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March 28
1934 - Bouquet Canyon Reservoir, replacement for ill-fated St. Francis Dam & reservoir, begins to fill with water [story]
Bouquet Reservoir


The use of methamphetamines, or meth, has steadily increased over the last four years in Santa Clarita, said Sgt. Bob Wachsmuth, who works with the Juvenile Intervention Team, or J-Team, at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

Meth is a man-made drug that stimulates the central nervous system and is the most dangerous drug that has ever been made, said Cary Quashen of Action Family Counseling.

“The rise in use here is really on par with with other areas in the United States,” Wachsmuth said. “Some places may have a higher rate of use, while others could be lower.”

The increase in use has a lot to do with more of the drug coming from Mexico, Wachsmuth said. It’s cheaper than other drugs and the effects last longer.

Meth can injected or inhaled, Wachsmuth said, these days, users are mixing meth and heroin, or other drugs to create a different type of high.

“It is a shortcut to the pleasure center of the brain,” Quashen said. “People go on runs where all they do is the drug, they don’t sleep or eat and the brain starts playing tricks on the user, people get really paranoid.”

The average user begins using at age 17, and personality traits in a methamphetamine user include the inability to work or care for a family, they are agitated, aggressive, confused, and they don’t maintain a normal sleep cycle, Wachsmuth said.

“Coming down from methamphetamines can cause extreme depression,” Quashen said, “it is the most emotionally addictive drug out there.”

Meth is not really a step up from another drug, Wachsmuth said, meth is a stimulant, which makes it very different than other drugs.

“The use of meth is more of an alternate step that has to do with the users personality,” Wachsmuth said. “Heroin, painkillers many other drugs are depressants, so the high is different.”

It’s an incredibly tough habit to kick, Wachsmuth said, it is a life long process to get and stay sober.

“Most people become addicted after trying the drug only once, it is incredibly hard to kick,” Quashen said, “but people do it every single day.”

 

meth_recover_scans

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96 Comments

  1. Rick Polanco Rick Polanco says:

    The wash people are cooking down in the wash.

  2. John Edwards John Edwards says:

    Unfortunately they will keep using all these drugs because “prop 47” allows them to do this.

  3. You are do right John Edwards. Who thought of this prop?! What if anything is good about it!

  4. John Ricci John Ricci says:

    Not shocking! Prop 47 to blame!

  5. Wait you mean since there’s nothing to do here the kids are turning to drugs? Imagine that

  6. Josh Larson Josh Larson says:

    Yeah cus no one did meth before prop 47 lol.

  7. Don Teller Don Teller says:

    John Edwards they will keep using drugs anyway unless you want to spend $50,000 per year to keep them in jail. They will only quit when they are ready to quit. Not before.

  8. Is that tape on the pipe

  9. These people need help/treatment, not jail time!

  10. Snitch A Rita is full of tweekers

  11. Welcome to AWESOME town!

  12. Sean Nichols Sean Nichols says:

    Prop 47, like alot of successful measures, will take time to work. Meth users arw going to use-period. However, if they are not criminalized and instead have a chance to get treatment we will not be breeding so many career criminals.

  13. There is plenty to do in scv. Apparently doing meth is one activity the idiots choose to do

  14. Robert Marx Robert Marx says:

    Meth… heroin… weed… prescription drug use; it’s all on the rise, but there’s been an underground for years. In the 80’s it was weed, coke and acid. Despite how some may want to defend it, the issue lays primarily with lack of supervision and broken home life. The weak, guilty use excuses… always have, always will.

    • Cris Vranson says:

      I disagree with the idea that it is all the parents fault due to lack of supervision. This problem crosses all economic and social spectrums . I do agree that peer pressure enters into it. There is a wealth of info about the dangers of hard drug use, yet kids and adults still make the decision to use. Bad choices is the reason plain and simple.

  15. Ugh I have to stop reading the comments to articles… people are so frustrating!

  16. Lora Hill Lora Hill says:

    Nasty. Such a horrible drug.

  17. Dan Aird Dan Aird says:

    Did you guys score that pipe when you flushed out all the Wash Junkies on Monday?

  18. Aw meth <333333333333

  19. Sad that so many pregnant teens keep doing these drugs throughout their pregnancies. We see SO MANY meth and heroine babies in our NICU these days.

  20. David Greedy David Greedy says:

    So is crack it’s coming up a lot now to

  21. Sorry guys, but tweakers are dangerous, the cops need to shut these guys down, that drug can actually make one go crazy, report the tweakers!

  22. Prop 47. No crime, nor is stealing to support the habit. Never ever a chance at prison. Hooray California!

  23. Luis Hidalgo Luis Hidalgo says:

    It’s whether you chose to do it or not. Tweak is everywhere…

  24. Ckay Walker Ckay Walker says:

    Education. Physical exhilaration. Passion and goals. Being busy and engaged. Having excess time with nothing to do is a hinderance. Not everyone will have a good life. The choice to be in control and not reactive in your own life. Unfortunately in our world there are fewer willing to push beyond their believed odds.

  25. Drugs have always been around. I am 62, raised in Burbank and I can remember being approached by heroin dealers right outside of a movie theater there. He was not hiding, he was not in an alley, he was just there hanging out waiting for his next victim. Drugs have phases of popularity and evidently now it is heroin and meth. We must get to the ppl before the dealer does. Why are they looking for a way out of reality? That is the question. You see the city spending lots of money on these trees in the meridians, or beautifying downtown Newhall, or churches raising large sums of money to help third world countries ( not that I dont feel they need help ) but shouldnt we be taking care of what is wrong right here in our own back yard first?

  26. It’s always been on the ride in SCV along with numerous other drugs…everyone was too naive to see it.

  27. Michael Teh Michael Teh says:

    That’s why it’s always better to spend thousands on a car addiction than a drug addiction

  28. Kory Abel Kory Abel says:

    All I see on these comments is ignorance SCV is full of people who think they are “informed” but sadly are not and it doesn’t help that the local media is spreading fear through propoganda

  29. Dustin Ross Dustin Ross says:

    On the rise? Meth use was on the rise 15 years ago when I was in high school and all my friends were getting twacked out

  30. You can’t step outside your door in Santa Clarita…with out a sheriff harassing you. I’m sure most kids stay indoors and do drugs. Sad. More community projects. BMX tracks. SKATE PARKS. Positive stuff. ART PROGRAMS.

  31. Kermit the frog on meth

  32. Kermit the frog on meth

  33. Cecily Chandler Hollie Marie V Ellis good thing we moved right?!

  34. Robert Marx Robert Marx says:

    Dustin Ross – Yes… more deaths equals “on the rise,” as opposed to decreasing, hence the post.

  35. Parents need to pay attention to what there kids are doing….where they are and who they hang with. …

  36. Julie Jianni Julie Jianni says:

    Its a shame that this happening and parents let their kids do whatever they want. It has screwed up so many people lives, from families, to love ones, and friends. Its no joke. And if you are sitting here laughing at this , be glad you’re not out on the streets begging and doing life threatening things to end your life with pathetic drugs.

  37. Pamela Carr Pamela Carr says:

    The sad part is these kids don’t understand that your brain doesn’t recover from meth use it burns areas in the brain that stay dead forever forever forever sad indeed

  38. kellyl says:

    I grew up in SCV .. since first grade…there are a million things to do that require no money. I take offence to what Eileen Garcia commented re: scv do gooders…thank God there are small towns all across America with real values and do notions. I think what bugs you Eileen is not being able to keep up with the Jones’s. Money isn’t the root of all evil..the LOVE for money is the root of all evil.

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