Focus

Meth Use On the Rise Again in Illinois

 
                                    

Pop Up Archive Item: “Meth Use On the Rise Again in Illinois” : https://www.popuparchive.com/collections/1461/items/8794
Transcript for file: focus131023a.mp3

00:00:00


5 years ago
arrests in Illinois connected to methamphetamines were as Lois it ever been
this year silverdaddies expected number of arrests in Statesville double time out
nationally meth usage down but its on the rise in East Central
central Illinois state’s rate of meth lab seizures is among the highest in the country

00:00:30

post about something about meth from TV shows like breaking bad
what a day on focus will find out a little bit more from my colposcopy
recovering meth addict Coles County criminologist round one shot
Illinois State University Angie Meadows pizza Spokane WA

program continues after the news welcome to
welcome to focus on Jim Meadows methanphetamine is the illicit drug

00:01:05

that uses of other related drugs look down on and laws in Illinois make it harder to gether
ingredients needed to make it never the less law enforcement officials reporting
increase in meth lab seizures and arrests in the state in east central
central Illinois the most arrests by 4 have occurred in Vermilion County today on Fox
focus we going to find out more about meth trafficking in Illinois from a criminologist
just use me to study of Miss trafficking and from a former meth user
ologist is Ralph oneshot distinguished professor of criminal justice at Illinois State

00:01:40

State University of normal and the professor Weisheit welcome to focus thank you
and join me on the phone is Michael Passley of Mattoon he’s a recovering meth addict
who’s not working on putting his life back together Michael welcome to focus
Michael R Us okay thanks
thank you for being on the program today you’re welcome Michael can you
you tell me about when you started using drugs
Maya early like teen years what what drugs were

00:02:15

drugs what drugs did you start with a alcohol in a pot
early early teen years old how old are you now 35 when
when was the first time you first use math uh route 20
what why did you go from the other drugs for using over to Mass
I was more readily available cheaper K
what did you like about it how to make you feel the speed
um I was able to do more things I was the it longer Cox Mohr

00:02:50

more things that was doing time okay um have you heard anything
any bad things about it before you before you tried it
know when your in when you’re an addiction you really hear bad things about
about drugs affect people get in trouble for smoking a hookah
what is how did how did you first of a cross it mean to induce de Tulear
I had some uh uh
okay well if any of this is for miliarty you if you are someone close to you

00:03:25

experience with message we would like to hear from you doing this program you can call him
calling with your questions and comments at 1 800 22 29455
i5 phone number again toll free 1 800 222 wyll
you can also email acid will dash talking Illinois .edu
walking your questions on Facebook and Twitter at focus 580
um I was wondering how did your how did your you
how to use evolve did you is there such a thing is going from light to heavy use of this stuff

00:04:00

yeah it started out as a socially uh Party internet
became you no longer and Sedition came or base by the
was it you know used for friends and people you knew who gave it
give it to you for your bonnet um at first I was buying it
that I got introduced on how to how to make it so I don’t have to buy Danny Moore ok
how complicated is is is making meth not at all
not complicated at all and um I don’t know we want to go

00:04:35

was there a difficulty I know there been lositive comin trying to restrict
the sum of the ingredients was was it difficult of the find the ingredients to add to make it
make it at first it was it was a everything was really available
um and then over the years they put in laws against uh
the buying of the dust settles ok and sew
essentially you can’t go when you buy a whole bunch of sudafed pills anymore not anymore
can’t no sir so so so did you find a way to get around that

00:05:10

years after yesterday are ways around it ok um
how are you in just in the drug at first startup
snorting and smoking it and then after your address to became F
sleep I’m sorry but we’re getting a little break up on your cell phone
snorting and smoking and then you moved on to another way yeah interveniously
intravenously and it was was that just because it was it was was it faster with it
what’s the temperature cyst

00:05:45

text that I had moved up and how to do it
ok does is is this a center drug worthy em whereas
as you use it more often you need a little more of it to get the same set of impact
yes after certain time period of staying at multiple days at a time yes you have to
I have to do you have to do more to get the same effect okay now
Michael you understand you were not using meth all the time it first aid youjizz
you’re just really Justice certain times when you have a lot of free time

