E-Mail
Print
tool name
closeMeth is easy to get, according to two teens who said they began using it as 16-year-olds.
Tommy -- The Tribune isn't using his real name to protect his identity --began dabbling with alcohol and marijuana. But when he was offered meth at a friend's birthday party two years ago, he liked the high and began smoking the drug regularly. First it was every other weekend, then every four days.
Now the South County teen is hooked, spending $600 on the drug last year, he said, adding that it's easy to get by networking through friends. He has used meth so many times that he's lost count. His parents don't know --he keeps decent grades and will graduate high school this spring.
But he can feel the drug's toll.
"My body gets worn out two or three days after doing it," he said. "My body is like: 'You need to sleep, to eat.' "
He wants to quit before he graduates. But he's kept his habit secret so long, he said, there are few people he can turn to.
Trouble with the law
Tommy has never been arrested for meth. But many teens are.
Consider James, a South County teen now completing his probation. (For that reason, The Tribune is withholding his last name.) James was 11 the first time he smoked marijuana. Alcohol and pills quickly followed, and he started on meth at 16. He has been through juvenile hall for drugs and alcohol offenses five times in five years. He also spent a year in a residential drug treatment facility, but after his release, meth was so easy to get from a neighbor that he found it impossible to stay clean.
Even knowing meth's dangers doesn't deter him.
"When I do it, I start sweating because my body is trying to get all the uncut chemicals out," James said. "... I've never cared about the health effects on my body. I'll die when I die."
Typically, teens like James have lesions on their faces, advanced tooth decay, anxiety and malnourishment when they arrive at juvenile hall, nurse Maralyn Shawn-Renken said.
Some have behavioral problems. When James isn't using meth, he is considered one of the best-behaved youths at juvenile hall. But fueled by meth, he's violent. He once became so combative that he bashed his head against a police car and spit blood at those who came near him. He had to be subdued with a Taser. Since that incident, officers wear protective white hazardous materials suits when admitting violent youths.
What you should know about comments on SanLuisObispo.com
SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.
Here are some rules of the road:
- Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
- Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
- Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
- Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and leave him a public message.
- Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
- Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
- Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
- Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@sanluisobispo.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@sanluisobispo.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About comments
Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.