The Many Faces of Meth: A four-part series (Indiana)

Methamphetamine, shown here in its crystallized form, is a versatile substance that can be produced in many different varieties, allowing users to inject, smoke, inhale or consume it. While the effects of a single dose of cocaine can last up to 20 minutes, a single dose of meth can produce effects that can last up to eight hours. Courtesy of Warrick County Sheriff’s Department

Part I - Methamphetamine use on the rise

By Tim Young-Warrick Publishing Online

Editor's Note: This is the first in a four-part series of stories exploring the effects of methamphetamine on the people and culture of Warrick County. Other topics include: Profile of a meth user; Effects on children; and Drug court judgements.

Ice, crystal, crank, speed, shabu and chalk are just a few of the street names of a drug that has been making its presence known in Warrick County for several years now.

Methamphetamine, or meth, began its rise in usage rates in Warrick County in the late 1990s.

Warrick County Narcotics Detective Sergeant Aaron Bennett joined the battle with the war on drugs in 1996 when he started working in the narcotics division.

“During that time, most of our investigations were primarily marijuana,” he said. “Probably right around ‘98 or ‘99, we really got the influx of the Internet, where people started to learn how to make meth. Once people found out how easy it was to (obtain the needed materials) and the profit that can be made from it, not to mention the methamphetamine that they would obtain for their own use, then it almost became an epidemic.”

A simple look on any popular Internet search engine will reveal thousands of Web sites explaining the ingredients and processes used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

http://www.tristate-media.com/articles/2006/04/05/warricknews/news/01meth.txt