Published December 22, 2005

Meth use affects us all -- Part 1
Meth problem to the point it can't get much worse says veteran GBI agent

[Editor's Note: To highlight the continuing problem of methamphetamine use in the state of Georgia and Pickens County, the Progress offers a three-part series, beginning this week, designed to shed light on the issue which affects us all.
Parts two and three, to appear in the coming weeks, will feature the perspectives of a drug treatment professional and a recovering addict.]

John Cagle has personally arrested "several thousand" people for methamphetamine-related crimes in his 26-year career with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
Cagle, who is now the special agent-in-charge at GBI region 8 which includes Pickens County and most of north central Georgia, spent 23 years in the Bureau's drug enforcement division, the latter 21 of those in north Georgia. So he speaks from his own past observations when he says the highly addictive drug known as meth is nothing new in Pickens County.
"Methamphetamine has been around a long, long time, just not in the magnitude it is now," said Cagle in a recent interview with the Progress.
The meth problem in Georgia has grown to the point that it is one that cannot be solved by law enforcement alone, and it is one that is "not going away," Cagle said.
In fact, in a foreboding assessment of the dilemma many experts classify as an epidemic, Cagle said, "It's leveling off in north Georgia, to the point that I don't know if it could get much worse."
Tougher enforcement and new laws passed by the state legislature relating to the possession of "precursor chemicals" for the manufacture of meth have helped reduce the presence of local meth labs and home-cooked meth, Cagle said. But a growing problem that is more difficult to control is the region's saturation with imported meth, from Mexico and "border states" such as California and Texas, he said.
"Manufacturing meth is only one part of the problem," said Cagle. "Imported meth is a huge problem, and the price of the drug is dropping so fast, indicating the market is full." Atlanta is currently the hub of the southeast for meth trafficking, he said.
For the last three years, Cagle has been in the GBI's general crime division, investigating such incidents as burglaries, robberies, murders and other violent crime. Region eight, consisting of 14 counties, is geographically the largest GBI region in the state.
"I would say probably 85 to 90 percent of the general crime is somehow related to drugs, and in particular methamphetamine in this area," said Cagle. "Either they're doing a robbery to get the money to buy it, or they're doing a burglary to get something to sell so they can buy it."
He said a string of burglaries in the same neighborhood, or committed by the same person, is almost always a sign that meth is involved.
Even in many violent crimes, the perpetrator is under the influence of meth, acting out against a victim -- "most often that's the police," said Cagle.
What makes the drug such a conundrum and a danger not only for law enforcement, but also for citizens, families, and entire communities is its highly addictive quality.
Cagle, who was on the front lines when cocaine became a problem in the 1980s, called meth "the most devastating drug in America." He said most of its first-time users become addicted "all of a sudden." He said he has spoken to thousands of users who have been arrested as a result of their drug habit, not one of whom has ever been able to quit on their own, even if they wanted to.
"I'm sure there are exceptions, but everybody needs some kind of professional help," Cagle said.
Furthermore, most people who become addicted eventually prefer to inject meth intravenously, with diabetic syringes, seeking the quickest and most intense effect.
And almost all users who get arrested once, stay acquainted with the criminal justice system. "Most of the people I deal with are chronic offenders," said Cagle. "If they're not now, they will be."
In theory most of those who get arrested for using, possessing, or distributing meth are virtually forced to quit through court mandated sanctions, probation, monitoring, or jail time.
The local drug court has been touted as an effective way to treat the addictions of users who become entangled in the criminal justice system, without sending them to prison.
But then, Cagle said, there is an "enormous" category of people who are meth users, dealers, and addicts, who have not yet been arrested.
It is this group who makes a widespread solution to the epidemic so elusive for law enforcement, Cagle said, because they do not know where to seek professional treatment. Or more commonly, they do not even recognize that they need such help.
"That's the group that communities ought to try to target, because you cannot rely on law enforcement to solve this problem," said Cagle. He said if this segment of the population can be reached, it will help the users themselves, the court system, and those who would become their future victims.
Methamphetamine, Cagle said, has evolved from the "poor man's drug" it used to be called in the 1980s, when it was not nearly as popular as it is now. By the time the late 90s rolled around, Georgia "exploded" with the increasing presence of homemade meth labs, Cagle said.
He said while the first clandestine labs required at least some knowledge of chemistry and several days to produce one batch, newer methods make the process much easier. Within five hours, one meth lab in a residence can turn out several ounces of the drug.
"Anybody can do it now," said Cagle, who busted his first meth lab in 1984. But new state laws enacted in the last couple of years have made it more difficult for a potential meth cook to acquire the ingredients, which can be found at a typical Wal-Mart.
About five years ago, Cagle and other GBI agents visited the state of Missouri, which at the time was considered "ground zero" for meth. While there, the agents studied what measures that state had taken to combat their problem, and brought back knowledge that resulted in the new Georgia laws.
Specifically, it is now illegal to possess more than 300 cold tablets that contain pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in meth. About 1,800 cold tablets can produce three to four ounces of meth, Cagle said. And it is a felony to alter the medicines from their original form, such as by crushing them up, Cagle said.
It is also a felony to have anhydrous ammonia for the purpose of making meth, and to possess the chemical in a non-certified container.
"Before these laws, there was no distinction between manufacturing and possession," said Cagle. "Now meth labs are somewhat on the decline because of increased enforcement and the new laws."
The growing occurrence of criminal acts and other effects of meth use have shattered the old claim that drugs are a "victimless crime," Cagle said.
In the manufacturing process alone, there have been numerous incidents throughout Georgia when a cook has made a slight mistake, causing explosions which have set whole residences on fire, Cagle said. Often propane tanks which are used to store the anhydrous ammonia while cooking have failed, "burning people inside out," he said.
Sometimes entire properties have been destroyed by the chemicals left behind in meth labs. And many law enforcement officers have been forced to retire due to injuries sustained from exposure to toxic vapors when investigating meth labs, Cagle said.
Another result of the GBI's visit to Missouri five years ago is a policy to train all agents on how to safely enter and dismantle the labs they find. The GBI even trains case workers from the Dept. of Family and Children Services who frequently make visits to homes that contain hidden meth labs.
Meth users themselves are likely to suffer from "obvious" detrimental health effects, including malnourishment, bloody sores that are scratched and picked at until they get infected, and a condition called "meth mouth" characterized by rotting teeth, Cagle said.
"Most of them will tell you how bad it is," he reflected. "One girl told me that methamphetamine will steal your soul."
Overdoses and death from just one use have been known to occur, particularly if a user gets ahold of a batch that is stronger than what they are used to.
"It pops your heart rate up, it pops your blood pressure up. If you have a pre-existing condition, or even if you don't, it could kill you right then," said Cagle.