Meth problems in Pike show no signs of going away
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By BETH ZUMWALT
Eight of the 22 arrests made the past week, by state, county and city law enforcement were for possession of methamphetamine or drug paraphernalia. See details for several of the arrests on the court page A7.
Eleven of the remaining 12 were for failure to appear.
“I’d say quite a few of the failure to appears were for drug arrests,” David Greenwood, sheriff, said.
Greenwood said his department continues to work on the methamphetamine problem that also includes the deadly drug fentanyl.
Michael Starman, Chief of Police at Pittsfield, echoed Greenwood.
“It just keeps going around,” he said.
“Sometimes we see it mixed with the meth and other times it stands alone,” Greenwood said, adding almost all of the drugs in Pike County are brought in, usually from the border between Mexico and the U.S.
What’s the solution?
Greenwood says he is unsure. More officers might help, but Greenwood, thinks his staff does a good job and it’s financially unfeasible to add more staff at this time.
Greenwood is also concerned about a new drug, Tranq, making its way from the east to the west.
“It’s in Indiana now and we will see it here soon, he said. “ It’s a really dangerous drug. Horse tranquilizer mixed with fentanyl.”
Tranq, or Xylazine is a drug used in veterinary medicine as a sedative with pain-relieving and muscle relaxant properties.The drug tell-tale sign of “Tranq” usage is severe burn-like wounds left on the body of the user. The scars can spread to other parts of the body, whether or not the drug is administered by injection. It attacks from the inside out,” Greenwood said. “It eats the flesh from the inside. The drug is largely resistant to Narcan, the drug used to restore breathing in heroin, fentanyl and cocaine uses but authorities are advised to administer anyway, in hopes of reviving the patient. People who inject drug mixtures containing xylazine also can develop severe wounds, including necrosis—the rotting of human tissue—that may lead to amputation.The United States Drug Enforcement Administration is trying to get ahead of the problem.
