Meth continues to be problem in Yuma County

Meth is still riding high.

I started hearing quite a few years ago that methamphetamine was the drug of choice for large parts of the nation, and it is still true for Yuma County.

I had the opportunity recently to ask if this drug was still impacting the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office and its detention facility as severely as it did in the past and was told meth is still the big troublemaker in the drug user world locally.

Not long afterwards, I read our Yuma Sun story about a new program undertaken by the Yuma Sunrise Rotary to educate elementary school students — yes, kids that young — about the dangers of meth in the hope they would be convinced not to use it.

It was noted in the story that out of 70 fifth-graders that Rotary members met with recently, nearly every one of them knew of someone who was using the drug. One youngster admitting being approached to use meth.

It is a serious, serious problem here.

I suppose it isn’t surprising meth is popular with drug users, given that it is comparatively cheap and can be made using common chemical products. But meth is a nasty drug that is terribly addictive and destroys users physically and mentally. And because it is readily available and cheap, it becomes the drug of first choice.

Any drug abuse creates problems, but meth carries a danger that goes beyond the addict abusing it. That is because it is a synthetic drug that can be manufactured with relative ease by those determined to do so and willing to accept the risks involved. And the risks are huge.

In the past, this danger to the community in general was manifested by a proliferation of meth “labs” where the chemicals to make the drug are “cooked.”  Not only is it a noxious process that produces hazardous by-products, but these labs — sometimes located in residential areas or even in hotel rooms — can explode if the “cooker” makes a mistake.

It has happened over the years right here in our community. In fact, it was only a few years ago that law enforcement officials were warning the public about the high danger of meth labs which were proliferating around the state.

Changes in laws in the United States to restrict access to some of the substances used by the meth “cookers,” changed the situation somewhat. Large labs moved to Mexico and shipped the product to the U.S., along with other illegal drugs.

But a story from Associated Press this week reveals there is a new method for making meth that is again changing the meth “cooking” picture. It is called the “shake and bake” method, and it is reportedly filling U.S. hospital burn units with severely injured patients.

Apparently it is kind of a “home brew” way of making meth by combining small amounts of the meth ingredients in a 2-liter soda bottle and then shaking it vigorously. If it is not done correctly, the bottle explodes and severely burns the person doing it.

One law enforcement officer said it is “like holding a flame-thrower in your hands” if it explodes.

The method is popular in the United States because it uses smaller amounts of the restricted substances, is cheaper and produces meth in minutes instead of hours. Of course, you also have to be willing to potentially become a human fireball — which apparently is not an obstacle for some people.

All drug abuse is bad, but it is quite possible that meth abuse is the worse of all in regard to its impact, especially in rural areas where it tends to be most popular.

Terry Ross is director of the Yuma Sun’s News and Information Center. E-mail: tross@yumasun.com. Telephone: 539-6870. Facebook: facebook.com/YSTerryRoss. Twitter: twitter.com/YSTerryRoss.