Danville kids learn about meth dangers

By John Crane

Published: November 30, 2008

Boys & Girls Clubs of Danville Area held a program Sunday warning area youth about the danger of methamphetamine.

The event included a presentation by a Pittsylvania County special investigator, a dramatic skit depicting a meth overdose and personal testimony from teens personally affected by the drug.

About 30 people attended the event, in addition to students from Carlbrook School in Halifax, who performed the skit and gave the real-life accounts of how meth use by peers affected their lives. The Boys & Girls Club held the program to recognize National Meth Awareness Day. The presentation was sponsored by the club’s Youth Service Corps and the McGruff Club.

“Drugs not only affect the individual, it affects the home, the school, and the community,” Carmina Eder, unit director for the Danville Boys & Girls Club, said.

Methamphetamine is a white odorless, bitter-tasting powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol and is ingested orally, through snorting, injection or smoking, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It is a concoction of several chemicals and products, including battery acid, Sudafed, Drano, rat poison, iodine, propane and other substances.

Meth can be made anywhere — in houses, hotel rooms or in the trunk of a car, J.C. Burchett, special investigator with the Pittsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, said. Meth use and production are on the rise in the county, Burchett said.

A scourge once found mostly in states like Florida, Missouri, Texas and California, it is making its way east, and is also spreading from Norfolk and Hampton Roads in Virginia, Burchett said before his presentation.

“It’s here and it’s getting more abundant,” he said. Burchett was unable to provide local statistics on meth-related arrests in the county.

When taken, meth greatly increases the body’s production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter responsible for producing sensations of pleasure. Long-term use of the highly-addictive drug can cause extreme weight loss, severe dental problems, delusions, hallucinations, mood swings, violent behavior and other symptoms. Former users, as a result of past dopamine overloads during use, experience depression and an inability to experience pleasure.

During Sunday’s event, Burchett showed photos of meth addicts who aged several decades within 10 years of use, and other slides showed blackened, rotted teeth of long-term users.

Students from Carlbrook, a college-prep school, performed a skit portraying a young meth-addict’s overdose and her family’s intervention. Students also talked about peers and loved ones who became addicted to meth, including one students’ former schoolmate who committed suicide as a result.

The Boys & Girls Club’s mission is to enable young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to meet their potential as responsible citizens, according to the Boys & Girls Club of Danville Web site.

Contact John R. Crane at or 434-791-7987.