Department.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, methamphetamine is
an addictive stimulant that is closely related to amphetamine, but has
longer lasting and more toxic effects on the central nervous system.
Its common street names are meth, speed, ice and crystal.

"Meth labs have been becoming a greater problem in southwest Virginia
due to the amount of ammonia in the area which befits methamphetamine
cooking," Allen said. "Meth labs are also more popular in Appalachian
areas due to there being more open space and fewer neighbors around."

In January 2004, a methamphetamine lab operating just outside
Blacksburg was discovered and investigated by the Virginia State
Police and the New River Regional Drug Task Force. Two men were
arrested for manufacturing a controlled substance and
conspiracy.Investigators had become suspicious of the lab after
receiving leads from several concerned citizens.

According to the Koch Crime Institute, possible signs of a meth lab
are unusual, strong odors; residences with windows blacked out; and
excessive trash including items such as: antifreeze containers,
lantern fuel cans and red, chemically stained coffee filters. Like
ecstasy labs, meth labs contain extremely hazardous materials. Any
citizen who knows of a suspicious residence, the organization
instructs, should report it.

"Meth labs are difficult to create and pharmacies are just now
cracking down on meth cookers by taking an effort to limit the sale of
certain products that can be bought to make methamphetamines," Allen
said.

Allen said meth labs are constantly changing to divert law
enforcement. Trailers and transporter vehicles are now being used,
which allow half of a meth lab to be in one area and the other half in
another to lessen the attention.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the
widespread availability of methamphetamine is illustrated by
increasing numbers of meth seizures, arrests, indictments and sentences.

"People know that meth is a dangerous drug and stay away from it, yet
for some reason they think that marijuana is safe. But what people
don't realize is that when they don't know where their marijuana is
coming from or who had their hands on it last, they wouldn't know if
someone had laced it with meth," Allen said.

Ecstasy, or MDMA, labs have also been a problem in Blacksburg. The
largest ecstasy lab bust in the state of Virginia occurred in February
of 2005. In a Collegiate Times article on the Clay Street ecstasy lab
bust, Lt. Don Goodman of the Virginia Tech police said MDMA and
methamphetamine are similar in chemical makeup but different in
composition.

Laura DiCesare, public information officer for the Washington division
of the Drug Enforcement Agency, said in the same article that both
drugs are synthetically made. The main difference between meth and
ecstasy, she said, is that ecstasy is a hallucinogen popular with the
club scene while meth is a more addictive drug like cocaine or heroin.
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