Article
In a recent column, I wrote about a new initiative called Meth Busters to curb the proliferation of methamphetamine labs. The program is aimed specifically at curtailing the manufacture and use of the drug, as well as the swift prosecution of persons who manufacture meth.Methamphetamine, commonly referred to as meth, is a stimulant drug with a high potential for abuse and dependence that affects the central nervous system. Meth use can cause addiction psychosis, stroke, dangerously high body temperature, and cardiac arrhythmia. Withdrawal often results in severe depression and paranoia. In recent years, it has become more and more common that we open up the newspaper and read about local law enforcement agents busting local meth labs. The proliferation of meth labs in Texas has become epidemic. The danger that meth poses to the user as well as anyone around the manufacturing process is impossible to overestimate. The byproducts and waste resulting from the process are highly toxic, explosive and harmful to people as well as the environment.Meth can be produced with relative simplicity in makeshift "labs" which can be small enough to be contained within a backpack or five gallon bucket. Meth "cooks" can produce meth in a matter of hours and the process can even be done without heat. Because of a pungent odor emitted by these labs, rural areas have become increasingly popular locations. These labs are often found in houses, hotel rooms and wooded areas, often exposing young children to the harmful fumes and byproducts of meth production. The ingredients and equipment required to produce meth are varied, depending on the method used, but are typically legitimate products attainable at supermarkets and convenience stores. These items include such common products as pyrex glassware and mason jars, lithium camera batteries, cleaning solvents, rock salt and starting fluid. The list goes on because there are multiple ways to produce meth. However, one product is common to all methods of production: pseudoephedrine. Pseudoephedrine is contained in common, over-the-counter cold and allergy products such as nasal decongestants. Meth cooks are able to extract the pseudoephedrine from these products However, meth cooks can only use these products in tablet form. The meth production process requires a large amount of the tablets to produce a batch of meth. In next week's column, I will continue this topic and talk about a program called Meth Watch which Governor Perry helped launch in East Texas last week. I will also discuss a legislative proposal to control the sale of pseudoephedrine in tablet form to those who plan to use the products to manufacture meth.
Gallery