Bleach and drain cleaner, aren't just for household cleaning anymore. They can be used as ingredients, along with battery acid, brake fluid and many other harmful chemicals, in one of the most addictive and dangerous drugs.
The use of methamphetamine, also known as meth, or crystal meth, has been severely on the rise in the state of Arizona and across the nation for the past 10 years. According to the Crystal Darkness Campaign, 2.02% of children 12-years-old and older reported using meth in 2005, and 2.91% of Arizona adults from 18-25 years old reported having used meth.
The Crystal Darkness Campaign is sponsored by many different organizations that want to help with the fight against the dangerous drug. The meth campaign, which was started in Nevada, features a 30-minute documentary about the affects of meth. It features true stories and testimonies of people that have been addicted to the drug. It also shows pictures and videos of what it does to a person over time, as well as the impact it has on family members and even the community.
In the state of Arizona, the use and production of methamphetamine is a growing epidemic. According to the meth campaign, the number of people seeking treatment for their addiction has gone from 614 in 2000, to 3,301 in 2004.
Not only is the addiction to meth a danger for the user, but also to the community. Meth labs in Arizona cause huge problems for the community because the exposure to the chemicals can cause serious health problems. The children that are in houses where meth is produced suffer from developmental delays, and illnesses.
According to the meth campaign there were 1,412 meth lab seizures from 2000-2006, and approximately 30-35% of seizures were residences that contained children.
Meth also affects the community in terms of money that is spent. Rehab, police support, child care services, and clean up after explosions or seizures cost the government and taxpayers a lot of money. According to the meth campaign, the cost alone for the cleanup of the contamination from meth labs is estimated at 4.1 billion from 2000-2005.
"Crystal meth is such a huge problem here in Arizona," said Matthew Dutile of Gordon C. James Public Relations, which is helping with the meth campaign. "Part of the reason that it is so horrible here is because it is close to Mexico, which is where a lot of the meth is produced," he said.
The documentary aired Tuesday night on all local channels in Arizona from 6:30 to 7 p.m., and 5 to 5:30 p.m. on Spanish channels.
"We had astounding viewership of the documentary," Dutile said. "According to the Nielsen ratings there were approximately 472,000 households in the Phoenix area alone watching the documentary, but that doesn't include the Tucson or Yuma areas."
The ratings also didn't record the rural areas of Arizona, or the radio listeners, Dutile said. "Going of the trends that were recorded we think that about 1.5 million people either watched, listened or read about the documentary and the campaign," he said.
Hannah Dixon, a student who helped set up the viewing of the documentary at Hayden lawn, said it was great that so many people watched the documentary. Dixon said she believes viewers need to spread the word about the documentary because it would be just as effective as the documentary itself.
The number 1-888-METH-AID periodically ran across the screen during the documentary, and it was for a meth help hotline. Dutile said that the hotline was a way that people that needed help for themselves or someone they knew could get more information about where to receive it. Also the hotline was used as a way that citizens could report crimes related to meth happening in their community.
"We had a total of 416 calls, and of those, 178 were seeking help for themselves or someone else that was addicted to meth. Of the people that were seeking help, 15 of them required immediate assistance," Dutile said. Not all the calls were for addiction, 24 were crime tips from people that knew of some crime occurring that had to do with meth, he said.
"When we started this campaign our feelings were that if we could even just help one person then this whole thing was worth it, and I think we definitely did that," Dutile said.
Dixon said that the campaign has been extremely powerful and that she "looks forward to seeing the changes in our community."
