NCJ Number
205043
Journal
The Compiler Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: Winter/Spring 2004 Pages: 1-6
Date Published
2004
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article presents an overview of the growing problem facing the State of Illinois law enforcement agencies, specifically the drug enforcement units with the rise in methamphetamine labs.
Abstract
Methamphetamine (meth) is a powerful stimulant that provides an intense high and feeling of euphoria. It has an extremely high addictive potential and its effects can last for several hours. Methamphetamine users tend to be volatile and paranoid. Methamphetamine is driven largely by how easy and relatively inexpensive it is to make and it has become popular with small, independent producers. In the State of Illinois, methamphetamine is not the most commonly abused drug nor responsible for most arrests, but it is becoming the most dangerous problem for law enforcement in many parts of the State. In 2003, the number of clandestine meth labs seized in the State increased to 971 compared to 24 in 1997. In order to investigate and gather evidence at meth lab sites, officers must become meth lab-certified. The small-time meth labs popping up in rural Illinois are part of a drug culture much different from that of marijuana and cocaine, in that very little money is exchanged causing difficulty in investigating. In addition, Chicago, IL is considered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to be a hub for meth from labs in Mexico and California going to other points. It is also a major transit point for illegal shipments of pseudoephedrine, the primary ingredient for making methamphetamine from Canadian chemical companies. In order to stem the tide of the drug, it is going to take education and prevention along with continued multijurisdictional drug enforcement unit activities and efforts.