Frontiersman series opens door on deadly drug culture

Frontiersman editorial board

When people discuss the problems associated with drug use, they are usually talking about hard drugs -- the chemicals that create strong addictions and that can produce serious physical, emotional and mental harm. The most devastating drugs are often described as the most addictive, most destructive and most available. Methamphetamine fits all of those categories, and more. Frontiersman is running a three-part series about the meth culture -- the first part ran in Sunday's edition, the second is in today's Frontiersman and the third part will publish Friday.

The articles are informative, but disturbing. It's clear that meth is easy to obtain -- virtually anyone can make it. What's more clear is the damage the drug can do.

The personal accounts that appear in the articles are chilling. A young woman, who had not been a drug user before, descended into a dark drug culture and didn't realize how far she'd gone until the state took away her child. A young man, paranoid and disoriented from the drug, shot and killed his best friend.

The social effects are shattering. If meth users manage to avoid legal trouble long enough, the physical effects can be even worse.

What makes meth so insidious is that it can be easily obtained by anyone, and the fact that you can manufacture it yourself in a "lab" adds an air of romance to a deadly chemical with no redeeming qualities.

As with any drug, meth has its own culture. It is a culture of small industry in some ways, and a family-style culture, in others. The cook, at the center of the family, acts as a sort of queen bee, providing the drug for several workers who busy themselves gathering the necessary ingredients. The drug causes extreme paranoia and dependence, drawing the family closer and closer together, and pulling individuals further from society. In the end, lives are ruined and oftentimes lost.

An increasing number of meth labs are being busted every year -- and the Valley is apparently a center for meth activity in Alaska. Increased police activity will help, but it won't solve this problem. People have to pay attention. People have to act.

If you know someone who is using meth, or if you suspect someone is operating a lab in your neighborhood, call the police. This drug not only destroys individual lives, but it also represents a health risk to anyone exposed to a lab. Don't ignore this as someone else's problem. It's everyone's problem.