It was 2005 when I first became aware of the devastating effect Methamphetamine was having on rural America. We were living in North Carolina at the time, and we had traveled to Missouri to visit family over the Christmas holidays. When we came down with colds, I headed to the store to grab reliable old Sudafed. But I was surprised to find that it had been moved behind the counter and I had to sign a registration list to purchase it. At that time, the Meth epidemic was ravaging rural communities in the Midwest, but hadn't spread to the rest of the country yet. Today, every state that I'm aware of has moved Sudafed behind the counter in order to curb the proliferation of the small "Mom-and-Pop" operations using large amounts of Sudafed to cook up Meth in their kitchens.
Nick Reding spent four years in Oelwein, Iowa interviewing citizens and researching the Methamphetamine epidemic's impact on this agricultural town of about 6000. He profiles the lives of some of the individuals who have become addicted to the drug, and the law enforcement officials who are waging the war against it. This is a worthwhile and interesting read, although the overall picture it gives is not encouraging.
Sojourner
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