The abuse and addiction to methamphetamines has spread like wildfire across much of the country during the first part of this decade. Meth usage rates shot up and rehabs filled up. Despite seeing a recent decline in overall use, the signs of meth addiction are still very prevalent throughout the nation in both urban and rural areas and the need for meth rehabs are still very strong.

Too many people have felt the pain and destruction of Methamphetamine (Meth) addiction. The abuse of this drug leaves its victims with no other goal than to use more Meth. This fixation on getting more of the drug results in the addict stealing from family members, robbing friends, neglecting their job, abusing their spouse, and even wandering off for days or weeks at a time on a 'binge'. The result of this unexplainable behavior is the addict abandons their friends and family, leading to emotional pain for everyone.

An addiction to meth is a difficult addiction indeed. Meth rehab options must be taken into consideration very carefully, because it is a rough rode for the person receiving the rehabilitation treatment. Meth has a way of taking over your mind and your body. The person the user was before addiction is no longer there. Left in his or her place is a jittery, paranoid and sickly person who desperately needs help from professionals. If you or a loved one needs help for meth addiction, please get that help immediately.

To find out if there are any meth rehabs serving people in Washington that are suitable for your needs, please call1-877-404-9362

Washington Meth Treatment Facts

Population
6,063,048

Pierce County is the Meth Lab capital of Washington State. Pierce County ranks 2nd in the nation in Meth Lab raids.  DEA expects to raid 1000 meth lab homes this year in Pierce County alone Almost half of these homes have children  METH LABS are run by addicts.

Addicts live a cycle of 3 day highs and 3 day lows,  Addicts neglect and isolate their children. Most homes raided are highly toxic.  Everything must be destroyed, sometimes the entire house. The children lose everything they own.  Historically these children would be placed with a neighbor, another drug addict, friend, etc. after a raid
 NOW – New laws focus on protecting these children from additional abuse The parents may face criminal charges and prison sentences up to an additional 2 years
 After all of the traumatic events in their lives, these children need special care and love

• “The production, transportation, distribution, and abuse of methamphetamine” are the primary drug threat to the Pacific Region” (National Drug Intelligence Center [NDIC], 2005).
• 92.3% of law enforcement agencies in the region report that methamphetamine is the “greatest drug threat” in their jurisdictions. (National Drug Threat Survey, 2004).
  
• Methamphetamine has impacted the entire Pacific Region, but Washington has been hardest hit with:
  • Nearly twice the number of methamphetamine labs reported than Oregon and exponentially more than Idaho and Alaska. (Reports of 951 labs, compared to 474 in Oregon, 67 in Alaska, and only 43 in Idaho just by the 3rd quarter of 2004) (Department of Ecology [DOE]).
  • The highest amount of Federal Drug Seizures of methamphetamine in the pacific region. (Federal Law Enforcement in 2003 seized 205.7 kilograms of methamphetamine in Washington, compared to 40.4 in Oregon, 78.0 in California, and 53.0 in Idaho) (NDIC, 2005).
  • Higher levels of availability of the drug resulting in lower prices than any other state (NDIC, 2005).
    
• Rural areas hard hit by meth:
  • Drug traffickers bring imported meth into rural areas for distribution around the state, says Grays Harbor Undersheriff Rick Scott (Aberdeen Daily World, 3/7/2006).
  • Meth rates in rural areas are hard to track because most studies concentrate on metropolitan areas, such as tracking emergency room and treatment admissions in city hospitals (Rural Assistance Center, 2005).

Resources to Fight Meth

• Washington spent more than $50 million in 2004 to deal with meth—including prison costs, foster care, treatment, enforcement and cleanup. (Seattle PI/AP, 5/12/2005).
• President Bush’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget cuts 80% from meth-related state grant programs, which would force the Washington State Patrol to trim detectives from the narcotics section. (Office of Congressman Brian Baird).
• Washington ranks last out of all states in state patrol officers per capita. Funding cuts negatively impact county drug task forces that rely on state patrol help with drug crimes. (U. S. Department of Justice [DOJ]– date?).

Following Info was gathered from http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/state_factsheets.html

METHAMPHETAMINE

Domestic methamphetamine production, trafficking, and abuse are concentrated in the western, southwestern, and midwestern United States. Methamphetamine is also increasingly available in portions of the South and eastern United States, especially Georgia and Florida. Clandestine laboratories in California and Mexico are the primary sources of supply for methamphetamine available in the United States.

Over the last decade, the methamphetamine trafficking and abuse situation in the United States changed dramatically. In 1994, ethnic Mexican drug trafficking organizations operating "super labs" (laboratories capable of producing in excess of 10 pounds of methamphetamine in one 24-hour production cycle) based in Mexico and in California began to take control of the production and distribution of methamphetamine domestically. Independent laboratory operators, including outlaw motorcycle gangs, previously maintained control of methamphetamine production and distribution within the United States, and continue to operate today on a lesser scale. The entry of ethnic Mexican traffickers into the methamphetamine trade in the mid-1990s resulted in a significant increase in the supply of the drug. Mexican criminal organizations, based in Mexico and California, provided high-purity, low-cost methamphetamine originally to cities in the Midwest and West with Mexican populations.

