The Origin of the Methamphetamine Epidemic

Oklahoma, along with many other states west of the Mississippi River, has become overrun with methamphetamine and is overwhelmed with the task of fighting the epidemic.  With over 1,000 meth lab busts in each of the last two years, law enforcement officials have their hands full.

The easily obtained ingredients to manufacture crank (another name for meth) and the mobility of the labs make it difficult for law enforcement officials to track down a high percentage of potential busts.  Even when these labs are tracked down and the manufacturers arrested, the toxic chemicals used in the process are hazardous and cost thousands to be properly disposed of. 
 
In an AP article released last month Lonnie Wright, director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, said bold approaches to the problem are needed.  Wright suggested expanding treatment programs and placing tighter controls on common cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, the chemical most used in meth manufacturing.  He also claims that this drug is "the single product that is responsible for this" and tighter controls are needed, even though they would be fought by pharmaceutical companies.

Evidence of this opposition came in the Drug Enforcement Agnency's international investigation targeting the illegal importation of pseudoephedrine.  This investigation was called Operation Northern Star and it ended up targeting 6 executives of pharmaceutical companies from Canada that all sold bulk quantities of pseudoephedrine to meth manufacturers in the United States. They did so with the full knowledge that their sales were intended for the illegal production of the highly addictive and dangerous drug methamphetamine.

Both of these recent incidents as well as the history of most of the illicit drugs now used in the U.S. trace back to pharmaceutical manufacturers, which are the origin of methamphetamine.  The insistence to temporarily treat symptoms with chemicals and utilizing modern medicine as its front has completely negated the fact that there are natural remedies available that have worked for centuries.  In the case of pseudophedrine, which is largely used as a decongestant, products containing eucaplyptus essential oils do the trick just as easily and without the racing heart, dizziness or nausea.

The methamphetamine epidemic in the rural America has many law enforcement officials, drug treatment centers and citizens of this great country baffled.  It is difficult to handle the situation with an individual after being addicted to meth, let alone figure out how to prevent it from spreading or occurring in the first place, though enforcing restrictions on pharmaceutical companies would be a start.
 
Many people that have come in contact with meth addicts feel that full rehabilitation is impossible for them; that the damage is permanent.  It is true that the toxic chemicals used to cook meth are extremely hazardous and one could cause permanent damage, but if caught early enough and if the right program was used, the individual can be restored.

In today's society, there are few programs that effectively address and handle these areas of addiction on the way to full rehabilitation.  One such organization is Narconon Arrowhead, utilizing the drug-free social education methodology of L. Ron Hubbard and achieving a success rate greater than 70%, well over double the national average.  Through replacing vital nutrients stripped by drug use, dry-heat sauna detoxification therapy and a series of life skills courses, addicts regain the respect and responsibility for themselves to become happy, ethical and productive members of society again.

There are hundreds of former meth addicts that are now living healthy lives again because of Narconon Arrowhead.  To find out more about crank or the Narconon program, visit www.methamphetamineaddiction.com today or call 1-800-468-6933.

---