* Unusual , strong odors (like cat urine, ether, ammonia, acetone or other chemicals).

* Residences with windows blacked out.

* Renters who pay their landlords in cash. (Most drug dealers trade exclusively in cash).

* Lots of traffic - people coming and going at unusual times. There may be little traffic during the day, but at night the activity increases dramatically.

* Excessive trash including large amounts of items such as: antifreeze containers, lantern fuel cans, red chemically stained coffee filters, drain cleaner, duct tape and empty cold and flu medication boxes or blister packs (pills are ground up and used in the manufacturing process).

* Unusual amounts of clear glass containers being brought into the home.

SHORT-TERM

* paranoia

* intense high

* hallucinations

* increased heart rate

* convulsions

* violent behavior

* insomnia

* impaired speech

* dry, itchy skin

* loss of appetite

* acne, sores

EFFECTS ON THE MIND

* disturbed sleep

* panic

* anxiousness

* moodiness and irritability

* false sense of confidence and power

* uninterested in friends, sex, or food

* severe depression

LONG-TERM

* Fatal kidney and lung disorders

* Brain damage

* Hallucinations

* Permanent psychological problems

* Weight loss

* Insomnia

* Malnutrition

* Poor coping abilities

* Lowered resistance to illnesses

* Liver damage

* Stroke

* DEATH

! Methamphetamine use among high school seniors more than doubled between 1990 & 1996.

! Women are more likely to use meth than cocaine.

! The avarage meth "cook" annually teaches ten others how to make meth.

! Every pound of meth produced leaves behind five to six pounds of toxic waste.

! Seizures of clandestine meth labs in the Midwest increased tenfold from 1995 to 1997.

! Methamphetamine accounts for up to 90 percent of all drug cases in many Midwest communities.

! Methamphetamine kills by causing heart failure, brain damage and stroke.

! Methamphetamine-induced paranoia has led to numerous murders and suicides.

! Methamphetamine users are the hardest to treat of all drug users.

! Methamphetamine lab site cleanups can cost up to $150,000.

! Methamphetamine is highly addictive.

! Meth use increases risk of child abuse and neglect and domestic violence.