The Deadliest Drug

“Crystal Methamphetamine is truly the most dangerous drug to ever hit our country…California is the ’source nation.’”

Crystal Methamphetamine, or Crystal Meth, is a toxic and highly addictive narcotic. Unlike other illicit drugs, it can be made with a limited knowledge of chemistry, using common household ingredients and at little expense. It is also a homegrown drug, originating largely in the United States and, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, primarily in California.

Manufactured in largely unsafe labs using dangerous household chemicals such as lye and pseudo ephedrine, meth is being snorted, swallowed, injected, smoked and manufactured in unprecedented levels across the country. In 1999, 6,446 clandestine laboratories that manufacture crystal methamphetamine were busted by law enforcement authorities across the country. Within two years, that number had mushroomed to 8,241, with the lion’s share found in California—a total of 1,301 labs in 2001.

According to the DEA, 80% of the nation’s meth is supplied by labs in California. Whereas two decades ago, meth was the domain of outlaw biker gangs—the drug got its nickname “crank” because bike-riding dealers used to transport it in the crankshaft of their motorcycles—it soon became an industry dominated by Mexican Drug cartels.

The manufacture and use of meth has grown largely because of simple economics: it is cheap to produce, the materials for doing so are readily available in stores, the recipes are posted on the Internet and the profit margin is extremely high. With a $2-thousand dollar investment a meth “cooker” can realize a profit of $40-thousand, tax free, from a single pound of product.

In fact this ease-of-manufacture has driven drug enforcement authorities to enlist retail chain such as Wal-Mart to report customers who buy too many ingredients that could be used to make meth. One such plan stipulates that if a cashier rings up more than three products containing psuedophedrine—a main ingredient—the sale is immediately cancelled and authorities are alerted.

As with other narcotics, the biggest victims of meth are usually young children. The Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement at the State Department of Justice reports finding nearly 2,400 children in the vincinity of meth labs each year. The majority of them are under the age of 13 and test positive for exposure to the myriad of toxic chemicals used to make the drug.

Meth production is also taking a toll on the environment. In 2001, taxpayers footed the bill to clean up more than 3.2 million pounds of toxic meth lab refuse. The price tag? $10 million. This week, “California Connected” takes you to the frontlines of California’s war against this new and catastrophic drug trade.