00:06:20

yeah I was up when I was working out I work construction I work today from 9 to 10 months
what year and I wasn’t able to two of maintain that addiction
but when I would get laid off in the winter time it was a hundred miles an hour just about anywhere with you
take me to was so you could you could move in and out
can i from times when you did not feel the need the time so you definitely did I just
just had to have some sort of stuff control if I if that’s
that’s if that’s possible times where did trickle over into my pears

00:06:55

ok was there a moment when you knew you were addicted menu
good actually said yourself I’m addicted to methamphetamine yeah April 5th
2010 why was the manufacturing methamphetamine I knew that I had a problem when you were
you are arrested you say yes okay an even before then YouTube
you you you you you would not have describe yourself as a meth addict
no not really Santa Claus many problems
just the nature of addiction okay you filled your your your phone

00:07:30

felt that you were coping you were you were you in your working when you need when you were able to work
working at SoDo saying yes okay I want to I want to pull over and talk
talk to Professor WI shot for a moment and um is is
is a is is Michaela a typical consumer and in terms of people use meth
Smith does is a pattern to recognize its not unusual pattern doll
does an image in the public’s mind I think that someone tries meth once
once and immediately they spin out of control and that’s not usually how it works usually people

00:08:05

people build up to it NFL does the problem level Commons
common for a lot of drugs are addictive drugs and meth is a little different than
and some other drugs in that it is a stimulant and so I can actually be helpful if you
if you have a lot of things to do you have a more things when you have time
time for metal give you energy and it has a practical application bad
that is very seductive for people Michael did you have a feeling
good feeling of times do you felt you were functioning better with with the message use

00:08:40

yeah for a million 24 hours in a day
today normal person needs to have 8 hours of sleep but when you’re under the influence of meth in fed
feels like that there are times there a hundred dollars in a day there’s nothing to eat
that you can get done and get it cost okay now you started cooking meth and you learned it from
did from other other people around this far as I guess the community of people who used
used in Coles County what what’s a group was that
um actually I didn’t learn how to cook it in the end the in this area to another area

00:09:15

um a question well I’m just
I’m just wondering you can you can you can watch a lot of movies and TV shows about drug addiction
and um it can be if it can be pretty scary did you feel you were a month
scary people when you were when you were learning about cooking meth
the people that I had been raised with my whole life they weren’t scary
movies with people you grew up with went to school with yes and
but but but all of you well I guess not every single one of you work

00:09:50

the word work but your grown up butter butter butter fly to you have come across this truck
yes okay how to wake people it is not this earth
things that you can look up an encyclopedia where people learn tips on a non doing this
doing this thing is specially is the laws made it tougher unspoken
Spoken recipes in her hand down over generations of time there’s thousand ways to make the
make the drug now we we we hear about things about the dangers of
is off of making mass of meth lab explosions in and risks when you when you

00:10:25

when you do the same thing did did you talk with with other folks we’re cooking meth about
about what to do what not to do did you take certain precautions there are
are there yesterday dangers with the with making this up with this stuff
this stuff and there are some do’s and don’ts and some of cardinal rules you are absolutely
absolutely not allowed to a to engage in to make yourself
self safe and uh we all pretty much knew that if this happened this is what you doing
you know um fire need oxygen

00:11:00

oxygen there will be no fire okay so you know the least
these were your friends justice twists was essentially your community friends and family at the time you
signs you were using meth and you say that since 2010 when you are arrested
Arrested you for you for you have to walk away from all that
what’s a difficult know I was the most physically mentally just
just drained and I was willing and able to do anything that I possibly have to do to get out of that
lifestyle ok and a bike bike that point

00:11:35

you were ready I’m wondering um you say I wasn’t real
really until you were arrested that you felt you needed to make a change
yeah I was the charge with a 2 super class X felony is into class 216
term a pretty much know that I had a problem when I was sitting in jail
mi bon was is high is it was and the charges that that word
heard that I would probably spend the rest of my life behind bars okay you win
who went through I take it the the drug court system for on currently in

00:12:10

lien road in the Coles County Drug Court program yes okay I 10 and how does that work
work what does that work for you and your case um it is the
is okay there are some ups and downs to it um its ever
structured and it is a very fellowship oriented
there’s some people in drug court we are family
help each other when I were falling behind and uh just live
live sober living and the try to get past a car

