He was quiet and silent. He sat there and stared at the wall. He seemed angry that I had managed to get into his apartment. It’s kind of like watching someone drown, and all they have to do is stand up.”

Recovering addict helping addicted friend.

The basic objective of law enforcement is to protect people and their property. It’s a goal that has remained the same over the years, Bedford County Sheriff Austin Swing said. But what’s changed the most are the prevalence of drugs.  

Swing said when he started as an officer in the 1970s, marijuana was the biggest drug problem. Then it moved to cocaine and then crack cocaine. He thought it couldn’t get any worse, but now many Tennessee counties are seeing a rise in crystal Meth.  

“Which I think is worse than crack cocaine,” Swing said.  “Basically, it’s that way everywhere.” Swing said there’s also a reemergence of heroine since it’s cheaper price and gives a better “high.”  

“There are so many other crimes and people are in jail for other crimes, but often it’s because of a drug habitat,” he said.     

“Thankfully, both the Bedford County Sheriff’s Department and the Shelbyville Police Department as well as some other counties, we have the 17th Judicial Drug Task Force and that’s all they do,” said Swing. 

“They do a good job, but it’s so overwhelming.” These drug cases aren’t necessarily new to law enforcement, nor will they end.  

As long as there’s demand, there will always be a supply of drugs, according to Swing.  

Busy year for SPD  

From April 2021 to April 2022, Shelbyville Police Department made 52 Methamphetamine-related arrests.  

The patrol division has responded to 70 overdoses, with Narcan being administered approximately 37times throughout those dates. Out of those over dose calls, not all resulted in death.  

Out of those 70 overdoses not all were Meth related, however in most, Meth was a common factor, SPD detectives report. 

Millions of adults using Meth, CDC says  

In 2020, 2.5 million Americans aged 12 or older reported having used methamphetamine (METH) in the past year, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)—a significant increase from the previous 5 years.  

Meth use and distribution in Bedford County actually goes back several years, based on filed Circuit Court cases. 

Meth is a highly addictive central nervous system—psychostimulant—according to the CDC. Most people are addicted from the start, especially in pubescent age teens, studies indicate.  

Still, millions of Americans of all ages, races, genders and socioeconomic statuses—many located right here in this county—continue to misuse Meth.  

Meth, as it is commonly known, usually comes in the form of a crystalline white powder that is odorless, bitter-tasting and dissolves easily in water or alcohol. Other colors of powder on the street might include brown, yellow-gray, orange and even pink. It can also be compressed into pill form.  

It’s known on the streets as Meth, ice, speed or crystal. Users can smoke it, snort it, inject it or orally ingest it.  

Why the appeal?  

The CDC explains that Meth is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant. There’s a great high, euphoric state, when ingested. 

 While this type of substance abuse is treatable, it can be difficult to put in the past, for many, National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports indicate.  

In addition to risking addiction to Meth, people who use Meth long-term may experience a range of negative health outcomes, including damage to the heart and brain, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, and violent behavior. 

 The NIDA reports that Meth is classified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as a Schedule II stimulant, which makes it legally available only through a nonrefillable prescription. Prescribed doses for certain disorders are far lower than those amounts typically misused, states the CDC.  

The CDC also reports that in recent years, Meth involved overdoses have been increasing in the United States—across many demographic groups.  

In 2020, 2.5 million Americans aged 12 or older reported having used Meth in 2019, according to CDC studies. 

From 2015-2018, an estimated 1.6 million American adults, age 18 years, on average, reported prior meth use.  

Among adults who used methamphetamine during this time, 53% met diagnostic criteria for what the CDC refers to as “methamphetamine use disorder.”  

Less than 1 in 3 of those with the Meth use disorder received substance use treatment in the past year, according to the CDC.  

Where there is misuse of one drug, often along comes another. The CDC also reports that co-occurring substance use and mental illness were common among those using Meth.  

What might be important to young users is that health reports show that Meth will alter someone’s physical appearance. It can also cause bad hygiene and many Meth users loose teeth (known in layman’s terms as Meth Mouth) due to the drug being acidic.  

The CDC reports that nearly 85% of overdose deaths involved illicitly manufactured Fentanyls, Heroin, Cocaine, or Meth (alone or in combination) during January through June 2019. 

 Over 50% of psychostimulant-related overdose deaths involved opioids in 2018, the CDC reports.  

Treatment for meth rising Meth use among people who were admitted to drug related treatment has been increasing, according to the CDC. For more information, see SAMHSA’s Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorders external icon, or call 1-800-662-HELP (4357.)