Q-C seems to have fewer meth users
Drug counselors credit stricter laws that challenge a methamphetamine user’s access to the drug to explain why they’re seeing fewer addicts in the Quad-Cities these days.
Austin Gross, a certified alcohol and drug counselor at Riverside Alcohol and Drug Treatment in Rock Island, said that in the past two years he has counseled about 100 cocaine addicts compared to only three meth users.
“I just haven’t seen it,” Gross said of meth use since the narcotic reached its peak locally and nationwide about 2004.
Joe Cowley, clinical director at the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services, has noticed a downward trend as well.
“I think the laws have been very good,” he said. “We really have seen a decrease.”
Laws restricting access to pseudoephedrine, which is a key ingredient in meth, went into effect in Iowa in 2005 and in Illinois in 2006. The laws, which are the same in both states, require the drug be sold behind the counter in pharmacies and limit purchases to 7,500 milligrams per month. They also require customers to show identification and sign a log.
Cowley said the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services worked with local pharmacies to restrict the sale of over-the-counter medications used to make meth before the laws went into effect.
Gross also credits tough prosecution of users. “I think that’s because of the laws, because if they get in trouble, they go federal,” he said.
Many meth cases are prosecuted by local U.S. attorneys because of the amount involved. In the past when supplies were easier to purchase, users often would make their own meth to feed their habit, law enforcement officials have said. They would also sell some to pay for supplies.
Convictions in federal court require the individual to serve at least 85 percent of a sentence, compared to state courts that usually carry 50 percent.
Meth has not been eliminated entirely. It continues to be a problem in some parts of Iowa, more so in Des Moines than in the Quad-Cities, Cowley said. Much of that supply is coming from Mexico, he added. Local drug enforcement officials have confirmed that Mexico is the main source of the methamphetamine that’s available.
“It’s scary to some people, but for so many people, once they get started, they don’t stop,” Cowley said of meth.
The drug has many harmful side effects. It suppresses the user’s hunger, causing nutritional problems, and can cause paranoia, Cowley noted. The acid in meth can damage teeth.
“People are scared of it, and they would rather use cocaine,” Gross said. Meth is “a lot harder to kick.”
Gross said that when meth was growing in popularity five years ago, people didn’t know much about it.
“Before, it was a new drug to the area,” he said. “It wasn’t taken seriously.”
David VanLandegen, director of court services for Rock Island County, has noticed a decline in the number of meth users on probation. His office handled 10 meth cases last year compared to 15 in 2005.
“We have seen a significant drop,” he said, referring not only to his office but also meth cases in the area as a whole.
VanLandegen said finding treatment for meth users that works is a challenge. Some end up back in court for more offenses before they quit the drug for good.
“It’s a very, very addictive drug, and yes, they are problematic,” he said of meth users.
VanLandegen credits new laws with making a difference, noting that when meth manufacturers go to pharmacies to purchase supplies, they have to show some identification, such as a driver’s license.
Cowley thinks the use of meth will continue to diminish, but he doubts it will ever go away.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction,” Cowley said, “but the law can’t (entirely) stop meth use.”
Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com.