What is Meth?

Could this Home be a Meth

• Powerfully addictive stimulant
Lab?
• Affects central nervous system
• Windows may be covered with aluminum foil
• Users experience euphoria followed by
• Drapes are always closed or blankets and
severe crash/depression
tarps could be over the windows
• Change in daytime traffic patterns or
significant increase in traffic at night
• Strong smell of urine
• Excessive amounts of trash
• Chemical odor
• People always smoking outside a residence Environmental Impact
The production of meth can result in
long-term damage to the soil, water, and
What Does Meth Look Like? animals that may be grazing nearby.
This occurs when meth, any of the
• Powder or small crystals chemicals used in its production, or the
• “Ice” resembles shards of glass waste products are dumped after the
xx fastest method to the brain drug is made.
• Small chunks of various sizes and colors
• Can be clear like glass with hues of In some cases, the chemicals used to
yellow, pink, brown, or red produce meth can contaminate water
What Does a Meth Lab Look sources, including drinking water. There
have been reports in New Mexico of
Like? destroyed trees and other vegetation
as the result of meth lab-related
A typical Meth lab is a collection of chemical contamination.
bottles, hoses, and pressurized cylinders. The
cylinders can take many forms, from modified
propane tanks to fire extinguishers, SCUBA
tanks, and soda dispensers. The tanks contain
anhydrous ammonia or hydrochloric acid-both
highly poisonous and corrosive.

Labs are frequently abandoned; potentially

explosive and very toxic chemicals are left
behind. Chemicals may also be burned or
dumped along roads or in the woods.
In many cases, after the meth is
produced, the waste from the process
is poured down household drains,
tossed onto roadsides, into mine shafts,
dumped in ditches and left near areas
where livestock graze and live. Each site
where the waste from a meth lab is left
becomes a toxic waste site.

TRAIN-THE-TRAINER
If you would like to join AG Gary King’s Train-
the-Trainer Initiative, visit https://sites.google.
com/a/nmag.gov/meth2/registration-form
and register today.

Working together, we can give more

Cleanup
The cleanup of a meth lab can cost
thousands of dollars---money that is
paid out by unsuspecting landlords, or if
it is on public property, the New Mexico
taxpayer.
This project was supported by Grant # 2009CKWX0381
Many communities have ordinances that
govern the cleanup of chemicals involved
in the production of meth. Meth labs
are extremely hazardous. Federal law
requires highly trained personnel to wear
“hazmat” suits, oxygen masks, and other
U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are
protective equipment during cleanup.
communities the tools and information they
need to battle one of the most deadly drug
problems in the world.
If you have questions, please call Train-the-
Trainer Project Coordinator Doris Budris at
1-877-496-3559.
awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of
Community Oriented Policing Services. The opinions
contained herein are those of the author(s) and do
not necessarily represent the official position or poli-
cies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to
specific companies, products, or services should not
be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the
illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.