Meth In Perspective

In a way, it's hard to say that methamphetamine is the "worst drug" out there, because there's a lot of truth in the old adage, "the worst drug problem to have is the one that you currently have." But we hope thus far in our outline that we've illustrated that compared to just about every other drug, methamphetamine is in a class by itself in many ways. From so many different perspectives, it's a natural to become a nightmare wherever it gets a foothold.

And as is usually the case, most communities don't respond to a problem until it's literally and figuratively at their doorstep. Over the three years or so we've been monitoring the meth situation in North America, time and time again we've seen communities and entire countries look at the meth issue from a distance and take the attitude that there's some geographic or demographic immunity they have from meth ever becoming a problem in their locale. Until it does.

And the spread of meth hasn't taken place because of a lack of effort on the part of communities. And that's another unique thing about the meth issue. Never before in history has there been such a massive mobilization of stakeholders creating coalitions, task forces, and other community groups to educate the public and create awareness about meth. The media has also aided in this effort, creating some truly outstanding pieces and series on the meth problem. But more can be done, and we can't lose sight of the fact that in any campaign, you have to keep up a sustained program of awareness and education because inevitably, a societal "fatigue" usually takes over.

Take cocaine for example. Fifteen or twenty years ago, you couldn't pick up a newspaper or turn on the television without hearing a story about the powder and crack cocaine "epidemic" that was spreading across North America. And it certainly got people's attention, but the problem was, it didn't keep their attention. You can only read about so many "major cocaine seizures" before it starts to become just a part of the everyday landscape. And the same thing happened with HIV and AIDS, which experienced something known as "condom fatigue." As less and less people died from the virus, attitudes towards safe sex became more relaxed.

And the same thing can happen with methamphetamine. You can only see so many pictures of meth addicts with crank sores all over their face before it stops shocking you and holding your attention. And the perception will become that as long as we regularly read about a big seizure, and we keep throwing people in jail for decades, the problem has been addressed. But it hasn't.

So we've called methamphetamine an "epidemic" and we've added it to the "enemy list" in the "war on drugs." We're plastering the faces of meth addicts all over the internet and restricting precursor chemicals. We're sending people to prison left and right for enormous lengths of time, and when they get out, consigning them to a hopeless future because they haven't received proper treatment and they may well be permanently listed on a "meth registry." And yet seemingly, we don't really even have a clear, current and consistent idea as to how much meth sells for throughout North America. Does that make sense?

Here we are, in an age when you can't walk ten feet without bumping your knee against a computer, and this is the best we can do in the way of communicating? Surely we can do better than this, because if we continue to allow misinformation, inconsistency and distortion, we'll make it so confusing that no one understands. And then the drug itself gradually becomes a "non-entity." We know it's out there, we just don't know how to describe it, or quantify it. And if you can't describe or quantify something accurately, then everyone can put their own "spin" on the information and it becomes worthless.

And when that happens, other than reading about a seizure, the only time meth will be evident in your community is when your car is broken into or stolen. Or when your house is burglarized, your purse is snatched, or someone steals your identity. Because at that point, methamphetamine (like cocaine, heroin and a lot of other drugs) will have quietly become part of the community. It will become one more reason that people shake their heads and say "It used to be safe around here, but it isn't anymore."

So if meth is not a problem right now in your community or area, that's terrific. But the real question is, what "community immunity" do you have? What are the reasons that meth won't become a problem, or perhaps even the number one problem in your community?

The fact is, there really are no "inherent" immunities from meth. It's not limited by income, geography, climate, culture, age, or any other factor. The only form of immunity is one that you manufacture with a proactive and sustained program of education and awareness. Not scare tactics, not misinformation, but real education and real awareness. Instead of trying to scare people into running away from drugs, let's give them the tools and opportunities they need to learn how to run towards life. And a big part of that means that we have to insist that every community throughout North America and the rest of the world has the funds and facilities for these programs. Arrests and seizures alone just won't do it, you need look no further than the 30 year battle we've tried to wage on cocaine and heroin with little, if any measurable results.

In the next section, we take a look at the actual history of methamphetamine. And contrary to at least one piece of "misinformation," meth was not "invented" by motorcycle gangs. And as you will learn, it's been with us a long time and in a variety of places you might not have imagined.