A.A.M.P.D.

EZEKIEL 33
Ezekiel a Watchman
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: 'When I bring the sword against a land, and the people ofthe land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then ifanyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. 5 Since he heard the sound of thetrumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. 6 But if the watchman sees the swordcoming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but Iwill hold the watchman accountable for his blood.'7 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, 'Owicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for [a] his sin, and I will hold you accountable forhis blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.10 "Son of man, say to the house of Israel, 'This is what you are saying: "Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of [b] them. Howthen can we live?" ' 11 Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from theirways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'12 "Therefore, son of man, say to your countrymen, 'The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him when he disobeys, and the wickedness of the wickedman will not cause him to fall when he turns from it. The righteous man, if he sins, will not be allowed to live because of his former righteousness.'
The availability and demand for methamphetamine continues to increase throughout Tennessee. Much of the methamphetamine consumed in the state istransported from Mexico and the Southwest Border area. Clandestine methamphetamine labs can be found anywhere in Tennessee and are encountered almost dailyby law enforcement. Tennessee accounts for 75 percent of the methamphetamine lab seizures in the Southeast. These facts are a stark contrast to the problem of afew years ago. The labs that are discovered in Tennessee are generally characterized as small and unsophisticated, and it is the product of these labs most oftenencountered and seized by law enforcement. These clandestine methamphetamine labs pose a significant threat because lab operators are frequently armed and aresubstantially involved in the drug's distribution. Southeast Tennessee has seen a significant increase in the activities of structured Criminal methamphetamine traffickinggroups. These groups control much of the methamphetamine distribution in the Chattanooga area. Command and control for these Criminal organizations arefrequently found in the Dalton, Ga. area. In addition, there is anticipation of an increase in methamphetamine use in Tennessee as the drug gains popularity over crackcocaine use.
METH OVERVIEW
What is Meth?
Methamphetamine, generally called “speed,” “crystal,” “crank,” “ice,” or “tina,” (“shabu” in the Philippines and “yaba” in Thailand) is a potent psycho-stimulantthat can be swallowed in pill format orally or delivered via intranasal, injection, or smoking routes of administration.
History of Meth
Jan 18, 1887 Amphetamine was first synthesized by German chemist L. Edeleano and originally named phenylisopropylamine1919 Methamphetamine, more potent and easy to make, was discovered in Japan1930's Amphetamines are first marketed as 'Benzedrine' in an over-the-counter inhaler to treat congestion.1937 Amphetamine is first available in tablet form by prescription for use in the treatment of narcolepsy and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivitydisorder).World War II Amphetamine widely distributed to soldiers to help them keep fighting.1942 Dextro-amphetamine and methamphetamine become commonly available.1970 Amphetamine becomes illegal with the passage of the 'U.S. Drug Abuse Regulation and Control Act of 1970'.
Immediately following World War II, meth was extensively used to reduce fatigue and suppress appetite. Following the war era, meth tablets, referred to as“work pills,” were widely used in Japan. In the late 1960s, meth became known as a dangerous drug that created substantial health threats to users, prompting thedrug prevention slogan “speed kills.” Concerns about growing rates of meth use prompted the passage of the 1974 Drug Control Act, which drastically limited themedicinal usage of all amphetamines and virtually eliminated its large scale abuse. During the late 1970s and through the early 1980s, the problem of meth use in theU.S. was, for the most part, limited to several California cities (e.g., San Francisco and San Diego), since the primary manufacturers and suppliers of meth at the timewere members of Hells Angels and other motorcycle gangs headquartered in California. In the mid-1980s meth use escalated dramatically in Honolulu as “ice,” asmokable form of the drug that was imported onto the island of Oahu from the Philippines.Meth is not difficult to produce. During the 1980s there was a rapid proliferation of large and small clandestine meth laboratories in the southern desert areas ofCalifornia, including San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Primary precursor chemicals commonly used for manufacturing meth include: ephedrine orpseudoephedrine, hydrochloric or hydriotic acid, ether, and red phosphorus, which were readily available from numerous sources. Since there were few or noregulations on the purchase of these chemicals, the manufacture of meth was a rapidly growing “cottage industry.” However, federal restrictions on the purchase ofephedrine in bulk during the early 1990s resulted in two major consequences for meth production. First, there was a change in the “recipes” used to make meth in theU.S., such that pseudoephedrine replaced ephedrine as the main chemical used in production. As a result of the switch to pseudoephedrine as a precursor chemicalfor the manufacture of meth, pharmacies and convenience stores around the U.S. became unwitting suppliers of the meth production effort, since pseudoephedrine isthe active ingredient in many over-the-counter cold and sinus medicines (e.g., Sudafed and Nyquil). Federal and state regulations, as well as voluntary actions bymany of the manufacturers of pseudoephedrine-containing medications, led to packaging modifications, giving rise to blister packaging of all products withpseudoephedrine, which are now sold in limited numbers. Some states have passed legislation that requires that all pseudoephedrine products are moved behind thesales counters in pharmacies and stores, further restricting access, although these political efforts have been slow. These strategies are believed to have increasedthe difficulty for meth producers to acquire adequate supplies of pseudoephedrine without drawing the attention of retailers and consequently law enforcementofficials.Secondly, there was a shift in meth production-based markets from the U.S. to Mexico, where ephedrine was still available with few restrictions. The emergence oflarge-scale meth production just south of the border in Mexico has had an unforeseen consequence. Mexican drug trafficking organizations with established routes,smuggling strategies, and highly trained personnel for transporting marijuana and heroin into the U.S. have added meth to their “product line,” which introduced methinto medium-size cities in the western mountain region of the U.S. (e.g., Salt Lake City) and the Midwest (e.g., Des Moines). Expansion of meth in these geographicareas has not only impacted the rising and spreading rates of meth-related drug disorders in the U.S., but also increased the power and impact of Mexican traffickingorganizations and their ability to subsequently further extend their commerce with meth into the Southeastern U.S.
Who Uses Meth
In the 2000s, meth has emerged as one of the most dangerous “homegrown” drugs in the U.S., and its clinical abuse and dependence poses significant publichealth challenges. Meth has not only been ranked as the most widely used illicit drug in the world after cannabis, it has become the most dominant drug problem inmany Western and Midwestern U.S. states, severelhy impacting rural and suburban areas, as well as small- and mid-sized cities. In some states, meth has emergedas the most significant drug problem within the treatment system: treatment admission rates for persons aged 12 years and older have drastically risen over the pastdecade from 10 per 100,000 in 1992 to 52 per 100,000 in 2002; in 2002, 14 states cited that there were more admissions resulting from meth use than from heroinand cocaine use combined; and recent data reveal that meth admissions increased 10% between 2002 and 2003 (from 105, 754 to 116, 604). Similar trends havebeen documented in the health care and criminal justice system, as reports from emergency departments and medical examiners involving meth episodes more thandoubled during the 1990s, and there was a steady increase in the percent of arrestees testing positive for meth across many geographical areas during this decade.Meth has not only expanded geographically across the country, but also broadened demographically. Before the past decade, meth abuse was common among whitemales, with particularly extensive use among biker gangs and truck drivers. Currently, meth has become widely used by women, Latinos, gay and bisexual males,arrestees, and increasingly among adolescents.
Effects of Meth
Although meth has historically been used via intranasal route of administration, in the past decade, smoking meth has become the dominant route ofadministration, although in some geographic regions over 50% of users inject the drug. The timing and intensity of the “rush” that accompanies the use of meth, whichis a result of the release of high levels of dopamine into the brain, depends in part on the method of administration. Specifically, the effect is almost instantaneouswhen smoked or injected, while it takes approximately 5 minutes after snorting or 20 minutes after oral ingestion. Immediate physiological changes associated withthe use of meth are similar to those produced by the fight-or-flight response and include increased blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, and breathing rate.Negative side effects include high body temperature, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia, stomach cramps, and shaking, as well as increased anxiety, insomnia, aggressivetendencies, paranoia, and hallucinations. Prolonged use of meth may result in a tolerance for the drug and increased use at higher dosage levels, creating dependence. Such continual use of the drug, withlittle or no sleep, leads to an extremely irritable and paranoid state. Discontinuing use of meth often results in a state of depression, as well as fatigue, anergia, andsome types of cognitive impairment that last anywhere from two days to several months. Both short-and long-term health effects have also been documented. As noted, negative consequences of meth abuse range from anxiety and insomnia to convulsions,paranoia, and brain damage, but in addition to the many direct effects on meth users are the indirect impacts on individuals and society. Children of meth abusers areat high risk of neglect and abuse, and pregnant women ’s use of meth can cause growth retardation, premature birth, and developmental disorders in neonates.Finally, extensive evidence indicates that in many western US cities, meth is used extensively by gay males and is frequently associated with high-risk sexual behavior,a major factor in the transmission of HIV. Within this particular group, effective treatment for meth dependence may be one of the most important strategies inreducing the spread of HIV and other associated communicable diseases.
Identifying a Meth User
There are several ways of identifying a meth user. Listed below is a generalized list of symptoms of a meth user, keep in mind that just because a person is experiencing the symptoms listed below does not automatically mean that they are using meth.Users may experience: agitation, excited speech, decreased appetites, and increased physical activity levels (Other common symptoms include dilated pupils, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and elevated body temperature). Occasional episodes of sudden and violent behavior, intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and bouts of insomnia. A tendency to compulsively clean and groom and repetitively sort and disassemble objects such as cars and other mechanical devices.* increased heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration * flushed or tense appearance * dilated pupils * bloodshot eyes * a chemical odor on their breath * excessive sweating * rapid speech * inability to sleep or eat * severe weightloss * rotting teeth * scars and open sores * paranoia * hallucinations (often times auditory) * repetitive behavior * memory loss * depression * psychosis * teeth grinding * restlessness * tremors