Crystal meth

The crystal meth epidemic in the United States is not just a problem in rural America. Its so prevalent that a Google News search on crystal meth turns up over 5,000 articles in just the last thirty days.

The narcotic has crawled its way onto the doorstep of nearly every city in the country and it is so insidious that it would be hard to exaggerate its negative effects on addicted individuals, families and communities. In fact, a recent article released by the Rueters news agency calls it the ‘devils narcotic.

Meth lab busts have soared to well over 1,000 per year in multiple states and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that treatment admission rates for this class of narcotic have increased more than five times across the country in the last decade.

We have definitely seen an increase in people seeking help for meth addiction,” reports Gary Shaw, the Executive Director of Narconon Arrowhead. As one of the nations largest and most successful narcotic rehabilitation and education programs, approximately 25 percent of their current clients are in treatment for crystal meth.

Since people come to our program from across the country, the increase isnt isolated to one area or region,” Shaw adds. Narconon Arrowheads proven track record of successfully rehabilitating meth addicts makes them a diamond in the rough, as most programs have a very difficult time effectively treating them. Shaw credits their success to the narcotic-free rehabilitation methodology they use that was developed by American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard, a form of Meth addiction treatment.

The easily obtained ingredients to manufacture meth (also known as crank, crystal, ice) and the mobility of the labs make it difficult for law enforcement officials to track down a high percentage of potential busts. Even when these labs are tracked down and the manufacturers arrested, the toxic chemicals used in the process are hazardous and cost thousands to be properly disposed of.

Information provided by the White House Office of National narcotic Control Policy (ONDCP) indicates that crystal meth users and manufacturers take irresponsibility and neglect to the level of endangerment. In 2003 more than ten percent of meth lab-related incidents in the United States involved children, most of whom had been directly or indirectly exposed to the highly toxic chemicals used to manufacture the narcotic. narcotic Endangered Children (DEC) programs have been developed to coordinate the efforts of law enforcement, medical services, and child welfare workers to ensure that children found in these environments receive appropriate attention and care.

In an effort to curb manufacturing of the debilitating substance several states are seeking to pass laws that makes the main ingredient found in crystal meth, pseudoephedrine, harder to obtain. Oklahoma, for example, already has a law in effect that restricts sales of over-the-counter cold medicines that contain the narcotic and requires consumers to sign for the purchase.

The plan has even gone to the U.S. Legislature in the form of the Combat Meth Act, where the idea is to put pharmacy items containing pseudoephedrine behind the counter and to provide more resources to law enforcement officials.