Urine often used when making meth
Along with the obvious health problems associated with the use of methamphetamine, members of the National Guard Counter Drug Division say users may unknowingly be ingesting other people’s urine when they take the drug.
“We’ve come across what are called urine labs which extracts the meth from urine, to be used again,” said Sgt. Kenny Reaves regarding meth enforcement in this area. “Some cookers will give people a discount on the drug if they will urinate into a container. Since 43 percent of meth passes through the body, the meth from the urine is reduced and used again.”
Reaves said one thing the National Guard is trying to do is let potential meth users know the reality of the drug which has swept through middle Tennessee in recent years.
“To some teen-agers, all they know is if they used meth they can stay up and party all night,” Reaves said. “We want them to know how nasty this stuff is. Meth made through urine labs passes on any disease the donor may had like hepatitis and AIDS.”
Reaves pointed out prevention is a much better prospect than freeing a person from a meth addiction since over 90 percent of those who try to rehabilitate fail in their attempts.
“Coming off the drug on your own is almost unheard of,” Reaves said. “A person needs professional help to get off of it because it’s a lot more addictive than other drugs.”
Reaves said one thing which makes meth so addictive is that it messes up the dopamine processors in the user’s system. This means the original high felt by the user the first time he or she uses the drug, will never be duplicated again.
“The mind keeps chasing that first high, but it won’t ever be achieved again,” Reaves said. “Use of the drug then causes mood swings, paranoia and depression.”
Reaves pointed out the drug can give a high for eight hours or more, compared with cocaine which lasts about 30 minutes in the same dosage. A meth user can snort, smoke, eat or inject the drug. However, Reaves pointed out, because of its corrosive qualities, snorting can some wear away the nasal cavities, even eating holes inside the user’s nose.
The physical effects are far reaching, not only for the users but for persons who are exposed by the vapors given off when the drugs are made.
“It’s very easy to die from heart attack or stroke when using the drug because its speed and it taxes your heart which is a muscle,” Reaves said. “It also poses a major environmental danger and puts off poisonous gases which cause cancer or induce a chemical pneumonia even to people who may be visiting in a home where meth is being made.”
Reaves suggests a person entering a home smelling strongly of a chemical odor should not go in, but instead report their suspicions to law enforcement. He noted the risk is high to persons in the home health field or in the children’s services field since they conduct home visits into somewhat strange homes. Reaves said it is not unusual for a meth cooker to be making the drug in the home of an elderly person who does not realize the drug is being made in the residence.
Reaves also said meth labs are considered environmental threats and therefore professionals are called in to dispose of the items when a lab is busted. The average small lab costs over $5,000 to dispose of and the damage to property can be far reaching since the vapors bond with carpet, wood and many other areas in a residence.
As for why meth use has exploded, Reaves said the cheap nature of the drug is appealing to users as is the fact that the components are easy to buy.
“You can get everything you need to make meth at your local Wal-Mart,” Reaves said. “A person can turn $100 into a $1,000 in just a few hours.”
While the profit margin can be high, Reaves said most meth labs in this area are “Mom and Pop” labs which produce only a few ounces of the drug. Such labs are usually used to produce drugs for the user’s habit and that of their friends.
As for the end results, Reaves said the price paid by the user is very high in the form of long-term physical problems.
“The life expectancy for a meth addict is about five years,” Reaves said.