Pubdate: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 Source: Indianapolis Star (IN) Copyright: 2005 Indianapolis Newspapers Inc. Contact: http://www.indystar.com/help/contact/letters.html Website: http://www.starnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/210 Author: Katherine A. Billman Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) METH EPIDEMIC IS COMMUNITY SCOURGE "It's been a nightmare." That is how an addict described his experience with methamphetamine in our student documentary, "Putnam County's Newest Nightmare: The Methamphetamine Epidemic." It had ruined 16 years of his and his family's lives. Meth is expensive, dangerous and extremely addictive. Before starting the documentary on meth in rural Indiana, I knew nothing about the drug or its impact on the community surrounding my home at DePauw University. But it did not take long to find the people affected by the drug: The former standout high school athlete from a prominent family turned meth addict, cook, dealer and frequent inmate at the county jail. The county sheriff who is a meth expert -- not by choice, but because meth is now his department's biggest problem. The probation officer who does not have the resources to help those convicted on meth charges. The addict who was cooking meth, passed out and was awakened by police officers while he slept next to a burning propane flame. The county prosecutor who knows that no matter how many people he convicts, meth will continue to rage in this quiet area. The meth cook who found six new ways to make the drug during his short stay in jail surrounded by inmates also convicted on meth-related charges. Each individual had been affected by meth in a different way, but they all took part in our documentary to testify to the fact that the rampant methamphetamine epidemic is a scourge to our community. I also did not have to go far to find the sources of the problem. All the ingredients needed to make meth can be found within a 10-minute drive from the Putnam County Courthouse. On an afternoon drive on rural county roads, we found roadside workers who had stumbled upon a discarded meth lab. A late-night ride along with sheriff's deputies patrolling the highway produced a meth bust after the car was stopped for a minor traffic violation. With a little digging, my fellow documentary producers and I uncovered this world that most of us did not know existed. It is a world where meth cooks buy their ingredients at the local Wal-Mart and could be cooking it in a makeshift lab at the house next door. In this world, roadside trash could actually be materials from a discarded meth lab -- trash so dangerous that only a hazardous materials team is allowed to clean it up. It is a world where a single hit is one too many for this highly addictive drug. It is a world where promising lives have been wasted, families torn apart and community members baffled about how to stop the epidemic. It is a real-life nightmare for those affected by the drug and for those who deal with its consequences every day. Making the documentary opened my eyes to this nightmare that is right in front of us. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake