Nov. 27, 2006 — In an effort to keep methamphetamine usage at bay, the U.S. Justice Department plans a Methamphetamine Awareness Day on Wednesday.
"We don't think it's as big a problem as in the continental United States, but it's a problem, and we want people to be aware," said Assistant U.S. Attorney James Carroll on Monday. California and Hawaii have the biggest methamphetamine problems, he said. The illegal drug goes by several street names, including "meth" and "crystal meth."
A presentation will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort on St. Thomas. A question-and-answer period will follow. There is no charge to attend, but seating is limited.
The event is open to the public, Carroll said, expressing hopes that law enforcement officers will attend. Parents and their children also need to learn about this threat, he said.
Methamphetamine users are called "tweekers," said Wesley Hand, law enforcement coordination specialist at the U.S. Attorney's Office on St. Thomas. The drug eats away at their brains and faces, he said.
"And they smell so bad," Hand said. "It oozes out of their pores."
Some methamphetamine users pick at their skin because they think they are crawling with bugs, he said, and if they're injecting the drug, they'll have needle marks on their arms.
Methamphetamine users have various methods to get the drug into their body. It can be ingested as a liquid, injected, smoked or snorted. People not skilled in identifying users of various drugs may confuse heroin or cocaine usage with methamphetamine usage, Hand said.
Methamphetamine Awareness Day is observed nationally Thursday, but Hand said Wednesday worked better for his office.
People who plan to attend should contact Hand at 774-5757 or email him.
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