Meth Mouth Mania

Meth draws a lot of attention in Nevada. But it’s just part of a larger drug problem in the state. Here is my latest story. Read it in Nevada Today:

“Meth mouth” is a ghastly thing.Surely, you’ve seen the before and after photos of how the drug meth—short for methamphetamine—rots a user’s teeth. Lately, the state has been blanketed with frequent and graphic media coverage of meth’s toll.

The drug speeds users to zero in a matter of months. That’s because it’s easier to get hooked on meth. It messes with dopamine levels in the brain and creates a “seeking behavior.” Users often end up chasing the original high, never to be achieved again. Meanwhile, the addiction devastates a user’s body, mind and spirit.

Meth mouth screams for attention.

But is it the “colossal struggle of our times” as framed by Gov. Jim Gibbons?

How about problem gambling or prescription drug addiction, both more frequent for Nevadans than meth? What about the ravages of poverty or homelessness, felt by so many Nevadans? Death by alcohol kills more people in Nevada than meth.

Don Richter, at the forefront of the anti-meth campaign, puts it this way: “We think the meth war is going to be long term.” Richter, founder of Reno-based Secret Witness, a crime solving organization, said the problem is at the U.S. border – meth is now being made in Mexico.

“They’re just coming in with backpacks full of it.”

And so, in the past year, meth has moved to the top of the list of things to care about in Nevada. How did that happen? More on that later.

First, let’s put the meth problem in perspective. The number of meth users in Nevada is estimated to be about 40,000, according to the federal National Survey on Drug Use and Health (based on annual averages for 2002 through 2004). That number is small compared to the number of people who abuse alcohol and other drugs. Nationally, the estimated number of meth users is 1.3 million and use is declining. That’s right, declining.