Meth problem greater than anticipated

Calling Carson City a major hub for methamphetamine trafficking, state drug officers spoke to about 75 people Wednesday from community leaders to rehabilitation specialists during the first in an expected series of community meetings focusing on reducing methamphetamine use and sales in the capital city.

"What we are finding out is major drug runners from trafficking organizations are calling Carson City one of the major hubs. We're seeing that a majority of the time we investigate outside the county we're ending up in Carson City," said Detective Sgt. Mitch Pier with the Department of Public Safety's Tri-Net Drug Taskforce. "Eighty percent of the investigations we do end up here and it seems like it's been that way for quite some time."

Centrally located for Northern Nevada, Carson City is appealing to traffickers with Highways 395 and 50 connecting Reno, Carson, Tahoe, Douglas and Lyon counties, Pier said.

Drug labs aren't as prevalent as years ago, because a majority of the dope is coming from "super labs" producing at least 10 pounds of the crystalline substance per day in Mexico where ephedrine, the drug's main staple, can be bought legally in large quantities.

With that much meth lying around, it's no surprise a majority of the crimes committed in Carson City can be tied back to methamphetamine abuse, said District Attorney Noel Waters.

"Most of the users are committing all our crime in our neighborhoods," he said.

Because of the scourge methamphetamine has become on Carson City, officials have tagged it as their no. 1 priority for the coming year.

Undersheriff Steve Albertsen said while Tri-Net focuses on major traffickers, his office is starting programs to work street-level narcotics, targeting the users and sellers of small quantities.

Focusing on awareness, education, enforcement, treatment and rehabilitation, City Manager Linda Ritter took an inventory from the invited guests in the room, to determine what is available in Carson City.

Sheriff Kenny Furlong said there isn't one place in the city to get a list of resources.

"We'll inventory what's available then (through group discussion) fill in the gaps," she said. Dates for future meetings open to the public were not announced at the two-hour forum.

The information gathered at the hearing will be compiled by Ritter's office and those who attended Wednesday's forum will meet at a later date to form a plan.

Carson City is third behind Clark and Washoe counties in the number of people who received substance abuse treatment through the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse for 2004. Fifty-four percent of those people sought treatment specifically for methamphetamine use.

"What we're saying is we're going to declare on war on meth," said Karl Neathammer, chief mediator for Performance Mediation, from the audience.

n Contact reporter F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.

Know the signs

Symptoms of methamphetamine use may include:

• Inability to sleep

• Increased sensitivity to noise

• Nervous physical activity, like scratching

• Irritability, dizziness or confusion

• Extreme weight loss

• Tremors or even convulsions

• Increased heart rate

• Sores on skin, tooth grinding, bad teeth, heavy sweating and body odor.

SOURCE: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration