Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
First of four parts.
So you thought you were safe from illegal drugs because you live in a mostly rural county and not a big city?
Think again.
The fastest growing drug of choice today - surpassing cocaine and heroin - is more of a problem in rural areas than cities.
Methamphetamine - also known as meth, speed, crank, crystal, glass, ice, chalk and drag - is more of a problem in sparsely populated areas than in cities.
Why?
Because users can make their own drug. But the meth manufacturing process has such a distinct, strong odor that most "meth labs" are in isolated areas to avoid detection.
The manufacturing process also involves ingredients, such as anhydrous ammonia, a nitrogen fertilizer, that are common in rural and agricultural areas.
Methamphetamines, according to the National Institutes of Health, are a more potent form of amphetamines, a stimulant.
Meth was first made in the 1880s, and originally was used in the United States as a nasal spray. Its use increased during World War II to help soldiers and factory workers stay alert. It was used in diet pills in the 1950s and '60s, and in 1970 the Controlled Substances Act regulated the production of meth. It later was prescribed to help long-distance truck drivers stay awake, for weight control, to treat mild depression and to help athletes perform better.
Today, because of the way it is manufactured and the ingredients used, meth is more powerful and more addictive than ever.
And its use and manufacture are increasing. Because of its largely rural population, Indiana is the fifth-largest methamphetamine manufacturing state in the U.S. In 2003, 805 clandestine meth lab incidents were reported in Indiana. Only Missouri (2,487), California (1,127), Iowa (1,023) and Oklahoma (823) had more.
"I'm telling you, this is the worst stuff, this is the most evil stuff that's come down the pike," Kosciusko County Sheriff Aaron Rovenstine said recently. "It's so addictive, it's so simple to make, it's available. ... If we don't get a handle on this in our community, I'll make a dire prediction that people aren't going to like - if we don't get a handle on it and curb it now, we're going to be building another jail in 10 years just to house those methamphetamine problems.
"I can't emphasize it enough - this stuff is really an evil, insidious drug."
In 2003, the Kosciusko County Drug Task Force busted 11 meth labs. As of Aug. 31 this year, that number was 19.
"We've got five guys in the drug unit that are staying busy mostly just on methamphetamine cases," said a member of the DTF.
Meth is now more popular than cocaine, he said, because its effects, while similar, last longer and because users can make their own drug.
In 2003, he said, the county had 46 "arrestable" meth cases and 37 cocaine cases.
"If I'm a user, I don't have to go to my dealer, I can make it myself," he said, though he also said commercial meth, made in Mexico, also is being brought into the area.
"I've been working the drug unit for 15 years, and I've seen about every trend there is, and this is the worst trend I think we've ever seen," the DTF member said. "It's just unreal."
Tuesday: How methamphetamine affects users, both physically and mentally, and the chances for successful treatment.
