producer  T o m  A t w o o d

Methamphetamine is a powerful

stimulant that creates a high that

lasts from six to 24 hours. Once

preferred mainly by West Coast

bike gangs, meth is now spreading

across the country. According to

US government surveys, treatment

for meth addiction has quadrupled

since 1993. More than 12 million

people above the age of 12 have

tried meth, including one out of ten

high school students (according to

the US Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention).

“Methamphetamine is the worst

drug we’ve ever come up against,”

says narcotics officer Jason

Grellner. “It’s the most addictive

drug we currently know about.

And once you’re addicted to it,

we don’t have many success

stories of people getting off of it

until their lives are completely

ruined.”

One reason meth is so dangerous,

especially for teenagers, is the

damage it does to the brain, destroying nerve endings that affect mood and memory. “What you’re doing,” says psychiatrist Richard Todd, “is taking an adolescent brain…and blasting it.”

Experts say parents need to let their children know the facts about meth, and help them avoid situations where they might be tempted to experiment with drug use, and set clear boundaries. “When you do those kinds of things,” Dr. Todd says, “It’s a ‘stop’ for them.”