Meth, the Forgotten Killer, Is Back. And It’s Everywhere.

Meth, the Forgotten Killer, Is Back. And It’s Everywhere.
In Oregon, 232 people died from meth use in 2016, nearly twice as many as died from heroin —
and three times as many as died from meth 10 years before, according to the state Department of Health.
In Hawaii, where meth was first introduced in the United States, the number of people
over 50 who said meth was their drug of choice has doubled in five years.
A wholesale plummet of price per pound, combined with a huge increase of purity, tells me they have perfected the production
or manufacturing of methamphetamine,” said Steven Bell, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“You ask them about it, and they’ll say: ‘Hey, it’s half the price, and it’s good quality.’”
Nationally, nearly 6,000 people died from stimulant use — mostly meth — in 2015, a 255 percent
increase from 2005, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It was like someone turned off a switch,” said J. R. Ujifusa, a senior prosecutor in Multnomah County, which includes Portland.
“We’re seeing a lot of longtime addicts who used crack cocaine switch to meth,”
said Branden Combs, a Portland officer assigned to the street crimes unit.
In Portland, the drug has made inroads in black neighborhoods, something experienced narcotics investigators say was unheard-of five years ago.
“Everybody has meth around here — everybody,” said Sean, a 27-year-old heroin user who hangs out downtown and gave only his first name.