Reporter's Reflections Archive

I have always thought Calhoun County was much like Mayberry of the Andy Griffith show. No, the town drunks don’t have keys to their own jail cells, but a “hard talking-to” and community chastisement has often served as better punishment than any jail sentence.

Of course, Andy didn’t have to pay $54 a day to keep Otis behind bars.

Even with all the criminal developments of the 21st century, I have naively believed that Barney Fife could survive here--even with that single bullet in his pocket and not in his gun. There’s an element within our community that makes me realize that Barney would be in serious trouble, even if he was fully loaded.

 Readers, it’s time for us to talk about Meth.

We’ve all been hearing about “meth,” or methamphetamine; how “bad” it is, how “dangerous.” I fear however, that Mayberrians are desensitized to the words “bad” and “dangerous,” because you’ve heard those words related to marijuana, tobacco, alcohol, cocaine--whatever the popular drugs of the past.

 There is no comparison between meth and the crutches of our past. We have encountered nothing like this in our past. If these previously abused drugs are “bad” then Meth is simply “evil.”

Meth (also called crack, ice, or poor man’s cocaine) has a power beyond other drugs. The power of money, the power of pleasure, the power of instant creation. According to federal estimates, more than 12 million Americans have tried methamphetamine, and 1.5 million are regular users. Meth addiction and use has reached epidemic proportions across the United States.

 With marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy, major sources of the drugs are outside the community--even outside the state. Criminal risks are high, and take time. Sources are depleted, connections lost, dealers busted. Even marijuana, which can be grown locally, must have an entire season to grow before becoming a marketable product. With drugs of our past, the sources, the money, the “high” were all limited in some way.

There is no limit to meth. With $100 of ingredients, you can quadruple your money within hours. With a small dose, you can stay high for hours. Those who are hooked will do anything for their next ride. If they don’t have the money, they’ll find money, make a deal or some kind of “trade,” or begin making their own supply. There are 30 different ways of making meth, using everything from a pressure cooker to ethyl ether. You don’t even need to use it to feel its affects. Just hang out with someone whose clothes soaked up fumes from its caustic ingredients. Or rent a house where the last tenants cooked it.

 With meth, there is no wait, there is no limit, and it looks like there is no end in sight. Meth users and sellers can’t shake the power. The money is so quick and easy, the high so fine.

Meth causes your body to overproduce dopamine, a naturally occurring chemical within the brain and the body. The body, so far as known, only produces so much dopamine in a lifetime. So those who keep using--even if they ever get off the stuff--could, near the later years in life, be like zombies. There will be no natural dopamine production to give them joy, or relief, or rest. Cerebral scans show large areas of meth users’ brains either no longer function or appear to be missing entirely.

Then there’s “worm heart,” another signature of meth--this one on unborn babies of meth-using mothers. As the child develops in the womb, the heart is supposed to rotate into normal position. When mom is a meth addict, the heart often remains reversed. These babies will die within days of being born if the mother doesn’t confess her drug use to her doctor--even if it was only in the first few weeks of pregnancy.

 Meth dries up saliva in the mouth and causes users to grind their teeth. There are hundreds of users who no longer have teeth.

Meth is so lethal, so strong in its power that daily drinkers, marijuana sympathizers, teetotalers and law enforcement are joining on the same side of the issue.

 Meth is also harmful to the environment. Previously an imported drug, meth is now made by our neighbors in hollows and glens throughout the West Virginia mountains. For each pound of meth, five pounds of toxic waste are left behind--waste that can wipe out entire ecosystems within waterways. Ingredients and by-products are explosive, making labs a danger to all within the area.

 Meth is draining to the social system as well: children taken from homes converted to labs, increased domestic violence, increased violence and robbery. When the users have finally fried their brains, burnt out their bodies, who will carry the burden of their medical care? All these become financial burdens for taxpayers and communities--burdens we simply cannot afford.

Lawmakers have just begun discussing meth--and what to do about it. While the federal government still holds that marijuana is the priority in the war on drugs, state laws to put the main ingredient sources--nasal spray, decongestants, anything with ephedrine or pseudoephedrine--behind the counter have shown to be effective. Shall we wait for such legislation to pass?

 We cannot wait. We must take action ourselves.

 If you enter a local store which has iodine, anhydrous ammonia, lye, or medicines containing ephedrine on store shelves, ask the store manager to move it behind the counter. If you enter a store which does keep meth ingredients in a limited access area, don’t complain--commend the store for stepping up to the fight.

We cannot remain silent to this epidemic. If you witness a lab, or users, you cannot stay quiet. Your silence could lead to an explosion in your neighborhood, to eradication of all life in the creek near your home, to the death of an abused child or spouse. In the case to “mind your own business,” meth-making and use in our community is our business.

 We can tackle this fight by nipping access to ingredients, and we can let users know meth addiction can be cured--but it’s a hard row to plow. Because of the remaining dysfunction in the brain, those who stop using cannot feel pleasure for months following their break from meth. Lapses of six months are common, because it takes the brain that long to return to normal function, and begin addressing the neurological and physical changes meth has made on the body. Users can be saved before their bodies and brains completely break down.

 To tell if your family member or friend is using meth, watch for: inability to sleep; increased sensitivity to noise; nervous physical activity like scratching; irritability, dizziness or confusion; extreme anorexia; tremors or even convulsions; presence of inhaling paraphernalia, such as razor blades, mirrors, light bulbs with holes in them and straws; presence of injecting paraphernalia, such as syringes, heated spoons or surgical tubing. To find a treatment center for yourself or someone you love, call 1-800-662-HELP.