In the Antelope Valley, sheriff's officials report that the number of meth-related arrests rose from 727 in 2002 to 1,186 last year. Seizures of meth in the valley went from four kilos in 2002 to seven kilos in 2005.

Much of the meth seized last year might have come from Mexico, since authorities have busted fewer labs in the Antelope Valley now that production has shifted to Mexico. Before authorities and retailers moved to make cold medicines containing pseudoephredrine harder to obtain, meth labs in the Antelope Valley would use the medicine to "cook" their product.

Part of the appeal of meth for users had been that the drug can be "cooked" at home with easy-to-obtain ingredients, although the process turned former meth labs into toxic sites.

Meth, which is also known as speed, and the related drug amphetamines have been around for decades. But in the 1950s and 1960s, it was common for speed users to pop pills illegally obtained from pharmacy counters, instead of home-brewing the stuff.

"It's well beyond anything that I've ever heard of previously," said Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who joined Burke in backing the anti-meth motion last week.

Among gay men, meth is used to prolong the sex drive, and county officials believe meth use is high among those who frequent sex clubs. Gay community leaders have worried that past educational initiatives to reduce the spread of HIV infection are being ignored by younger generations.

The supervisors voted to address the meth problem by a 3-0 vote at Tuesday's board meeting, with supervisors Michael D. Antonovich and Gloria Molina absent. Health officials will report back in three months on prevention and intervention solutions.

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