Meth can even be found in the world of the Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA). A crime inappropriately term “date rape” in the press. A DSFA is when a person covertly introduces a drug into another persons drink with the intention of making them unconscious. The suspect then sexually assaults the victim without their knowledge and consent. Drugs like Gamma Hydroxy Butrate (GHB), benzodiazapines (valium, ativan and rohypnol…just to name a few) are common drugs used in this vicious crime. Now you may be asking yourself meth increases the energy level of a person, it doesn’t knock them out and you would be right. But, there have been several reports of a method called “booting”. This is where the suspect will insert a drug like methamphetamine (it could be any drug with a hydrogen chloride structure) into the victim’s anus. The meth will be absorbed into their bodies and if they go to the hospital the meth will show up on a toxicology screen. This is an attempt to discredit the victims report to law enforcement by showing that they had a controlled substance in their system. This can be attempted in several ways. The first is just what you thought before; meth doesn’t induce people into an unconscious state (short of an overdose). The fact of finding meth in their bodies doesn’t add up to the victim’s report of losing several hours of their lives with no recollection. The second is the suspect is hoping that a “drug user” simply will not be deemed credible and not taken seriously by law enforcement. 

Non-violent crime is a social distortion so to speak. Even the sale of drugs in its purest form is basically a non-violent crime. Money is exchanged for drugs and both parties go their separate ways. Never mind that this one simple act is just a piece of a larger wave involving the lives of many other people. This tends to be a problem in court because we can prove the crime of drug sales itself, but we cannot show the short and long term consequences of this specific incident. Defense attorney’s picked up on this a long time ago and practice a defense method called nullifying the jury. Basically they are admitting that their client committed the crime of drug sales but their defense is “so what, what is the big deal”. They might say to the jury, “Do you think that sending my client to prison is going to stop the tidal wave a drugs coming into our area”, “Do you want to send this man (or woman) to prison because of a fifty dollar drug deal”. They try to guilt the jury into a not guilty verdict.

This can also be seen in the various other non-violent crimes that plague most of our communities. The most common being theft. Addicts will steal anything. This can range from T-shirts from the mall to guns and other weapons from gun shops and homes. Areas with a significant drug problem will also find that they have crime rings of thieves breaking into cars, shops and homes. At their most basic forms most would classify these as non-violent crimes. But in turn they have the potential to become violent and we most certainly have a victim. A perfect example of this would be an addicted person shoplifting and getting caught by store employees. The potential for a hostile encounter is possible and even common.  Other non-violent related crimes include the various types of fraud and deceptions.

Lets not forget crimes against first responders. Wherever there is a meth (or other significant drug) problem that communities first responders are going to be even more at risk for injury or death. These obviously include police officers, but don’t forget fire department personnel, medics and even the Good Samaritan. These assaults can include simple battery to assault with a deadly weapon and with the advent of the meth lab - chemicals. First responders have been attacked with everything from a closed fist to dirty syringes and firearms. Meth cookers have even used fire and acids to keep others from approaching them. Flammables, acids and other chemicals are readily available at any meth lab and these people will use what they have at hand. 

If it is not enough not to feel safe at home or in public lets not forget the workplace. Employment facilities are a breeding ground for drug distribution and use. Everything that can happen on the street can happen in the workplace. The graphics of a facility are just set up that way. You have a group of people together in a specific area who often have the same thoughts, fears and social backgrounds. When you think about it a workplace has the same makeup as a nightclub that caters a specific crowd. Co-workers can be a danger to each other just like in any other setting in a community. Meth/drug dealers can often find prime customers within the workplace and sales in these areas can become rampant within the relative safety of the facility itself. Cops don’t patrol worksites, factory floors or other places we find the population working to earn a paycheck.

Although cops are most likely not going to be around in your work environment there are signs that you can look for that may be indicators of meth/drug sales and use. Watch for people making frequent trips to their vehicles for no apparent reason. This can indicate that they are using the drug in an area of relevant privacy or it could mean they are retrieving drugs to be sold to another employee. They may be uncomfortable keeping large quantities of dope on their person on a constant basis and the vehicle makes a secure entity to stash the stuff until another employee makes an order.

Watch for other meeting unknown people in the parking lots of the property. They may be meeting their dealer and the worksite might be the only place they could hook up with each other. After a few exchanges are made with no suspicion of complications this may become the “safe spot” for them to use on a constant basis. As we all know drug deals can go bad and this makes for a dangerous situation for other employees who just want to come to work and earn their paycheck.

Watch for the loner group of individuals who find secluded parts of the property or facility to socialize and talk. Those involved in the meth/drug culture don’t let others into their midst for no apparent reason. Sales, use and discussion of future transactions might be taking place. No matter how quick and painless a drug transaction can appear they still don’t want to do it out in the open. Paranoia dictates that “the man” is always watching and listening. Again, outbreaks of violence are always possible within the circle of individuals and others can be victimized, even if not on purpose.

