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™)

Mass. Officials Fret About Meth's Arrival

Methamphetamine has not established a major presence in the Massachusetts drug market, but officials worry about meth labs springing up in the northeastern part of the commonwealth, the Boston Globe reported Nov. 17.

Massachusetts has seen a few scattered arrests for meth, but some worry that use of the drug could increase if the price of heroin rises. "Now that we have so many people -- a new generation unfortunately hooked on heroin -- the dealers are going to start raising the prices," predicted Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.

Currently, a gram of meth costs about $200 in Massachusetts, while a gram of heroin is about $80.

Only three small meth labs were found in Massachusetts in 2004; two have been found thus far in 2005, in Boston and Everett. Nationwide, 17,170 meth labs were found in 2004.

State lawmakers are hoping to get ahead of the problem by tightening regulations on over-the-counter medicines that can be used to make meth.