Crystal Meth Epidemic Overstated

April 27, 2006 D. H. McKee

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The number of seized methamphetamine labs in the Washington area has been flat in recent years; the number of meth-related visits to emergency rooms has plummeted. National data show meth use falling off in recent years. Federal officials and local law enforcement confirmed what the arresting officer told Garza.
â..Itâ..s not that big of a deal, but weâ..re keeping it on the radar,â. said Kristine Vander Wall, an intelligence analyst with the Washington/Baltimore bureau of the federal High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program who has done heavy analysis of meth usage and arrest data.
Meth, a mildly addictive synthetic drug that stimulates the nervous system, has not infiltrated the Virginia suburbs to any significant degree.
One possible explanation for the flat national rate of meth use and the lack of a serious local problem could be that the drug is not very addictive. A recent federal survey showed that of the 12 million people who had used meth in their lifetime, only 1 in 10 had used it in the past year. Only 1 in 25 had used it in the past 30 days.
Despite the evidence, health officials are also pushing for legislation that would restrict the sale of cold medications that contain pseudoephedrine, one of the ingredients used to manufacture meth. Virginia, like many states across the country, limits such sales, but Maryland and the District do not.
Washington City Paper

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