00:12:45

are demons and I move on to a better life for this is focus on Jim Meadows Way
does were talking today about meth usage in Illinois with Michael pass away is recovering
covering meth addict in Coles County also with criminologist round fly side of Illinois
State University of Michael if you can hold on the phone I just wanted to ask if you
if you questions for Professor one side um we’re seeing report
reports here and we have a and we have sores on our Aaron dumb
and um land on our website about uh

00:13:20

in increase in Indian Masteron mass production certainly methlabs
Caesars in arrests in this area is that something that you been seeing over the past
the past few years this kind of things can 11 flow but one
one of the things very different is that you’re seeing a growing number
number of labs a really small abscess cold one pot method where is made in
made in a 2 liter bottle or less and so the disc
the scale of the slabs is binge drinking because it’s been harder to get the

00:13:55

better pills are needed to spin harder to get them high dress with these small
no one pot method you can make a small batch of meth with
fewer pills you don’t need to get in high dress you can buy cold packs from
Pharmacy um affect its serve at a strange thing
changeling for many people did CVS has announced that you will not have
not have to show an ID to buy nail polish remover and you might wonder why in the world
the world with nail polish remover be something for what you need an ID will the solvent

00:14:30

and in the old days with larger labs would you something like Almond fuel
but with these little small labs they can use against dollar amount taken
take the contents of cold packs instead of getting in Hydra simonia they can use milk
nail polish remover instead of buying gallons of Coleman fuel so um
is it what if we see numbers going up right now
are these is the really more eddies and eddies in currents within a larger pan
your pattern Razr or is there some change happening now in Matthews

00:15:05

use this region unfortunately that’s one of those things were only time will tell you its
hindsight is always great with the sorts of things umm I’ll be there is a concern
no one of the things its worth noting here is it we tend to
to f*** is on meth because of the seizure of labs at bat assumes that
is it meth hasn’t been around isn’t a drug or was I think one of the real
real concerns long term will be if we successfully squash
meth production domestically locally you’re going to see an increase in math distributive

00:15:40

Fusion from Mexican drug cartels and then you’re going to see
the violence and crime associated with the business of drugs
because usually you don’t see a lot of crime with the small labs you don’t feel like there’s no 5
fighting over turf frequently the guy that the labs are producing
who sing this message without a lot of cash Trading hands people barter
and so that the level of violence is relatively low end with the exception of
captain of domestic violence ok Michael I wonder if I could ask you in your

00:16:15

in your experience in of course I know your experience and didn’t 2010
um what is there medicine in your community coming in from outside of was it
what is it to essentially product to people cooked up on their own ia
I don’t does becoming for many out side uh uh
influences I’m sure there probably was but it is full of people that I was in a band
what worried about other places
why I am sure that the probably was was there was was

00:16:50

was there a lot of organized dealing of mass of words it or was it a level
Levolor everybody was pretty much making their own stuff um I didn’t really
really know of too many not from here I just gotta move
mugeres got dropped in dropping the Aryan started doing my own thing and the after
after a shower after about 10 months of doing it on my own I was a state
stepped on that I was arrested okay so um
Brown from wandering event that that sounds like something along

00:17:25

off of the old pad you seen off of meth manufacturing usage distribution
people are pretty much making it on on their own and not the sort of working
organize dealing were the conflicts at Lido the violence yeah I’m not sick
Justin that bad organize the dealings having some connections to Mexico
Mexican cartels Justin thats here now voice not not an Illinois Central
central Illinois Justin however the the extent were able to squash
watch these small labs we have to be concerned about the the transition

00:18:00

fish into that kind of the market and remember that just because you get rid of flab
flabs doesn’t mean you get rid of people’s desire for the drug okay you win
you were telling me a little bit about the history of methamphetamine about how its it actually
started like c** a lot of drugs that are not you legally considered very dangerous
as an over the counter medication absolutely it started as a teenager
nasal decongestant people abort nasal inhalers and used it for
for as my mother in hay fever no other kinds of the breathing conditions

00:18:35

and even now it’s a sin to eat a controlled substance but it does still have
still have a legitimate or lease to form of methamphetamine has a legitimate pharmaceutical
use a lot of people don’t realize that they assume that messes
is instantly addictive that it’s dangerous and cannot be used safely
the reality is the methamphetamine is was called the schedule 2 drug
which means a doctors can prescribe it and they do and their three condition
ambitions for which you can be prescribed at one of them is narcolepsy

00:19:10

what’s the word people fall asleep intersection mother driving down the road
a very dangerous condition and methamphetamine help you stay awake
another condition is extreme obesity I’m talking about obesity to the point
point that your health is in danger and finally we can give methamphetamine to children
14 attention deficit disorder not the first drug test turn to that typically
epicly Dexedrine and then followed by ritalin but there are some
some cases where children are given math for attention deficit

00:19:45

and those cases its is true that you don’t see a lot of problems emerge
because the doses are controlled unlimited okay um and soul
and so the dosage that you that you that you have in legal Matthews
how does it compare to weather to what does someone is taking Madera
cooking up their own the problem with people who use recreationally is there
there’s nothing to stop them from increasing the dos and the thing about metal
methamphetamine that makes it different from a lot of other drugs but it similar to

00:20:20

where to stimulants like cocaine is it methamphetamine make you feel really good
and you don’t want to stop feeling really good but the thing about math
what math is the higher you get in terms of your feeling the better you feel when your using it
using it the worse you feel when it wears off and you know when you feel bad
the best way to feel good again is to use more map Michael was was that
that’s your experience the difference between how you felt when you were using mass and how you
how you felt in between times ia a done

00:20:55

cocaine in the past is well and down off of it cheating but the comedown
down off of meth amphetamine is completely different just for myself
I would stay up 78 Oscar and when I got tired
tired of being up for whatever I can pull myself off of it I sleep for
45 days get up and start all over again now if your if you’re up for 7 or 8
aretes that means you’re you’re taking continue doses of meth
depends on how I was doing if I was snorting adderall was smoking it you know yet

00:21:30

yes um continuous use but when I got into the interveniously part of it I would
why would I usually take 304 healthy shots today and to get myself
today was that something you disgust with you know with other friends and people
people you knew you were using meth without a appointed discussion what’s up what’s the proper DOS
where does so what’s up what’s up what’s a safe dose no just do it you know it
don’t sit down and have a discussion
just use it ok and and and round that she was saying

00:22:05

saying does it mean if if if if if you’re not paying close attention bulldog
will dosage is 10 to go up over time sure because of what call tolerance where it takes
it takes more to get the same effect and mad at me
everyone escalates are people who are able to use in a controlled way
the problem is we don’t know in advance to those people are we don’t know who does people are who
are who we lose control ok is methanol timidly a toxic drug
Middle East in the way its used are do people die every directly are there

00:22:40

are there there’s just side effects ed that uh just General
the great Hills dying from meth is unusual unlike
heroin with slow the body down to the poor alcohol is close to body down to the point that a check
shutdown methamphetamine speeds body up in the biggest risk
of harm is heart attack or heat stroke or suicide
suicide in and suicide would follow coming down when you’re feeling this depression
Michael when you were using did you notice any

00:23:15

of physical health affects from method did you only notice
note is the the good feeling um I never really noticed any effect
sex while I was using b*** after after I did get cleaned out I didn’t know
did notice some long term effects that I was notable OK
gay c** just one and what what what sort of long term
term effects have you seen my sleeping disorders were
we’re not normal my eating schedules were not normal of my thigh

00:23:50

my thought in my thoughts and actions words or normal
hide a developed the
paranoia after the fact you know I thought
everybody to get me in the head just
what is it normal like I could have been ran over in
chaton over again
186 told your joints your muscles and I

00:24:25

why was I in Pretty Fortunato 35 years old all of my teeth
my teeth are some people over the years that they have what they called meth mouth
33 rotten I am pretty SportsNet that I uh I didn’t
the sleeping disorders Demi do you have
you have trouble sleeping through the night now are ours I don’t sleep all the way through
through if I get up of what you want to say
say exile and sometimes I won’t go to sleep till

00:25:00

1112 2 o’clock in the morning other times when I get really tired
tired at 830 tonight depending on a pretty much have to wear myself down throughout the
today in order to go to our way just seems like I’m just running
100 hour my whole life and my body’s use to just wear it
black working through out the day I noticed if you know now that I’m not working
working gear in the last 3 weeks am i sleeping patterns RNA are not normal
okay I was thinking back to what you would say about being up for a 44

00:25:35

for rent in 7 days straight under the under the influence is that the long
the longest you have been up to Ginny Weasley know the longest ride ever been up to
22 days what is that like
Metta World lots of lucid nations paranoid
umm you don’t associate yourself in public
use to clean yourself elation
okay now I’m I’m just I’m just a little curious year because your

