JP is a 24-year-old male unable to maintain employment for the past 6 months. He used to hang around with his cousin GM and go camping or to concerts when they were bored. To cheer him up, his cousin came to visit him. GM was met at JP’s door by a huge snarling dog. JP seemed angry, preoccupied, and yelled at his cousin, telling him to get out and to leave him alone. GM states that the home is looking more trashy than usual. There is a collection of barbeque gas tanks, jars, hoses, and fire extinguishers accumulating in his backyard. He also detected a strange smell but thought his cousin was re-finishing some cabinets or furniture.

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CT is a 27-year-old father of 2 small children. He lives in a rural neighborhood and talks about the recent changes in his wife. He talks about how busy they keep his wife at work requesting her to work many hours over time into the night. She comes home and is too “charged up” to sleep. He has also noticed she has lost so much of the weight she often complained about, but at the same time is looking overly tired. He is concerned that her schedule keeps her too busy to see a dentist and that her teeth are beginning to show the neglect. When he asks her about it, she becomes very angry with almost paranoid-like behavior.

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At the local city Home Owners Association, a landlord was talking about a tenant who she thought was a bit odd. She often wondered why the renters kept the windows dark with black-out curtains. Another landlord told her not to worry because they probably worked nightshifts. She responded that she didn’t see that this was possible because the tenants frequently had visitors throughout the night, but at least they were considerate. When asked how so, she replied they always go outside to smoke and the apartment smelled like they were always cleaning it. She didn’t want to complain because the renters always paid on time and in cash. She liked that.

What do these scenes have in common? Why should you be concerned?

They are signs of methamphetamine drug abusers or clandestine methamphetamine drug labs. In some areas of the country, methamphetamine abuse is increasing in number. This wreaks havoc not only for the addict, their families and friends, but for communities as well. It also poses an extreme risk to children and the elderly when they are exposed to this type of environment.

This course will provide current information on methamphetamine and how to recognize clandestine methamphetamine laboratories. It will demonstrate the drastic physical changes that occur in methamphetamine abusers even over a short period of time. The chemicals and equipment used to manufacture methamphetamine will also be reviewed.

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Course Objectives

At the completion of this learning activity the learner will:

• Participants will be able to describe common appearances of methamphetamine users.

• Participants will be able to describe signs of methamphetamine use.

• Participants will be able to describe equipment and chemicals which may be signs of a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory.

• Participants will be able to define what drug endangered children are and who to report child endangerment to