The San Joaquin Valley -- often called the new Appalachia of the West -- has earned its reputation as the hot spot region for America's most dangerous drug: methamphetamine.

Pound after pound of this toxic drug travels up and down the California heartland each year, driving up crime rates, clogging jails, eroding the workforce and family life, and creating public health and

safety issues.

Lying between two major thoroughfares, Highway 99 and Interstate 5, Kings County and its neighboring counties constitute the spine of a meth smuggling route between Mexico and

the Western states.

And its rural, agrarian landscape makes it a perfect hideout for illegal drug lab operators.

Ostensibly though, the dwindling number of lab busts in the region over the last three years suggests the Valley might be beginning to shed its reputation of being the meth capital.

But it's nothing more than wishful thinking, says Robert Pennal, commander of the state-funded Fresno Meth Task Force and a 27-year veteran in drug enforcement.

"Although the number of large labs is plummeting, we're still in the middle of this," Pennal said. "We're the most active region in the state of California."

Of 221 meth lab-related incidents reported in California this past fiscal year, 164 -- or nearly 75 percent -- were in the Valley, according to state data.

The number of meth lab busts isn't very high in Kings County, but evidence in the community shows the problem is prevalent here.

In 2003, the Kings County Narcotics Task Force made 159 meth-related arrests and seized 108 pounds of the drug worth $3.9 million on the street.

Currently, there are 17 drug recovery and treatment programs for addicts and their families active in Kings County alone -- a clear testimony to the epidemic.

The meth problem in the Valley adds to the magnitude of the problem statewide.

Key facts on meth according to the 2006 California Society of Addiction Medicine report:

* There are an estimated 500,000 meth users in California, evenly split between men and women.

* Among 11th graders, 7.6 percent have used meth.

* More than 33 percent of those arrested test positive for meth.

* Violence is often associated with meth. Physical abuse is reported by up to 85 percent of women and up to 70 percent of men using meth.

* Up to 50 percent of those with newly diagnosed HIV-infection use meth.

Toxic to the body

Meth's notoriously powerful effect comes with a high physical price.

The epidemic illustrates how drug-induced changes in the brain can result in chronic addiction accompanied with depression long after a person quits, making recovery extremely difficult.

Meth often takes a toll on families, too, tearing them apart and endangering children.

Of 491 current local Child Protection Services cases, 40 percent involve meth-user parents, according to the county.

Meth -- manufactured with miscellaneous household chemicals, such as acetone and drain cleaner, and cold medicine -- also poses serious environmental hazards.

For every pound of meth manufactured, 6 to 7 pounds of toxic waste are produced.

Home-based meth labs are a serious health danger, often exposing children to corrosive acid fumes, the drug itself, and lingering health effects.

Illegal dumping of waste material, often seen in farms along the county's northern border, can contaminate soil and ground water.

Meth also fuels crime because addicts would do anything to feed their addiction, law enforcement officials say. Identity thefts and burglaries are rampant among desperate meth users, and rural crimes such as those targeting metals used in farming are almost always related to meth.

In fact, rural crime investigation into copper-wire thefts in Fresno led to a recent bust of a "mom-and-pop" meth lab in Hanford in April.

History of meth

Methamphetamine is not a new drug, although it has become more potent as ingredients and cooking methods have evolved.

First synthesized by a Japanese chemist in 1919 and used by Axis troops during World War II to keep them awake and motivated, meth made its first significant presence in the Western United States in the 1940s.

For decades, meth use was limited to the West Coast and Hawaii, becoming popular at various times in gangs, most notably the Hells Angels.

The federal government criminalized the drug in the 1970s, but by then it was illegally manufactured and distributed by motorcycle gangs. In the 1990s, Mexican drug cartels began taking over production, setting up "superlabs" in rural California, mainly the Central Valley, that could crank out 50 pounds of meth in one weekend.

The history of meth is characterized by a so-called "balloon effect," which describes the elusive nature of the supply chain driven by bottomless demand.

Back when motorcycle gangs controlled the trade, the government cracked down on the core ingredient, so the recipe was changed to include ephedrine, a chemical used in the manufacture of cold medicine.

When lawmakers began controlling ephedrine, the "cooks" switched to pseudoephedrine (PSE).

As soon as the United States began restricting the bulk sales of PSE, the manufacturers turned to Canada. When that country started cracking down on PSE in 2003, production simply jumped to Mexico.

In 2005, the Combat Meth Epidemic Act was enacted as part of the renewal of the U.S. Patriot Act, further restricting the sales of over-the-counter cold medicines like Sudafed.

Today much of the meth in the United States is made in Mexico and smuggled across the border.

Federal and state law enforcement officials say serious pressure is being placed on the meth industry.

The sales value of meth has doubled and tripled over the last six months. Oficials see it as a sign that their aggressive enforcement is turning the tide in the war on meth.

"What that tells you is all of the law enforcement and all aggressive enforcement in Mexico have impacted their ability to manufacture meth," Pennal said.

Still, there is no easy victory.

Battling meth is a multi-front war. And local efforts in prevention and intervention are on the rise as treatment demand grows.

Education programs like DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) teach hundreds of kids about the dangers of drugs in hopes of keeping them away.

California's evolving response to drug abuse shifted its focus from incarceration to treatment in 2001 with the passage of Proposition 36.

Churches and nonprofits are increasing their outreach in drug abuse recovery. And concerted prevention efforts are being made by a coalition of agencies.

Along with challenges come stories of hope.

In her crusade to fight the problem, Sherill Calhoun, wife of District Attorney Ronald Calhoun, has turned her personal struggle as a mother of a meth addict into a positive force by taking a leadership in addiction prevention advocacy.

And there are former addicts like Sue Wisenhaus-Braz, who run well-established outpatient programs in Hanford.

Calhoun knows all too well how meth touches the lives of many people. That's why she opts to speak out.

"Meth is the plague of our time. Don't sit back and think it's not happening to you personally because it is," Calhoun said. "Take a stand and be part of a solution."

(Sept. 23, 2007)