Check it Out: • 1 LB of METH = 5 LBS of   TOXIC WASTE • In 2004 alone, there were more   than 10,000 meth lab cleanups   at a cost of $18.6 million (Source: DEA, NIDA, NIH, USDHHS)

Other Drug Information: Alcohol Cocaine Ecstasy Fentanyl Hallucinogens Heroin Inhalants LSD Marijuana Prescription Drugs Steroids

The Many Faces of Meth: Before After

(Source: Multnomah County Sheriff's Office - Faces of Meth™)

Meth Users Seen as Big Identity Thieves

Many methamphetamine users engage in identity theft to get money to buy drugs, and a U.S. Senator from Washington wants the federal government to research the link between the two problems, the Associated Press reported March 29.

"It's clear we need to get more recognition of the nexus between these two crimes," said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who plans to ask the Justice Department to analyze the link between meth use and identity theft and make recommendations on how to combat the problem.

During a meeting on the issue, the Spokane County sheriff said that 93 percent of the 300 felony property crimes investigated by a special task force involved meth use, including all 28 identity-theft cases. Nationally, experts believe 75-80 percent of identity thefts are committed by meth addicts.