The Meth Epidemic

The swift rise of the use and distribution of methamphetamine within California 
and Santa Cruz County has overwhelmed our communities and government services.  
The increasing widespread production, sales, and use of methamphetamine (also 
sometimes known as “speed”), is now affecting urban, suburban and rural communities 
nationwide.  County governments across the nation are on the front lines in responding
to the methamphetamine crisis.

This insidious drug causes a whole host of problems including legal, medical, environmental, 
and social ones. County and city services (and the taxpayers) must pay for investigating meth
labs and distribution cases, making arrests of offenders, holding these suspects in jails, 
prosecuting them, providing treatment services, probation services, and cleaning up toxic lab 
sites along with social services costs.

In an alarming number of methamphetamine arrests, there is a child in the home. Social workers
and law enforcement officers find that the children are frequently suffering from neglect and abuse. 

The National Association of Counties (NACo) recently conducted surveys of law enforcement 
and county child welfare officials in order to determine the impact of meth on government services
and their communities. The results were from 500 counties from 45 states.  Here is a summary of 
their results:

• Meth is a growing problem that is now national in scope.  Of the 500 responding law
   enforcement agencies, 87% report increases in meth-related arrests starting three years ago. 
   A number of states, including California, reported 100 percent increases.  Seventy percent
   found robberies or burglaries have increased because of meth use.  In Santa Cruz County,
   property-related crimes have increased with this epidemic use of meth. The Sheriff’s Office
   has experienced a growing number of theft and burglary cases committed by meth addicts 
  especially involving thefts from cars, commercial burglaries, mail theft, and identity theft. 
  Some counties have also experienced a 62 percent increase in domestic violence because of 
  meth use.

• Meth is the leading drug-related local law enforcement problem in the country.  
  Fifty-eight (58%) percent of the counties surveyed stated meth was their largest drug problem.

• Meth related arrests represent a high proportion of crimes requiring incarceration.  
  Fifty percent (50%) of the counties estimated that 1 in 5 of their current jail inmates were housed
   because of meth related crimes.  The problem was even worse in the other half of counties surveyed. 
   The Santa Cruz County Jails are also experiencing a rise in inmate populations, especially in female
   inmates.  One Sheriff from a northern California county stated his female inmate population has risen 
  30% in the last couple of years due to methamphetamine.
  
• Other crimes are increasing as a result of meth.  Seventy percent of the responding counties 
  stated that along with burglaries, robberies, and domestic violence, assaults and identity thefts have
   also increased. 

In addition to the resulting crime, the production of methamphetamine produces a number of environmental
issues as well. The makeshift labs vary in sophistication and can be located in barns, garages, back rooms
of businesses, apartments, hotel rooms, storage facilities, vacant buildings, residences, and vehicles, including
RVs.  This drug, which is smoked, injected, or ingested, is synthetic, cheap, and relatively easy to make in 
these labs.  They frequently will use pseudoephedrine, the ingredient in cold medicines, and common fertilizers
and solvents.  The materials are dangerous and highly explosive.  During my law enforcement career, I have 
been to a number of meth lab sites where explosions from the manufacturing process had set the residence 
aflame. In addition, the chemical waste products from this manufacturing process are frequently dumped into
the ground, sewer systems, or alongside roads.

Even more disturbing is the impact that meth is having on children.  The NACo study also found that
meth is a major cause of child abuse and neglect. 

• Forty percent of all the child welfare officials in the survey reported increases in out-of-home
   placements of children due to meth in the last year.

• During the past 5 years, 71% of the counties in California alone reported an increase in out-of-home
   placements due to meth, as did Colorado.

 In addition, 59% of county officials stated that the particular nature of the meth user parent has increased the 
difficulty of family reunification.

The rising number of foster children due to meth use is greatly impacting county welfare systems and the 
need for more foster parents.  As these children are moved around in an overburdened social service system,
their parents may be in jail, awaiting treatment, or not seeking treatment.  One study found that these children
often stay in out-of-home placement three times as long as other children. In addition, many of these children 
have special needs. 

Law enforcement and social service providers in Santa Cruz County are already studying this drastic burden
on county services to devise some solutions. However, this widespread problem will take a commitment from
all of us, including the public, to solve it with the appropriate resources that will be required.

If you suspect someone is selling or manufacturing methamphetamine in your neighborhood, please call 
Sheriff’s Narcotics Investigators at 454-2311 or the Santa Cruz County Drug Task Force at 454-2320.  
You can also call your local police agency.