00:26:10

does your telling me that certainly um this this truck feels good witch’s WI
you were taking it for the time that you did but those server facts of being up
being up continuously don’t sound exactly Plaza um well
well now that I look back on it and it doesn’t seem Pleasant b***
b*** and through my addiction a that was what I wanted to do
throw the earth rap years I’ve messed with HughesNet Gen X
and I like speed so when you stay up a number matter day is on methamphetamine

00:26:45

it’s like a two for one you know you get to hallucinate your speeding
and that was just something that I enjoyed okay well we’re going to take a shower
take a short break here and we will be back in a moment with more about a message
Edmunds in central Illinois Hiiraan focus on wyll
Rebecca focus in WY LMG Meadows my guess
guests are Michael Passley he is a former meth user living in Mattoon
toon he has not been using mats for about 3 years now professor Ralph washer

00:27:20

is a criminologist at Illinois State University is made of study of meth
message trafficking if methamphetamine users disrupted your family or is he just have
questions for our guest please call us at 1 800 to 2294
455 email us at will dash talk at illinois.edu
you were on Twitter and Facebook at focus 5801 the phone number again
1 800 222 WILL
I was wondering time does Asda to the degree

00:27:55

the greens at you can say this about the drug use does does methamphetamine have a Democrat
graphic is there a demographic profile of the typical meth user are
where are the are the demographics of the center of population with meth users are found
found most likely well in the Midwest is the primary
primarily white it is primarily rural you don’t see math is a street drug in
Chicago not yet at some point you likely will but you don’t see it yet it is
what is a drug generally that um more men than women use it

00:28:30

use it but the percent of meth users for women is higher than the percent
sent off other drug users who are women so it has an appeal to women
um more so than appears to be true for any other drugs
okay um any other particular in a subculture Zeds Dead
what were meth users found well the old days I used to talk about biker gang
all that bit people really talk about that much anymore um I don’t think you can
you can really talk about that after being subcultures in the Midwest lease

00:29:05

least beyond what I just described if you go out to the West it’s an enormous
problem in the Native American tribes is enormous problem with these
the Spanish population in the Midwest ear tends to primarily be white
rural hum not necessarily
Lioele of communities but its not a condition related to poverty
okay I had red things about meth use and I just don’t know if there’s anything above
above other levels for incense in gay club culture or something like that is that

00:29:40

is that an area where a Mathews is found more than other places
what Lee if you look at the way method is used in the country you don’t find me
find meth is a street drug in New York City you don’t find it in Chicago is a street drug
drug police not yet and if you talk to police Adele say no we don’t really
don’t really have meth but methods actually rather popular as a party drug in the gay community
gay community in gay clubs but the people go to gay clubs on top doing good
doing drug dealing on the street or not out getting arrested and so there under the radar

00:30:15

radar for the police about we know for for my interviews with a narcotic
products of Ceres in Nashville go in New York in Washington DC in
in Boston that Mexican cartels who supplied to cook
the cocaine in the cities have been trying to get their they’re distributors tube
is to distribute methamphetamine I so far without much luck so I suspect you see it
will see you in the cities in in the Midwest eventually you do in the West Coast Plaza
what I think you will eventually seating cities in Illinois for example

00:30:50

the thing that they’re trying to introduce it but they haven’t had much success um
feeling of Leon nakedly capitalistic here come the computer on price window
when does a drug like this is home made in somebody Kansas well
is not homemade so much in the largest cities in part because the odor
is there goes on with cooking makes it a and natural drug to produce in rural areas were
is where the smell can drift away before its to take to buy others
I fink for Mexican traffickers the appeal is that they can control the entire production process

00:31:25

process unlike cocaine where they are dependent on South America to supply the cookie
the cocaine and they simply moving through with methamphetamine a control everything
so there’s really as as a business there’s a real economic incentive for the
for the Mexican traffickers to move to math and away from cocaine
you know im in this is a question of let me ask you first Michael out if there’s one
does one pop culture a picture of methamphetamine use out there Delilah
a lot of people know about I was thinking would be the TV show Breaking Bad

00:32:00

is that have you seen that show and is it anything like
like the experiences that you knew what the people you knew when you were using meth
um not not really maybe the Early Show
show I’ve seen in a couple episodes I did see the first when I did see the last
last episode what is FRS you know wat is like that
like that around here I don’t believe so that was when did the TV
TV show was that use more of a there was more big time meth production in traffic

