Meth is Corroding Alaska

“The most significant trend in 2004 continues to be the explosion in the manufacturing and abuse of methamphetamine throughout Alaska”

2004 Annual Drug Report / Alaska Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Enforcement

The history of methamphetamine is long and winding. During World War II, it was used to keep soldiers alert. In the 1950’s it was taken by a variety of users from truck drivers to college students who thrived off the boost they received from the drug. By the 1960’s as the federal government began placing tighter restrictions on the availability of the drug, the production and distribution went underground.

During the 1970’s and 80’s the drug was mainly manufactured and distributed by outlaw motorcycle gangs. Today the production and distribution is dominated by organized drug cartels in Mexico and California, who operate “Super labs” that can produce up to 50 pounds of meth in a weekend. To put that into context, one-eighth ounce of meth can get 15 people high.

And that isn’t even the most worrisome part of the epidemic.

Unlike other substances that are derived from plants, meth is manufactured from readily available cleaning products and cold medicines. Recipes for cooking meth can be found on the internet which has resulted in over 50% of the methamphetamine trafficked and abused in the United States being produced in clandestine labs.

In Alaska there has been an alarming growth of meth labs busted by drug enforcement agencies. In 2002, a total of 28 meth labs were seized. By 2004, that number had risen to 62. These labs have been traditionally mom and pop operated enterprises that include a loose knit group of anywhere from 6 to 12 people.

Most of the meth produced by these clandestine labs is for the group’s personal use with the rest being sold to sustain their production. Key ingredients such as cold pills containing pseudoephedrine -essential to produce meth- are procured at local retailers using a technique known as “smurfing”.

Meth cookers and users travel from store to store, buying a moderate amount of cold pills at each stop to avoid raising suspicions by stocking up at one retailer. A 100-pill pack of Sudafed contains 2.4 grams of pseudoephedrine, which at the end of the day sells for $100 a gram.

Alaska’s top law enforcement officials including the U.S. Attorney have recently stated that the methamphetamine problem in Alaska demands attention now. These calls for action are due to the devastating impacts they experience everyday. In addition to the noticeable increase in corresponding criminal activity statewide (domestic violence, thefts, burglaries, robberies, assaults), is the grave health and environmental danger.

In 50% of the clandestine lab busts, children are found to be present. In one recent lab bust, a fifteen-year-old son proudly proclaimed that his Mom was the “best meth cooker in the Valley”. The Office of Children’s Services reports that as many as 40 calls per month are received in the Valley alone, reporting the presence of children in an environment where meth is suspected. The long-term effects on the health of children exposed to meth use and production have proven to be devastating.

In fact, anyone who is exposed to the toxicity of a meth lab is at risk. Aside from the highly volatile ingredients required for the cooking process, for every one pound of meth that is manufactured, seven pounds of toxic waste is created.

When labs are taken down by law enforcement, full hazardous material suits are required and the cost of just disposing of the toxic remains runs anywhere from $7,000 to $12,000 depending on the size of the lab. And with the mobility of this particular drug manufacturing process, labs have been found operating in hotel rooms, apartments and even old school buses. In many cases, exposing unsuspecting Alaskans to harmful toxins.

John Davidson a former newspaper journalist for the Frontiersman who last Fall penned a sobering series on the growing meth problem in the Valley, summed up his exhaustive research in one sentence. “Meth is probably the worst drug ever”.

Next time: what Alaska needs to do to fight the worst drug ever.