In the United States, the drug has been rapidly traveling eastward. In Nebraska, meth has invaded suburban communities and is wreaking havoc on them. We tell a powerful story in the show about a young couple from Nebraska. You can hear their frantic phone calls to police and hear what people are actually like on meth, and it’s scary. They were two promising young individuals with no prior history of drug abuse, but on one frigid night, meth sealed their fate. In Bangkok, meth or “Yaba,” as it's known there, actually helped the economy grow. Like much of Asia in the early 1990s, Thailand was booming. Foreign investment poured into the country, and a rapid building boom ensued. Skyscrapers were erected at record speed—the country couldn't build them fast enough. The tens of thousands of construction workers who were building Bangkok needed something to keep them going at work. Enter Yaba. The drug allowed workers to stay awake for days on end. It became so popular that at one time it was estimated that one out of every five Thais had tried Yaba. It made the culture more productive—for a time, anyway. But with increased worker productivity came the incredible paranoia that meth, more than any other drug, is known for. Paranoia fueled by meth use led to rampant crime. Hardly a day would go by that Thai news didn't report that a Yaba user had cracked. Ordinary citizens were being held up at gunpoint, having their throats slit and being robbed.

Photo by David Ross Smith

The Thai government has declared an all-out war against Yaba users. Anyone accused of using the drug can be put to death. I spent time with some construction workers who continue to smoke Yaba, despite that fact that they can be killed if caught. What I learned is that meth deteriorates a person’s whole being, inside and out. On the outside, many people who were very good looking before their addiction to meth become riddled with pockmarks from picking at sores that become infected. Teeth rot from grating and negligence. On the inside, people become paranoid, detached, and apathetic. Families and friends alienate themselves from the addicts’ crazy behavior. And meth use can become a life or death situation. These are the harsh and destructive risks of this drug. They’re terrifyingly real. And I hope people become aware of the steep consequences … and stay far away from meth.