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Methamphetamine is an
addictive drug made in home labs. When taken by mouth, snorted,
injected or smoked, it produces intense pleasure by releasing excessive
amounts of the brain’s reward chemical – dopamine. The euphoria that it
produces is longer lasting than even cocaine, and meth users are
reluctant to give up this highly addictive central-nervous-system
stimulant.
As one addict explains,
“Sex became an endurance sport I couldn’t get enough of -- I felt great
so much of the time I couldn’t even think of a downside.” If perfect
euphoria is the ultimate self-indulgence, then meth can be labeled
Chemical Masturbation.
It’s not enough that
meth addicts lose brain cells but keep living happily ever after; it’s
the wake they leave behind if they have been ‘cooking’ their own
product.
We have property
legislation regarding mold, and disclosure covering asbestos and radon,
but only voluntary warnings concerning exposure to contaminants left
behind after a meth lab has been dismantled. Home labs are vanishing,
but not the meth! Some states like Oklahoma are voluntarily labeling
ex-meth lab addresses, but for most unsuspecting home buyers this still
holds a “buyer beware” sticker.
Property owners are
warned to exercise caution and use the safest possible cleaning
practices in dealing with a former meth lab residence as there is no
guarantee that it is one hundred percent free of remaining
contamination. Owners of apartments, mobile homes, sheds, garages,
vehicles and even hotel/motels are at risk. Tenants move in, set up
their lab because it doesn’t take any chemistry expertise to manufacture
their own meth. Of the 32 chemicals that can be used in varying
recipes, one-third is extremely toxic.
When they move on or
the lab is closed by authorities, it takes a special team in moon suits
and breathing equipment to cart off the chemicals and equipment. Even
with these measures, there is no guarantee that the location will ever
be fit to re-inhabit.
The owner is left with
contamination of absorbent materials such as carpeting, drapes and
ductwork which can accumulate vapors that are dispersed though the air
during the cooking process. Further, are the waste products generated
during meth manufacture. Some of these products are thrown along the
sides of roads or in neighboring back yards – but most are dumped
down sinks, drains, and toilets. They contaminate sewer systems and are
leached into streams and rivers.
The innocent victims of
a meth lab are two: parents who are alcoholics or addicted to other
drugs may keep their lives glued together for decades, but ice addicts
rarely can. The “ice” children suffer neglect as well as undeserved
beatings from parental addicts that are out of control. They play on
carpets where meth residue is prevalent. Their bedding, clothing and
the very air they breath is contaminated with meth; far more dangerous
than second hand cigarette smoke.
The second innocent
victim is the unsuspecting home buyer or renter who tries to live in an
ex-meth lab home. It may begin with a burning in the respiratory tract,
eyes, ears, or nose. Next comes severe burning of the hands and feet
accompanied by nausea and sleeplessness. As a renter the answer is
simple but the new home buyer is stuck with their mistake. If you want
to live, your only choice is to hang the key and suffer the credit
damage of a repossession.
Even burning these
buildings to the ground will not save the land on which the lab was
operating. Ground contamination is still unmeasured, and it will take
years to determine percentages that are supposedly “acceptable” to human
occupation. What began in 1973 by mid-western bikers and truckers to
stay awake on long journeys, has now spread north to Oregon and east to
Atlanta (now referred to as Meth City).
Looking back, one can
study a nuclear contamination map and see areas that cannot be inhabited
for years. It looks like spotty blemishes such as Chernobyl or Three
Mile Island. A meth contamination map looks like measles. It’s
becoming obvious that we cannot incarcerate our way out of this meth
problem. Legislators in Washington, meanwhile, don't seem very
concerned. They prefer lining up to denounce the use of steroids in
Major League Baseball.
© 2006 Esther Smith |