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DEA
Factsheet
DEA Administrator
Asa
Hutchinson has served as Director of the Drug Enforcement Administration
since August 8, 2001. Mr. Hutchinson left Congress, where he served
as a Representative from Arkansas, to assume his role as DEA Administrator.
While in Congress, Mr. Hutchinson served on the Speaker's Task
Force for a Drug-Free America, and he has been active in the fight
against drugs throughout his career.
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The DEA
The Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA), which was established in 1973, has a long and proud
history. Todays DEA is built on the successful tradition established
by a number of federal drug agencies that were ultimately united under
President Richard M. Nixon. The DEA is currently the premier agency for
domestic enforcement of federal drug laws and has sole responsibility
for coordinating and pursuing U.S. drug investigations abroad. Given the
magnitude and pervasiveness of the illegal drug problem, the DEA is dedicated
to working in close cooperation with federal, state, local, and international
law enforcement counterparts to better address the triple threat of drugs,
crime, and violence that plague our communities.
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Methamphetamine:
Perhaps
more than any other drug this country has experienced, methamphetamine
affects everybody in the community. The first challenge
of the meth trade is that we cant blame it on our South American
neighbors
.It is locally produced in clandestine laboratories.
The second challenge meth presents is that international
traffickers are aggressively targeting rural areas
Traffickers
think they can escape law enforcement in rural areas. But we have
to make sure thats not true. The third challenge
of methamphetamine lies in the very nature of this drug. It is intense,
it is highly addictive, and it is overwhelmingly dangerous
The
drug has a phenomenal rate of addiction, with some experts saying
users often get hooked after just one use. Recent studies have demonstrated
that methamphetamine causes more damage to the brain than heroin,
alcohol, or cocaine. Methamphetamine takes over the whole person.
One former user described its effect on her life by saying, I
went against every moral and every belief I ever had when I was on
meth. |
Methamphetamine
Street
Names: Meth, Speed, Ice, Chalk, Crank, Fire,
Glass, and Crystal.
Physical Effects:
Methamphetamine is a toxic, addictive stimulant. Meth use dilates the
pupils and produces temporary hyperactivity, euphoria, a sense of increased
energy, and tremors.
Dangers: Methamphetamine
use increases the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and rate
of breathing, and it frequently results in violent behavior in users.
Methamphetamine is neurotoxic, meaning that it causes damage to the brain.
High doses or chronic use have been associated with increased nervousness,
irritability, and paranoia. Withdrawal from high doses produces severe
depression. Chronic abuse produces a psychosis similar to schizophrenia
and is characterized by paranoia, picking at the skin, self absorption,
and auditory and visual hallucinations. Violent and erratic behavior is
frequently seen among chronic, high-dose methamphetamine abusers.
Description:
Meth can be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken orally, and its appearance
varies depending on how it is used. Typically, it is a white bitter-tasting
powder that easily dissolves in beverages. Another common form of the
drug is crystal meth, or ice, named for its appearance (that
of clear, large chunky crystals resembling rock candy). Crystal meth is
smoked in a manner similar to crack cocaine and about 10 to 15 hits
can be obtained from a single gram of the substance.
Distribution Methods:
Meth is frequently sold through social networks and is rarely sold on
the streets.
Prospects
for the Fight Against Drugs: Our
efforts are making a difference. During the last 15 years, drug use is
down by half and cocaine use is down by 75 percent. It is true that in
a recent Pew Research Center poll, 54 percent of the people said we were
losing ground on drugs. But roughly the same number (53 percent)
said we were losing ground on education and health care. Whats more,
twelve years ago, in 1989, 69 percent of the people thought we were losing
ground on drugs, compared to 54 percent today. Some social problems take
a long time to solve. Our anti-drug effort should not be viewed differently.
Serving
as Director: I
learned as a U.S. Attorney that drug abuse destroys individuals, shatters
families, and weakens the fabric of a community and a nation. I also learned
that the anti-drug efforts of this nation can be effective in saving lives
and rebuilding families and communities. Surely, this is a noble purpose
worthy of a great crusade
I will bring my heart to this crusade.
My heart will reflect a passion for the law, a compassion for those families
struggling with this nightmare, and a devotion to helping young people
act upon the strength and not the weaknesses of their character.
-Asa Hutchinson
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