00:32:35

trafficking in that show them what you are experiencing TV show
Ann Dowd Ralph the same thing you know is it
did the shows like this are they in any way a picture of you know an accurate picture of Matthew cinema
America in America as a whole know but you know the show is cited
cited in New Mexico on the border and off
some of the things in there the chemistry is is basically right
what’s wrong about the show is the level of violence within the

00:33:10

in the US connected to the business there a level of violence depicted in the show
who is actually really pretty accurate if you were a cross the border in Mexico
but the violence in the show is is pretty much exactly a rated R one to get across
across the border into the US but a lot of the elements of the show
show your pretty accurate for that part of the country for that part of the country Mike
Michael I was 18 can you tell me about your experiences after your
do your breast and what it was like getting off of meth

00:33:45

um I like I said I was arrested I said in jail for
oenotri months and I’m coming down was the mayor of motion roller coaster
coaster um I was granted the the option of
when is going to treatment and getting clean and to start a new life
after I got a treatment um if I really wasn’t as difficult
cold as ice anticipated to us to get clean and sober I like I said
said I was more than willing and and and and ready to do anything today it’s just me

00:34:20

okay you know I was wondering you know I hear about when somebody else
how to get off say hello in there things like methadone um is there anything like
think like that Indian in the Indian in the process of getting off of meth
um I was the I was in custody so uh
my drying out was the much force upon me you know I
I wasn’t able to run out and go cook a batch dope because I was
I was coming down I was I was in a secure environment and the pretty much

00:34:55

whats the fastest way from everything that’s what I needed at that time you know
how long did how long did it take for you for your your your body
body to shake of the of the sake of the craving
the craving was pretty much gone when I got arrested but the
after affects you know quite some time I buy red study 1
31 times at the day after effects of meth last up to 2 years
there was some things that did that I didn’t curve that were the world long lasting

00:35:30

like I said my sleeping my eating and the sum of my normal
thought process well its its been 3 years now if it up
can can can you can you tell the difference between them
maybe the first year were to definitely
my life is the more manageable its not its not a world
whirlwind its not kaotic I have a structure
structured living that I do and I it’s just a

00:36:05

you know I know that when I go to bed of a more of a night you know I’m going to get up
how to get up the next morning if I do the same thing is a prior there’s a really good chance I’m not going
not going to get up and make mass dumass drink or do any sort of a
kind of drugs you went into a treatment program after your
you know after you after your body detox to sew to speak what was the Treaty
is the treatment program about in what’s the things that you doing that
Hedley structured I had to get up early in the morning and do

00:36:40

meditation chores set down in a day
dining area at a table with other addicts
I was in a residential treatment for number of days
and I was rude successfully discharge from there and then I move to a 3
three quarter house and was a little bit more leeway 2
degrade myself back into a community get a job
try to just get back on track so you’re working now

00:37:15

yes I am okay are you doing the same center construction work you were before
or or something different no of being in the drug court program
Coles County IL I’m kind of limited on the kind of work that I do
I was the vault in the labors Union before and
pretty much travel all over the place and now being involved with the drug court program
where am I not able to travel to buy 8:30 in the morning I have to call in
call and see if my color is is drawn to where I have to go drop off

00:37:50

periodically through the week there are there are groups that I am
entitled to go to there are meeting st I’m entitled to go to uh right now
right now I have to appear once once a week at the drug court
drug court on Thursdays requirement of drug court
so its it’s pretty much truck shirts and that and that is good because of
because of you know running 100 miles an hour for many years I did I didn’t have any structure what’s
whatsoever so ungrateful to be a um um

00:38:25

involved in drug court program it is definitely save my life and I as allowed
how to turn my life around to live like a normal human being rather than some
drug addicted freak so you’re not able to do the work you were doing
where do in what what sort of work are you doing now I’m a mechanic for
for an outfit the Charleston okay so to set a job that keeps you
you don’t have to travel for no sir I’m I’m with in about a 2000
minutes from walking for my front door to a friend or where I work at

00:39:00

I am struck by the by the by there by the contrast because
because it sounds like what u what was the sighting about using meth
what was that rush and just dumb
just all these things happening all that once now it’s what you what you
what you what you what your bracing is is routine in something that Prince when you were you
using meth you would have just what is considered a terrible way to live yes
yes I’m in my early recovery I made myself a promise to 5

