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Methamphetamine Remains One Of Top Three Most Reported Drugs In L.A. County

Methamphetamine continues to be one of the top three most frequently reported drugs in Los Angeles County, according to recent statistics.


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The use of methamphetamines has been on a steady increase in the last four years in Santa Clarita, said Sgt. Bob Wachsmuth, who works with the Juvenile Intervention Team, or J-Team, at Santa Clarita’s Station.

Photo courtesy of CNN

Due in large part to its declining wholesale price and high availability, officials are reporting an increase in all five studied methamphetamine drug trends throughout the county, according to a 2015 Los Angeles county profile published by the National Drug Early Warning System.

“I was going to say it’s making a comeback, but it actually never left,” said Cary Quashen, founder of the Santa Clarita drug and alcohol rehab center Action Family Counseling. “Meth has never gone away; it’s still here. We have many people that are using it, and we have a lot of people that are using both meth and heroin and opiates.”

Related: Coping With An Addict In The Family During The Holidays

The average age for meth users ranges from 19 to 30 years old, with high numbers of people seeking treatment from Action Family Counseling’s rehab centers for multiple addictions that include methamphetamine.

“It’s not rare, that’s for sure,” Quashen said. “When they come in they’re (using) opiates, they’re using crystal meth, they’re using cocaine, they’re using benzos.”

Considered an extremely dangerous drug by experts, methamphetamine appeals to potential users because of its ability to access the “pleasure center” of the brain, cause weight loss and increase energy for things like work and study.

“It’s an extremely seductive drug,” Quashen explained. “The first emotional high is so wonderful, people chase it… It only takes one time with drugs like that for you to get emotionally addicted.”

Meth also often causes extreme paranoia that can lead to highly dangerous situations, Quashen added, referencing addicts he’s seen who black out their windows and even try to ‘kill’ hallucinations by firing guns at their surroundings.

Though it’s not as common as opiate or benzo overdoses, users can also overdose on methamphetamine and die from a heart attack.

“I’ve seen people blow their hearts out,” Quashen said. “It’s an extremely dangerous drug.”

Quashen noted that all drug abuse starts out innocent, and the best way to avoid any form of substance abuse is to avoid all forms of drugs– including lesser substances like marijuana and alcohol.

“We start with lesser drugs … but as we use more and more of the lesser drugs– smoke more pot, drink more alcohol, go to parties where (hard drugs) are –we’re so susceptible to being vulnerable and trying it one time, saying, ‘What the heck?’ It only takes one time to be addicted.”

Action Family Counseling is a Santa Clarita drug and alcohol rehab center. Action has drug and alcohol residential treatment locations in Santa Clarita, Piru and Bakersfield, as well as intensive drug and alcohol outpatient programs in Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Ventura, Pasadena and Bakersfield. Action Family Counseling supports and reinforces changes in behavior patterns so that adolescents and adults, or clients and their families, can fully indoctrinate the philosophies and principles needed to remain abstinent and stabilized for life.

Action Family Counseling

22722 Soledad Canyon Road

Santa Clarita, CA 91350

Office: 661-297-8691

24-Hour Helpline: 800-367-8336

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Methamphetamine Remains One Of Top Three Most Reported Drugs In L.A. County

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About Melissa Lampert-Abramovitch

Melissa Lampert-Abramovitch has been writing for KHTS since Feb. 2014. She currently writes “Community Spotlight” and feature stories, and coordinates all aspects of both the”KHTS Adopt a Pet” video feature series and “Top Things to Do in Santa Clarita.” She is the creator of “KHTS Adopt a Pet” and acted as News Editor from 2019-2020, as well as Features Director and Newsroom Manager from 2016-2018. A former Valley Publications Staff Writer, Melissa was a contributor to the Santa Clarita Gazette and Canyon Country Magazine from 2015-2016. She has published feature stories with Pet Me Magazine, The Pet Press, The Signal, COC's Cougar News, and KJAMS Radio.