Work place accidents are always a possibility – it’s just the nature of the beast, especially in labor and factory oriented areas. The employee under the influence of a drug in the workplace causes the odds of an accident to go up dramatically. With a drug like meth physical and mental distortions are a reality that affects everyone they are around. Many workplaces operate machinery that can be deadly to say the least. Someone under the influence of meth/drugs can be as dangerous to others as a speeding drunk on the highway. If someone is constantly having mishaps, accidents or near misses in the workplace a red flag should be going off in someone’s head, especially if that person has been a solid worker on their equipment in the past. Workplace accidents should be investigated just like a vehicle accident when someone gets injured. The death of a person because of a negligent act of someone else (drug ingestion) is just as serious as if they killed that person in a vehicle crash on the roadway.

Watch for employees flashing cash in front of other employees. I know I said that these people will attempt to keep their illicit life away from their legitimate workplace like (meetings in secluded areas) but human nature is still in full throttle with them. Some people cannot help but to brag on how much money they have and how well they are doing in life. This is especially true when it comes to guys trying to impress the ladies.

Keep on eye on the schedule. A pattern will develop with employees that on the dope heavily, especially with meth. You will start to see that the employee will not show up to work on a regular basis. Remember they may be awake for days even weeks at a time and the crash is coming. When the body decides to shut down and crash going to come and work is not going to be a priority. They will miss several workdays at a time and then show up like they never missed a beat. Or the job just interferes with their meth addiction and they quit after a short period of time. They may live paycheck to paycheck and that is all right with them. We will often see meth addicts go from job to job because they get fired after a couple of months and simply move on to the next employer.

Last but not least watch for the overt symptoms that I wrote about earlier. No matter how much they try to hide their physical and mental defects caused by the drug most are very obvious when you know what you are looking for and at. After awhile you will notice them a mile away and if you are a supervisor hopefully you can filter out the potentials before hiring them and their baggage.

Meth is a drug of attrition and this can be found in no better place than in the workplace itself. Meth is decimating the workforce of some communities. Employers are having trouble getting qualified people to work for their business and stay meth / drug free. If that business requires a drug test prior to employment (which many insurance companies require now) they are going to have a small turn out for their hiring adds. This makes it difficult for established businesses to expand and it gives little confidence to new companies that may be interested in coming to that area to set up shop. 

As we now know crime is a social effect. If your community is less safe due to a circumstance beyond its initial control it has just experienced a negative social effect. In this case caused by the meth culture. Crimes against property and people are without a doubt going to go up dramatically due to the meth cultures arrival. It is not it might go up or it could go up --- it will go up and at times it will go up in a significant manner. Methamphetamine is not the only drug that causes problems for the people of a community, but it is certainly one of the more reactive and devastating drugs out on the illicit market.

As a taxpayer you are undoubtedly being affected by meth and its culture. Your tax money pays for equipment and officers for the police to combat the drug. But, that is just a small percentage of what you are paying. You are also paying their medical bills, and as we know this drug causes a multitude of physical and mental problems. Meth addicts are not usually real healthy people. They are susceptible to many illnesses that range from chronic to lethal. They are also accident-prone and often end up getting medical treatment for a variety of injuries. These injuries can range from traffic accidents to violence associated with the meth culture, just to name a few.

 You are paying for this culture at the store counter. Meth users become excellent thieves and shoplifters. The stores are going to make up for their loss by charging you --- the honest paying consumer. Courts are also financed by tax money. Many courts become absolutely saturated with meth related cases and the citizens of that community are paying for the prosecution. Lets not forget the incarceration of these people, both users and dealers. Sending someone to jail / prison is not cheap by any means. Therapeutic treatments are also not free. Many of the treatment programs are funded by the taxpayer’s money and with the recidivism being so high much of this money is recycled into the same people over and over.

There is nothing in nature that can produce methamphetamine. You cannot get it from a plant. You cannot find it in the bark of a tree or growing in a fungus. It is man made and synthesized through a chemical process. Humans produced meth in a laboratory.

Methamphetamine is not a new drug. It has been around for a while and was even invented for a legitimate cause. Somewhere around 1887 a German chemist, L. Edeleano, discovered the amphetamine family. The Japanese then altered the amphetamine molecule into methamphetamine in 1919. In the early 1930’s amphetamines were marketed as “Benzadrine” to treat various types of congestion. It saw use in the mid-1930’s as a treatment for narcolepsy and was approved by the American Medical Association in 1937. It came in the form of pill and appeared harmless enough. Doctors everywhere prescribed it for their patients. In the 1950’s the drug was actually floating from household to household. Wives were getting prescriptions from their doctors complaining of lack of energy and using it as an appetite suppressant in an attempt to maintain their thin hourglass figures.

Illicit production and distribution of methamphetamine really didn’t take hold until the advent and invention of the 1%er motorcycle club / gang. This began in the early to mid 1960’s. In brief, as the motorcycle clubs (gangs) started getting some press, most all of it negative, a motorcycle enthusiast noted that their reputation was transferring to all motorcycle riders. It a statement to a press resource the guy stated that the motorcycle clubs/ gangs only represented “1%” of all motorcycle owners. Instead of being insulted the clubs / gangs relished this phrase and started calling themselves “1%er’s”.

1%er clubs / gangs are an entity in and of themselves. Obviously these guys were not working nine to five jobs and they needed to find a way to make money. The manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamine was an obvious choice. These clubs are very mobile by nature and they had the perfect distribution network by way of their various Chapters around the country to get the drug on the street. Meth and biker clubs / gangs were a match made in Heaven (or I should say hell) for each other.