Horrifying before and after pictures reveal devastating effects the drug has on addicts
The pairs of photos, which in some cases have been taken mere months apart, show staggering changes in appearance
This is the ravaging affect that meth has on the human body.
In a horrifying series of 'before' and 'after' shots, police in Oregon have shown just what a devastating affect the drug has.
The pairs of photos, which in some cases have been taken mere months apart, show staggering changes in appearance.
Offenders featured have gone from young and fresh-faced to haggard and sunken-cheeked.
This shocking photo series entitled Faces of Meth, was launched by police in Multnomah County, Portland in 2004.
They were trying to steer people away from using the highly addictive drug.
The project was the brainchild of Detention Centre deputy Bret King.
He started trawling through old prison archives to find mug shots of drug addled suspects.
King then spent hours pairing up the photos of repeat offenders to show how meth had changed them.
He aimed to create a series that was as shocking and unflattering as possible.
King, then 39, said: "I've made it my business to go through the mug shot system every day.
"I've made it my business to go through the mug shot system every day.”
Theresa Baxter, 42, is almost unrecognisable after five years of taking meth.
She told OregonLive that she had experienced everything except death.
Her photos were taken around three and a half years apart.
In the first picture, when she was arrested for identity theft and fraud, she is healthy and youthful.
But in her ‘after’ shot, she is wrinkled, and haggard, with a zombie expression.
She told the site: “It’s scary. There are no words to describe it.
I can’t stand to look at myself in the mirror.”
In 2004, she had lost 40 lbs and only had two teeth left.
Now over 10 years later, OregonLive has revisited the stories of many of the people featured in the photo series.
Their stories have varied widely over the course of the decade.
While some have decided to change their lives and go clean, others are still happy to be hooked on the drug.
Theresa Baxter still lives in Portland, but relatives would not allow OregonLive to interview her again.
King is still fighting to get young people to stay away from drugs.
He said: "I was well aware of Faces of Meth's shortcomings. I didn't want to do a Faces of Meth, Part Two."
The highly addictive substance leaves users unrecognisable.
When taking a hit, meth can make users awake and alert.
Their senses become highly focussed and many lose their appetite while high.
Meth addicts most commonly have sunken cheeks from rapid weight loss.
Their bodies are ravaged by the drug, both inside and out.
Users lose their teeth and get scabs and dark circles on their face.
Addicts also age rapidly as the toxic chemicals eat away at their brain tissue.
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