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HEADLINES
For years now US federal officials have reported that the Mexican drug cartels are operating in dozens of US cities, and have consolidated their control of the entire corridor of the supply chain of illegal drugs from deep in Mexico north to the U.S. border and beyond.
Nationwide, the Mexican drug cartels are now the dominant distributors of wholesale quantities of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana in the United States. No other group is positioned better to expand there already nationwide operation and take over total distribution of drugs in the south eastern part of the country too, then are the Mexican drug cartels as they now do in the south western part of the country.
It may be temporary, but it is still a surprise: Cocaine has unseated methamphetamine as the most prevalent hard drug in Boise, police say.
Other Boise-area law enforcement officers note a similar trend, though they say meth has already started to come back. Meth remains Idaho's No. 1 drug problem.
A drop in home-based methamphetamine labs is prompting more South Sound cities to get rid of the specialized law enforcement teams that deal with the hazardous drug.
Although meth possession remains a major problem for local law enforcement agencies, most of the highly addictive drug used in this area now is imported instead of produced locally, as had been the case, according to crime and prosecution data.
A new "shake and bake" method for making crystal methamphetamine has made its way into Arkansas.
Authorities say the process, also called the "one-pot" method, involves pouring a volatile mix of chemicals and pseudoephedrine into a soft drink bottle and shaking up the ingredients to produce the highly addictive drug.
A Salt Lake County family is devastated after a judge ruled they can't sue the health department for negligence. The family unknowingly purchased a home that was once a meth lab, but the Salt Lake Valley Health Department (SLVHD) later told them inspectors had declared it was safe to live in. Our investigative team tested the home last year and discovered it was still contaminated with meth.
Today, a district court judge dismissed the Alkinani's lawsuit against the SLVHD, because there's a Utah law in place that protects the agency from liability. It's called Governmental Immunity -- basically the Alkinani's can accuse the health department of negligence, they just can't sue them over it.
Methamphetamine horror stories and new state laws have gone a long way to reduce the numbers of kitchen "labs" that once plagued this county and others across the state, police say. That's the good news.
But the bad news is that lately, the numbers of labs in some areas are "starting to creep back up," says Cookeville Police Capt. Nathan Honeycutt.
Clandestine meth labs are popping up all over the country and south Georgia is no exception.
In fact, law enforcers have seen a spike in the meth epidemic in our area recently. "We've got the same problem as everybody else as far as being able to identify them and know what they look like and how they're manufacturing them," said Decatur County Fire and Rescue Chief Charlie McCann.
Officials with Meth Coffee, the brand attacked earlier this week by Ill Atty. Gen Lisa Madigan for its name, released a statement today saying their product, sold only via the Internet, "is now no longer available online for purchase from, or shipment to, Illinois."
The statement defends the product's name and marketing as a joke and characterizes company officials as "clowns." It says:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Network Environmental Systems, Inc., the leading provider of clandestine drug lab safety training in the U.S. was awarded a Department of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant to provide meth awareness training to first on-scene law enforcement. NES is seeking interest from law enforcement agencies interested in holding a session in their region. If your agency is interested in hosting a class please contact Stephanie Summers at ssummers@networkenvironmental.com or call 800 637-2384. The 4-hr class will train first on-scene officers and other law enforcement personnel how to identify and safely deal with methamphetamine abusers and methamphetamine labs they can encounter during routine calls and traffic stops. NES is also developing a web-based awareness class, scheduled for completion by October of 2008.
Communities and Cops Combat Meth
Federal, state, and local investment in Washington efforts shows early successes. Click here to read the report by King County Sheriff and Washington State Methamphetamine Initiative.
ONDCP MEDIA CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES NEW METH PREVENTION INITIATIVE
Print Ads, Photo Exhibit, and Other New Resources Help Communities Fight
Meth
The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign launched its Anti-Meth Campaign today. In conjunction with National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month, the new campaign highlights the dangers associated with meth use for the individual, families, and communities‹and delivers a message of hope, with stories from people in recovery and community leaders who are making progress in the fight against meth. The effort includes advertising, news media outreach, and online resources.
Read more...
Methpedia Podcast - New Victories and New Challenges in the War on Meth
Click here to listen to the podcast.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy releases "Synthetic Drug Control Strategy" and "National Drug Control Strategy".
Click here to read Synthetic Drug Control Strategy
Click here to read National Drug Control Strategy.
A Portrait of the Typical School-Age Meth User
The typical student user of methamphetamines is a 17-year old white male who lives with both parents, first tried meth at age 12.6 years, under performs in the classroom, and does not view the drug as harmful to the health, according to data collected by Pride Surveys from more than 3,000 self-reported users of meth in grades 6-12.
More than half (51.1%) find meth to be “very easy” to obtain. Another 12.5% said “fairly easy.”
Click here to get the full Pride Surveys report.
Stories Wanted! About Your Local Community's National Methamphetamine Awareness Day Activities
We want to share your stories about your local community's activities during National Methamphetamine Awareness Day. Send your stories to jcopple@sai-dc.com. Please include a brief paragraph describing your activity or project for that day.
Methpedia.org's FIRST PODCAST
You can access Methpedia.org's first podcast, regarding National Methamphetamine Awareness Day by clicking here.
Methpedia.org Methamphetamine Blog
Contribute to a blog on methamphetamine on the new Methpedia.org. Go to http://www.methpedia.org/ then click on "Blogs".
The Senate passed S. 3525, the Improving Outcomes for Children Affected by Meth Act of 2006, yesterday. For additional details about this act and other information, please click here.
ABOUT US
Strategic Applications International pursues great ideas, promotes actions and effects change with demonstrated results. Strategic Applications International (SAI) partners and consultants have worked with the National Crime Prevention Council, Drug Enforcement Administration, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Community Oriented Policing (COPS) Office for the last five years to convene statewide Meth Summits in more than 15 states. SAI is engaged in the development and distribution of a wide variety of tools and services to assist local, state and federal agencies apply research and best practices to the many aspects of the meth challenge.
To find out more about SAI and its work on meth, please click here.
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