County Must Wake Up to Meth Menace

As the government’s war against illegal drugs continues to change young people’s attitudes, Orange County wages a similar battle. Methamphetamine, called “meth,” “crystal” or “crank,” is a cheap, easily manufactured, potent drug that results in significant health and safety problems. Meth is addictive and used to stay awake or lose weight, and some think it is less dangerous and more socially acceptable than cocaine. Called “tweakers,” meth users use booze or other illegal drugs to come down from their high or to replace the drug if they can’t find it.

Finding meth is not a problem in Orange County. From north to south, it is available and cooking in homes, garages, hotels and car labs called “stove-top operations.” Meth is made by combining household products such as paint thinner, Drano, swimming pool acid and nasal decongestants like Sudafed. These labs can blow up, destroying buildings and causing injury. The cleanup in California costs more than $4 million because it involves hazardous material crews, special equipment and precautions for chemical contamination.

As cocaine was the drug of the ‘80s, meth is the drug of the ‘90s. Unless communities take action to reduce it, it will continue to be law enforcement’s worst nightmare on the local, state, and national levels. California enforcement agencies conduct more lab seizures than all other states combined.

According to the Orange County coroner’s office, in 1997, meth fatalities surpassed homicides, traffic fatalities and suicides. Furthermore, over 90% of arrests made by street narcotics teams in the county are meth-related. The law enforcement costs are absorbed by taxpayers and the county. There also is a toll on society in lost work time, resources and availability of treatment beds.

On one day in July, four meth lab seizures took place in the county. You may have read only about the incident at the La Palma La Quinta Inn, which was evacuated because of a lab. But about three labs are being seized weekly by the Orange County Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement.

The number of drug lab seizures in Orange County has skyrocketed from 42 in 1995 to 133 in 1998 and more than 85 this year. As numbers rise, it is clear there is an epidemic. These statistics are a shock for many residents and families, as no community is immune. Meth should rise on the public agenda as the No. 1 health and safety threat for county law enforcement, social service agencies and the community.

Studies and the experience of other meth task forces in California show that comprehensive educational and public policy approaches that involve the media, communities, public and private agencies, and law enforcement are successful in reducing problems. The county has amassed an impressive law enforcement effort to stop the manufacture and distribution of meth. Strategies include lab work and investigative teams. Hazardous materials teams, the Fire Authority and the county contribute resources for environmental cleanup of labs, social workers to aid families and district attorneys to prosecute producers.

To address the growing problem, the bureau has organized the Orange County Methamphetamine Task Force. Twenty drug prevention and treatment agencies lead the group. These include law enforcement, school- and community-based agencies, voluntary health agencies and treatment centers.

We intend to develop a countywide plan to complement existing efforts, and implement recommendations in areas such as prevention, intervention, treatment and interdiction. Like similar efforts in San Diego and Shasta counties, the Orange County Meth Task Force will address the problem in a range of ways.

The Task Force and County Alcohol and Drug Advisory Board have begun supporting legislative measures that would tax and limit dangerous chemicals used to make meth.

The public’s participation is another key strategy that began with a well-attended community forum Sept. 14 in South County sponsored by Community Service Programs/Project Positive Action Toward Health. A second forum, “What’s Cooking in Your Neighborhood” will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Southwest Senior Center in Santa Ana. Perspectives will be given on law enforcement and treatment.

Let’s all work together to blow out the pilot light on meth cooking.