| Dave Rodriguez, Director, Northwest HIDTA |  |
Meth: Our Threat Assessment, Strategy and Agency Participants:
Threat Assessment: Our FY 2001 Threat Assessment show that meth lab seizures, although slowing compared to recent years, still entail a 1:7 ratio to treatment admissions. The dangerous social, health, and environmental effects are very obvious.
Our Threat Assessment also reveals other current trends: We know there are currently 29 Drug Trafficking Organizations involved in the production and distribution of meth in the NWHIDTA region. Mexican traffickers distribute the majority of this drug by means of distribution networks that are already in place.
In the past, Mexican meth had greater purity levels. We now see that locally produced meth is not only gaining a greater market share, buts its purity is significantly higher than the current grade of Mexican meth.
Admissions to treatment for methamphetamine addiction continue to rise, particularly within the Region's Drug Court programs, while other indicators of use, such as Emergency Room visits have also increased.
Children continue to be the biggest concern and the "hidden" victims. Frequently, toddlers are left unattended for two or three days while their caregivers are unable to awaken, and many others are exposed to chemical residue creating unforeseen, permanent health problems.