Tracking meth in the Mountains

EAGLE COUNTY - There was a rumor going around - among people who care about such things - that you couldn't make the drug methamphetamine at high altitude.

The cheap, potent stimulant known as meth also goes by names such as "poor man's cocaine" and "redneck heroin," and it can be made in home-grown labs using the over-the-counter medication ephedrine - the active ingredient in cold medicines like Sudafed.

But could it be made at, say, 9- or 10,000 feet? Dr. Nicolas Taylor, a Montrose psychologist who works with meth addicts, wanted to test the rumor.

"I went up to Leadville last fall and (in conjunction with local police) made it with no problem," Taylor said. "And we used all local stuff."

In western Colorado, police and mental health workers who treat meth addiction have seen a great increase in the number of people using the drug. Mesa and Garfield counties are both encountering an explosion in meth's popularity, and they're not alone.

"We're hearing about it in all of the 10 counties we serve," said Ken Stein, Ph.D., executive director of Colorado West Mental Health. "It quickly got to epidemic levels in Mesa County."

In Eagle County, meth use apparently hasn't reached anywhere near those levels, but it's still a concern.

"It's not a real big blip on the radar screen right now," said Eagle County Sheriff Joe Hoy. "But it's so portable, you don't know where it's going to be: in the hills, in trailers, the back of a car, in a hotel room."

Megan Leitz, substance abuse coordinator for Colorado West's Vail and Eagle offices, said it's a looming problem.

"It's definitelymore popular in other areas, but it's growing here as well," Leitz said. "We see people coming from other areas, bringing it with them. It's working its way in."



The trouble with meth

The appearance of meth in a community is alarming for a number of reasons. For one, even though it can be purchased on the street like any other illegal drug, it can also be manufactured rather easily. Taylor said it's a simple process of stripping one of the oxygen molecules off the ephedrine.

"You can get instructions on how to do it off the Internet," Taylor said, although he added it does take some experience to get good at it.

Police and fire officials often have to deal with the effects of the dangerous chemicals and solvents used in the production of meth. To strip off that oxygen molecule, meth cookers use everything from brake cleaner and rubbing alcohol to drain cleaner, battery acid, paint thinner and gasoline. Not only does this create a hazardous environment for the drug users and makers, but for anyone who happens to be in the room or even in an adjacent apartment.

"These labs are so toxic that it's hard to go in and clean them up," said Sandy Roberts, substance abuse director for Colorado West. "In metro areas, you see them going in with gas masks and haz-mat suits, and they're going into places where there are babies crawling around naked. It's devastating."

In addition to the danger meth production poses, its physical and emotional effects on those who use it are equally dramatic, said Taylor. Meth is similar to cocaine in that it's a psychostimulant that acts on the "flight or flight" part of the brain. But its cumulative effects make cocaine look almost quaint by comparison.

"A quarter gram of cocaine acts quickly and can get you high for, say, 20 minutes," Taylor said. "The same amount of meth can keep you high for 14 hours."

Meth also has a more devastating effect on the brain, Taylor said. Using the drug will cause the brain chemicals that transmit nerve impulses to actually leak. Meth also turns those chemicals, known as neurotransmitters, into toxins. That, in turn, casues a weakening of the presynaptic membranes - a technical way of saying the brain is being damaged.

"That's an important difference, that's it's neurotoxic," Taylor said, adding that a brain scan of a long-time meth user can display entire pockets of inactivity. "It's like a brain with holes," he said.

The other intersting thing about meth is that it seems to appeal to both sexes.

"It has a slimming effect that women like, and it's also perceived as giving you more energy," Taylor said. "In our culture, women are required to do more and more, so they look at meth and think, 'Gee, what would it be like if I didn't have to sleep?'"



Vicious and destructive

Part of the reason local law enforcement and social services people don't always know the extent of a meth problem is that it's an underground drug like no other. Taylor said meth users form cult-like, tight-knit communities full of paranoid, irritated people.

"Meth communities are vicious and destructive, but they're also incredibly self-protective," he said. "That's why communities who have meth sometimes don't even know it."

And therein lies part of the problem getting people off the drug: That community they're part of doesn't want them to leave. Another issue concerns the myths that surround meth use.

"A lot of what we're trying to affect in treatment is this delusional belief that people have," Taylor said. "They think 'if I use it I'll have all this energy,' but it's unproductive energy."

When meth users go on a binge, Taylor said, the relatively low cost of the drug enables them to indulge the high for days on end.

"They don't like to come down, so they bump back up again and don't sleep," he said. "After four or five days, paranoia and irritability sets in with that sleep deprivation and you have a very frightening human being. "



Meth on the horizon

The numbers about meth use tell just part of the story. They represent only the users who have been treated for addiction, almost always at the direction of the court after they've gotten in trouble. As Taylor noted, meth is a "blue collar" drug, and while Eagle Countyhas its share of high-flying cocaine users, those on the lower economic rungs are the ones who lean toward the cheaper drug.

"It's crazy, really addictive, and it's also something people can make," said Leitz. "That makes it a lot more accessible, so you can see why it's so widely used."

Leitz said she'd like to see some action in Eagle County where any potential meth problem can be looked at through the lens of what other communities have done in response.

"Usually it's taking action after the problem becomes apparent," she said. "I think we need to address the issue before it gets to be a bigger problem. Looking at what other communities have done could be part of that."

As Hoy said, "It's not a big issue now, but that doesn't mean it won't become one."



Alex Miller can be reached at 949-0555, ext. 615, or amiller@vaildaily.com.



Vail, Colorado