00:39:35

if I put as much work and involvement as I did too runny
running a hundred miles an hour as I say not as I do with it to my recovery and put that much
that much work into it that I should be ok if its it’s a sin
the daily if its a lot of work and you know it
when I got clean and sober that you know everything was going to be butterflies and you know it
sunrises and sunsets you know what is in some aspect don’t have me
near the chaotic crap going on in my life but I do have problems going on

00:40:10

my life now but I’m able to come I’m able to Maine
maintain it without having to run in the use drugs and alcohol now
NOK you have to walk away from a whole group of friends and associates
Super using math who you hang around with now
everyone thats in recovery um I don’t hang around with those type of people anymore
as you know when when you’re involved with that kind of world do you know you think you have
you have friends you know but when when you get in trouble you find out who your friends really are really the only

00:40:45

only friends that that that start with P where my family
the way for many years I have a health dept
program my family is the ocean
around now you know I don’t have any desire to hang around people the more you know
are doing what I’m doing and they and I’m not doing the 30 really have a kid
okay we’re getting just a little bit of telephone break up I don’t know if you have
if you have any control over that up there but I do want to remind listeners we are talking about

00:41:20

issues involving of methamphetamine use we are talking with a former user
user Michael up Michael Passman of a map to excuse me Michael Penn
Michael Passley of Mattoon and also talking with a criminologist at Illinois State University
city of normal Ralph a one shot who has made a study of a
official surrounding message trafficking and use still time to get your questions
Shannon into our guest the phone number 1 800 222 945
55 inch 1 800 222 WILL are you can eat

00:41:55

email us at will a dash talk and then some will dance
sex talk at illinois.edu phone number again 1 800 22
222 a wi ll we do have a cold and now online
line 4 of Peter from Chicago Aniston have a question for professor
yes actually for both your cats
ok I like the first congratulate your guts to hang Strawn
recovery epicly since I’m from a generation that knows all to him

00:42:30

internet weigh on a truck Houston of you spell question I have essential
that’s what you get steel about um a beta particle
legalization of drugs in the mall so I thought
what does the professor in particular should be the proper
proper criminal justice approach
okay um Peter thank you very much and I’ll tell me Ralph
how you know a specially or especially at a time win loss about marijuana

00:43:05

changing a very different drum for methamphetamines but what do you think is a criminologist
logist is the best approach a torch could a toy Smith and fat
another drugs I wish I had a great answer to that um
it’s in my mind clearly a drug for which legalization just doesn’t make any sense
seance on the other hand is not clear that really brutal hearts punishment
make a lot of sense I do think things like the drug court are extreme
extremely you spell extremely valuable I do think there’s a difference between using

00:43:40

using meth and making meth I think of the manufacture meth is a dangerous active
activity and there should be a should be in is a different level of punishment for that
um but I don’t think legalization really makes any sense
for most of these drugs in and I will say I do see marijuana
as an exception of early for medical use and I think it’s important
import into separate marijuana from the other drugs for medical use at least
Michael you’re someone whos really been to the system on this looking at it

00:44:15

looking at now as a former user 018 what are your feelings to a house
how to side should approach math um
believe that they should probably help out people that are good
do they have the right pro Shana
minimize or exclude the buying and selling of a the
the hills but like I said before there a thousand thousand waves making meth
legalizing

00:44:50

lighting it is absolutely absurd and uh it’s something doesn’t
okay it sounds like drug court was was was really a god
send for you um how many meth users get it
get to the point where the ready to do the work that essentially drug court require something
um that’s that’s hard to say because I eat in visual is different you know you
pretty much have to get to point word you’re done you know and you know for me to say when
say when that person is Donner when a person says they’re done it all goes by action you know actions speak

00:45:25

speak louder than words you know I mean I’ve been up I’ve been able to stay away from
drug you know its a daily the daily reprieve in others think that I have to do
do to maintain my sobriety you know um and I said I’m very truly grateful
grateful for the word has 80 turn the lights out
I believe that I believe that there are other account
should I do it you know it gives up give us a addicts another
another a chance to live inside you rather than just walk away in prison for

