Digital Bulletin

It took nearly two decades for the powerful drug to emerge in the Rhode Island. But the discovery of a makeshift lab in Coventry on Tuesday means that methamphetamine – an illegal drug with particular appeal to adolescents – is likely here to stay.

“Typically after one meth lab pops up, more will follow,” said Carol Falkowski, of the Hazelden Foundation in Minnesota, who has studied drug abuse trends at the national level for 20 years. “All indicators of methamphetamine use in New England have been increasing…But it’s not as if it’s absent from anywhere in the country. I would wager there isn’t a community that hasn’t been affected.”

Methamphetamine use emerged as a problem in the Southwestern states two decades ago. It then moved to the Midwest in the 1990s, where addicts commonly supplied their own habit by producing the drug using over-the-counter chemicals in small makeshift labs.

The Northeast is the last region in the country to see the emergence of methamphetamine, Falkowski said.

On Tuesday afternoon state troopers and federal agents swooped down on a house at 315 Shady Valley Rd. in Coventry, arresting 31-year-old Roger Murray, who lives at that address, and 48-year-old Gregory Thompson, of Warwick, for producing methamphetamine. Authorities, donning full hazardous material gear, seized plastic bins filled with chemicals allegedly used to make the illegal drug, a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system.

Coventry police Capt. Bryan Volpe said the discovery of the makeshift drug lab was “shocking.”

“We haven’t seen any methamphetamine in the area to this point,” he said.

And state police Lt James O. Demers said there hasn’t been a lab found in RI in five years.

Use of methamphetamine has spread rapidly in rural and suburban areas, a trend that differentiates it from other street drugs like crack cocaine, Falkowski said. That’s largely because the drug has vast appeal to some populations not typically considered likely candidates for hard-drug use.

Working professionals, for example, are drawn to meth for its long-lasting effects (it can last 8 to 10 hours, compared to cocaine’s 20 to 30 minute effect), which include heightened alertness, reduction of fatigue and suppression of appetite, according to Falkowski.

It has some appeal to people who multi-task, work long hours, or have a lot of studying to do.

“It’s very compatible with things our culture values,” Falkowski said. “High achievers are attracted to the effects.”

But most disturbing, may be the drug’s appeal to high school-age children.

“Kids are attracted to it because it lasts a long time and it makes them feel like Superman,” Falkowski said. “That’s the most common phrase I hear, it makes you feel like you can do anything. Adolescence isn’t a great time for confidence…The lure of meth for adolescents is enormous.”

Officials in Rhode Island said they did not know how long the alleged lab in Coventy had been in operation or whether any of its product was sold.

"I would classify this as a fairly sophisticated operation," Demers, of the State Police said. "They were in a decent-sized shed, away from a lot people. Some neighbors interviewed could smell things like burning plastic, which is consistent with making meth, according to the DEA. It appears to us that they weren't experimenting. They were experienced."

Falkowski said that the vast majority of people who operate small meth labs produce the drug to support their own habit and enough for just a few other people. The vast majority of methamphetamine in America comes from “superlabs” in the Southwest and in Latin America.

But the emergence of small makeshift labs present a unique challenge for local law enforcement, she said. Most labs are run by people who are under the influence of the drug, who are often sleep deprived and suffering from paranoid delusions.

Meth production involves various over-the-counter chemicals that can be extremely dangerous when mixed or improperly “cooked.” Falkowski recalled one instance of a lab worker cooking gasoline in a frying pan.

The production process also results in an enormous amount of explosive waste.

“For every pound of finished product, five to six pounds of chemical waste are produced,” reads a report issued by the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice. "The presence of these hazardous materials complicates enforcement efforts and requires augmentation of traditional procedures to effectively address health, occupational safety, and environmental concerns.”

Falkowski commended Rhode Island authorities for using a hazardous material team when raiding the lab. “It’s not an overreaction when you see law enforcement going in with haz mat crews,” she said.

She said the discovery of the Coventry lab should serve as a warning for community leaders.

“Is it something people should be concerned about? I absolutely think so,” she said. “Maybe it’s an isolated incident, but more likely than not, it’s not.”

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Lisa Vernon-Sparks