In 2001, approximately 8,000 clandestine methamphetamine laboratories were seized and reported to the National Clandestine Laboratory Database at the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC). In 2001, 298 seized super labs were reported to EPIC. This represents a rise in the number of superlabs from 2000, in which the total number of superlabs totaled 168. Further, for all of calendar year 2000, the Tijuana Residence Office (TJRO) reported only two seized methamphetamine laboratories. During calendar year 2001, the number of clandestine laboratories seized in Baja California Norte increased substantially, with 24 clandestine laboratories seized as of December 2001. The majority of these laboratories have been seized in the cities of Tijuana and Mexicali. Due to the proximity of these laboratories to the United States, it is believed that the majority of the methamphetamine was bound for the United States.

According to EPIC, the methamphetamine seized annually in transit from Mexico to the United States has increased dramatically since 1992. Authorities seized 1,370 kilograms of methamphetamine along the border in 2001, compared with only 6.5 kilograms in 1992. The primary points of entry into the United States for methamphetamine produced in Mexico have traditionally been California ports of entry, particularly San Ysidro. Although a great amount of methamphetamine still transits this area, ports of entry in South Texas have experienced increases in smuggling activity, although this activity appears to be stabilizing. The most common method of transporting methamphetamine is within concealed compartments in passenger vehicles.

The supply of methamphetamine in the United States also stems from multiple small-scale laboratories, often operated by independent cooks who obtain the ingredients necessary for manufacture from retail and convenience stores. Methamphetamine produced in these "mom-and-pop" laboratories is generally for personal use or limited distribution. A clandestine laboratory operator can use relatively common items, such as mason jars, coffee filters, hot plates, pressure cookers, pillowcases, plastic tubing, and gas cans to substitute for sophisticated laboratory equipment. The growing use of the Internet, which provides access to methamphetamine "recipes," coupled with increased demand for high-purity product, has resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of mom-and-pop laboratories throughout the United States. In 2001, the number of labs with capacities under ten pounds totaled over 7,700.

Methamphetamine precursor chemicals diverted to large clandestine laboratories in the United States are usually dosage-form pseudoephedrine or ephedrine drug products. Because of law enforcement attention and strong state precursor control laws in California, traffickers have now diversified to pseudoephedrine suppliers nationwide, buying at relatively lower prices in other parts of the country and trafficking the product to California, where the black market price can bring up to $5,000 per pound of product.

Nationwide networks of suppliers, working together, now provide ton quantities of pseudoephedrine tablet products to the market in California and to distributors in other states. The latter divert the product to local methamphetamine laboratories. Small-scale lab operators commonly buy over-the-counter pseudoephedrine products in small amounts from legitimate retailers. Recent reporting indicates that Canadian companies are a major source of supply for pseudoephedrine destined for U.S. laboratories because of minimal chemical controls in Canada. On March 7, 2002, search warrants were served on two residences, one in Paramount and the other in Lynwood, California. Four hundred containers of 25,000 count pseudoephedrine jars, or "pickle jars," (approximately 10,000,000 tablets) and $1,502,000 USC were seized. The pseudoephedrine is believed to have originated in Canada.

Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are also purchased from unscrupulous U.S. distributors who sell case quantities of the tablets. Ultimately, the tablets are destined for California where they are manufactured into multiple pounds of methamphetamine. The finished methamphetamine is then distributed throughout the United States through preexisting smuggling methods to the traffickers.

In addition, the use of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) has been encountered as a "cut" in methamphetamine produced primarily by Mexican organizations. Legitimately used as a dietary supplement for horses and humans, MSM is readily available at feed and livestock stores, as well as health and nutrition stores. The addition of MSM can be used to add volume to the finished methamphetamine, thus increasing the profit. Increases in the use of MSM may be a signal of difficulty in obtaining precursors, or a simple marketing method to meet demand while increasing profit.

The crystalline form of methamphetamine, known as "ice," "glass," or "crystal," is gaining popularity. Converted from powder by criminal elements in Southeast Asia, Mexico, and the United States, ice traditionally was used in Hawaii and southern California. More recently, its use has spread along the West Coast and Southwest border areas.

The importation of methamphetamine tablets from Southeast Asia, primarily via the mail system, remains a potential threat. Produced mainly by the United Wa State Army, the largest heroin and methamphetamine trafficking group in Burma, the tablets, which weigh approximately 90 milligrams (mg), typically contain 25 to 30 mg of methamphetamine, and 45 to 65 mg of caffeine. Although it is believed that the tablets are trafficked primarily by ethnic Thais or Laotians for use in the Asian community, it is possible that larger amounts will be smuggled into the United States if demand increases outside that community.

Purity

Until 1999, the methamphetamine problem was increasing at an alarming rate. International chemical control efforts reduced the supply of those chemicals needed to produce high-quality methamphetamine. As a result, the national purity level for methamphetamine has decreased dramatically. The average purity of methamphetamine exhibits seized by DEA dropped from 71.9 percent in 1994 to 30.7 percent in 1999. The average purity of methamphetamine exhibits seized by DEA in 2000 rose slightly to 35.3 percent and 40.1 in 2001.

Prices

Methamphetamine prices vary throughout different regions of the United States. At the distribution level, prices range from $3,500 per pound in parts of California and Texas to $21,000 per pound in southeastern and northeastern regions of the country. Retail prices range from $400 to $3,000 per ounce.

Seizures

According to the FDSS, U.S. federal authorities seized a total of 2,807 kilograms of methamphetamine in 2001 compared to 3,373 kilograms in 2000.

In 2000, authorities seized 301,697 SEA methamphetamine tablets in U.S. Postal Service facilities in Oakland, Los Angeles, and Honolulu. This represents an 656-percent increase from the 1999 seizure total of 39,917.

To find out if there are any meth treatment facilities serving people in Washington that are suitable for your needs, please call1-877-404-9362.