What You Need to Know Holly E. Hopper UK HEEL Program

Transcription

1 Meth Labs: What You Need to Know Holly E. Hopper UK HEEL Program

2 What is methamphetamine? Man-made stimulant Made in clandestine labs and sold illegally Pills, chunks or powder Central nervous system stimulant Extremely addictive Speed, crank, ice, glass, and crystal Ingested, inhaled, or smoked

3 Forms of Methamphetamine

4 Meth: Anhydrous Method Cold pills + Anhydrous ammonia + Metal = Methamphetamine

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6 Anhydrous exposure

7 Meth: Red Phosphorus Method Cold Pills + Red Phosphorus + Iodine= Methamphetamine

8 Methamphetamine leaves prints On your land In our drinking water if it is buried or dumped in/near streams or wells; In soil In the bodies of users and in those with whom they live; In vacated homes, rental properties, hotel rooms; In the trunks of cars; In storage units; In the bodies of those who inhabit property used for the production of methamphetamine.

9 Methamphetamine & Kentucky Land Methamphetamine cooks often use farmland or rental property. Waste is left behind along with toxic residue. Water and soil are at risk of contamination.

10 How does this happen? Such activity often happens at night. Some cooks will offer amounts of cash to encourage landowners to ignore this activity. Absent landowners may not even notice. The payoff is great enough for many cooks to take the risk of getting caught.

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12 Lack of Knowledge Puts the Public at Risk Not understanding basic meth-related risks contribute to public danger. Burying waste increases risk of respiratory damage, burns or death from gasses or explosion. Burying waste certainly contaminates land. Dumping waste in sinkholes contaminates the water table and is a federal violation.

13 Good Guys Helping Bad Guys An offer of cash for the use of abandoned buildings may sound good at first. Selling a gallon of anhydrous ammonia for a few hundred dollars may seem harmless. Anything that sounds that good has a price.

14 Good Stewardship of Land Lack of immediate negative consequence does not mean no negative consequence. Crops can be contaminated. Livestock can be contaminated. Future generations deserve to have land that is safe to use for farming and recreation.

15 Words to Protect the Agricultural Community: Do not accept cash for use of property. Do not sell anhydrous ammonia. Know what happens on your property. Do not bury, move, or examine any trash found on property. Use anonymous reporting systems within your community. Do not try to figure out who-dun-it.

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19 Cleanup Versus Remediation

20 How are meth labs remediated? Ventilation Cleaning or discarding porous materials Replace filters, walls, vents, etc. Flush plumbing systems Detergent washing Use of methanol or alcohol

21 Who s at risk for exposure? Meth users Cookers Children First Responders Hazmat Technicians Landlords and Property Owners

22 Decontamination of cook

23 Methamphetamine and Related Drug Charges in Kentucky Frequency by Quintile Number of Charges per County Source: Administrative Office of the Courts: 2/18/2003 Prepared by: Owen Johnson

24 Children Affected by Methamphetamine Production in Kentucky Rates per 100, Source: El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System Prepared by: Owen Johnson

25 How do we know there is danger? In meth-exposed children suffer respiratory, heart problems, developmental delays and other strange medical effects. A tractor blade was blown off when meth waste a farmer found exploded while he tried to bury it on his farm. Reports of community members and health care providers who are blown away by this problem. Results of National Jewish Hospital research report on clandestine methamphetamine production study.

26 Why is meth so powerful? High tolerance potential. Tweaking, the state after binge, is very unpleasant. The crash occurs when drug use stops. Intensity of crash is equal to amount of drug used. Requires more drug to get the same effect. Users attempt to continue to use drugs to maintain the high and avoid tweaking and the inevitable crash. Users sleep for days then awake to a rush of intense craving, depression, paranoia, and irritability.

27 Signs of Home Manufacture Smell of chemicals; may be like rotten eggs, ether, or a sweet chemical odor Unusual trash including many of the same item (normally not used in mass) Dirty conditions Pornography Weapons

28 Meth: In the Bathroom Top photo: Chemicals used in the manufacture of meth may look like a drink. Bottom photo: Some cooks will smoke off directly down a drain.

29 Plumbing Problems?

30 Are items used as intended?

31 Bedrooms Rental Property Car trunks Storage units Garages Kitchen cabinets Closets Boats Barns Hiding Places

32 Does this look like your kitchen?

33 Learn to do meth math

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36 Signs and Symptoms of Exposure Burning, tingling skin Difficulty breathing Headaches Burning eyes Dizziness Burns on skin Agitation or extreme lethargy

37 What if you suspect you are in a lab environment? SAFETY FIRST Make mental notes Make an excuse to leave Do not let your suspicions be known. When you are a safe distance away call and report suspicions to the proper authorities. Do not try to rescue others in the home let authorities know who in the home needs assistance.

38 Volatility: of drug; of cook; of user Protection of drug Metabolic brain change=inability to associate cause and effect Safety is a priority Education is key to safety Toxic environments, not toxic people Summary:

39 Are meth cooks more organized than we are?

40 Photo Credits: Pennyrile Narcotics Task Force DEA National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children Kentucky State Police

41 More Information? Please contact: Holly Hopper UK HEEL Program