N.H. City Officials: Meth Use on the Rise

Concord, New Hampshire, authorities say the city is experiencing an alarming spike in methamphetamine use.

Sgt. Marc McGonagle, with the police's drug unit, tells The Concord Monitor that since January, undercover police have made at least 19 separate purchases of the narcotic.

He says the unit only made one undercover meth buy between 2003 and 2007.

McGonagle says most of the meth buys have involved people in their 30s and older.

He says that the drug is probably coming from local sources- people who are cooking it using over-the-counter ingredients.

Concord police Chief Brad Osgood last week described the meth spike as an emerging threat. But officials say heroin still remains the primary concern. Police say they have recorded 42 opiate-related overdoses through June, including four that resulted in death.