The opioid epidemic has been declared the top public health and safety challenge in Pennsylvania by Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Yet in the past few months, arrests for methamphetamine sales and manufacturing have been on the rise locally.

The Era reached out to law enforcement for a bigger picture on the local war on drugs.

District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer, who oversees the county’s drug task force, said drugs are usually cyclical here.

“It’s likely we’re experiencing the beginning of a new cycle,” she said.

That doesn’t mean other drugs are absent, or even scarce, Shaffer cautioned.

“The public should not be under the impression that other illegal drugs do not continue to be present in our community,” she said. “There is no shortage of other drugs. We continue to see heroin, cocaine and pills.”

The county’s top prosecutor explained there’s been an increase in arrests for meth production since January. “Our intelligence indicates an increase in the actual manufacturing of meth as well,” she said.

Bradford City Assistant Police Chief Mike Ward said it isn’t just a problem in the city, but is on the rise across the country as well.

“Drug users are turning to meth because it is, unfortunately, an easy and cheap process for them to obtain the substances and chemicals needed to manufacture the meth,” Ward said.

Shaffer explained that the ability to manufacture methamphetamine in the home makes it more accessible than other drugs that must be purchased from others.

“Agents with the attorney general’s office advise that meth manufacturing is on the rise everywhere,” she said.

Northwest and north central Pennsylvania, which are more rural and isolated from larger cities, are considered “prime locations for meth,” she explained.

Ward said the precursor chemicals — the products needed to make the drug — aren’t hard to find even in rural areas.

“These precursors can be obtained at local pharmacies, hardware stores and grocery stores. Some examples of these precursors include pseudoephedrine, camp fuel, drain cleaner for the ‘lye,’ batteries for ‘lithium,’ denatured alcohol, and ice/hot cold packs,” he said. “These are just some of most common products we have seen used to manufacture meth locally.”

The ingredients themselves are toxic. For example, lye is used to dissolve tissues of animal carcasses.

The precursors are combined in something as common as a 2-liter soda bottle in what is called the “shake and bake” method, “which has been the types of labs recently shut down here in McKean County,” Ward said.

“These labs are highly dangerous and present an immediate danger of fire, explosion and/or release of poisonous and noxious gas/fumes,” Ward said. “The cooking process is simply hard to control and many of the persons trying to manufacture this meth are not fully aware of the potential risk not only to themselves but others around them.”

Shaffer agreed.

“Cooks use highly flammable organic solvents,” she said. “This poses a large risk of fire and explosion as opposed to contamination, which was used in the old methods. The chemicals are highly flammable and some of the chemical reactions are extreme. In nearly every meth arrest made by the Drug Task Force, there was evidence of a fire inside the house where the meth was manufactured.”

Ward talked about the physical impact the drug has on users as well.

“Meth is a highly addictive drug that poses many serious health risks to those that use it,” the assistant chief said. “A simple search on the internet will show persons before and after photos of meth users and it is very alarming. These photos should be an immediate warning to persons how dangerous this Schedule II drug can be.”

The relative inexpensiveness of methamphetamine is one of the drug’s draws, despite the danger associated both with its manufacture and consumption.

“I do think that the availability and cost of other drugs — both prescription and nonprescription — are a prime factor as to why people are turning to meth,” Ward said. “There have been recent restrictions on pharmaceuticals being prescribed and the cost of certain prescription drugs on the street has risen due to these restrictions that have made the drugs harder to get. Both of these factors, availability and cost, have caused drug users to look at other options such as meth.”

Shaffer said addicts often use more than one illegal substance, and some properties of meth make it seem attractive to someone chasing a high.

“Polysubstance abusers have been known to use meth to counter other drugs taken,” she explained. “In other cases, meth mimics other drugs, even certain prescriptions, and are used as a replacement. Meth has been known to enhance and prolong the effects of opioids and this, too, may contribute to the increase in meth in our area.”

Both Ward and Shaffer advised that police departments and the drug task force are aware of the rise in manufacturing and use of methamphetamines, and are trained in what to look for.

“Any tips provided to law enforcement are investigated thoroughly,” Ward said. “Anyone that chooses to engage in such activity will be charged accordingly for the illegal operation of a meth lab and/or possession of meth. These are serious offenses that pose risk to others and will be aggressively investigated.”

Shaffer concluded, “If the community suspects a meth lab or any illegal activity, please contact the McKean County Drug Task Force at the District Attorney’s Office at (814) 887-3312 or MCDTFtip@gmail.com.”

Ward added that the Bradford City Police Department has a tip line as well. “Anyone having information on any illegal drug activity is encouraged to report it The City of Bradford Police Department at 814-887-4911 or at FaceBook.com/cobpd.”