00:46:00

for people to Twitter the recipes I hang around with other
cooks and I figure out what they did wrong so you get out of a kid
difference where they don’t get caught smoking and we have an email in from Dane anime
and I’m wondering around my side effects if 15 is is is
is pointing to questions about the criminalizing marijuana
send message to produce one person is figured out how to make it potentially listing
less dangerous drugs were more accessible would people turn to meth less often

00:46:35

is there any way to answer that question that is no way to answer that question but I suspect
fact that it would make that much difference quite frankly okay there’s a fire
is a follow up question from dainty have any thoughts on the connection between off of
the war on if I think there’s a type of here but I think you meant to write the war on
war on drugs and the rise of myth um did people
people for Brampton people trying to Matthews because of
because other drugs become more difficult to obtain

00:47:10

the question I can’t directly answer but I can say this that if you look package store glee
we tend as it as a society to go to cycles of steam
stimulant drugs followed by narcotics using rise now of heroin use
who’s that was something that was very predictable people shift from one form
form of from one type of stimulation to another and heroin use is likely to
Glee to continue to be an issue to increase and over a period of the decade
will switch back to increasing use a stimulant it’s a pattern is happy

00:47:45

is happened over and over so if you’re going to Herriman now they may be going more at some point in time
time to stimulants such as methamphetamine buy some point in time I’m referring probably today
Decatur two decades but its in the long-term trends or go back and forth between
between these and it makes something sweet and have a short memory we forget about all the
all the problems the drug created that was used 20 years ago
in different states have different laws odds trying to block
send fed min I think it’s Mississippi in Oregon which is made of peoples Federal containing drugs

00:48:20

drugs prescription drugs um here in Illinois
the limit how much does a federal you can buy a time um do all these have work
workaround for a dedicated the future um the the limit
the limit on how much you can buy certainly have workarounds the prescription is harder to work around
around but I would point out that for many people who abuse drugs
the use the drug that is available and so if you take away methamphetamine
mean it doesn’t mean you stop drug abuse it means that individuals likely to shift

00:48:55

1500 drug in in the challenge always is to figure out a way to
minimize harm from drugs I will I get to the minute we have
we have left my Michael I want to turn back to you and it sounds like you’ve you’ve made
who made a lot of progress in your life is just in the last few years being off of methamphetamine
what are your plans what are your hopes for the future
they don’t how to make too many goals because
asceticism daytoday you know but like I said to you know if I was long

00:49:30

long as I do what I did yesterday BBT
is well of another thing to know if its an epidemic just like in
the early 90’s it was crack cocaine out now
now its not as big as it was before you know and now it now heroin an hour
LLL Christmas really hard it’s really hard to predict what will be the next drug
you know uh I just I just know that umm
hi I’m very grateful for being loud is chance to two terms

00:50:05

turn my life around ijust a state
Stateline sober and live this life I know what the life let me know
lot of trouble whats prison time of this is an epiphany and I’m not sure
not sure we’re leaving streaks at work where I can go with it
what my capacity of a certainly the best of the best of luck to you now in the future
future Michael Passley is in Mattoon
who is a former user of math and Men accent

00:50:40

accent on the former there and Ralph what size is a criminologist a professor at
Illinois State University in normal and I want to thank you for being on the program
gram today and there’s more reporting on the subject from a Cu citizen X
is an access on our website at will.illinois.edu this video store reproduce by sea
BICU citizen access Illinois public media which will a remote WY
TV during PBS Newshour weekend Saturday and Sunday at 5 p.m.
pm today show produced by Lindsey moon Jason Crawford Technical Director salary laskari

00:51:15

NASCAR intern and special things to see you citizen access for their reporting on this issue
this is focus on wyll

Five years ago, meth arrests were as low as they had ever been in Illinois with right around 400 seizures per year. This year, however, authorities expect nearly twice that many. Even though national rates of meth usage are down, it’s on the rise in east central Illinois. The state had the fifth most methamphetamine lab seizures in the country last year, behind only Missouri, Tennessee, Indiana and Kentucky.

This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with recovering meth addict Michael Pasley about his ordeal with the drug. He says using meth was just a way of life, but looking back on it, he has a lot of regrets. Professor Ralph Weisheit, who is an expert on rural crime and meth, also joins us. He says efforts to curb meth use by instituting restrictions on buying pseudoephedrine have changed the way people manufacture meth, and if use continues to rise, he predicts we’ll see a parallel rise in crime in rural parts of the state.

Tags