Meth Addicts Finding, Selling Artrifacts

["Richard W. Travsky" <rtravsky@uwyo.edu>]

This was a disturbing little item. Here, it's various archaeological
artifacts, and I suppose it's just a short hop over to fossils. Has
anyone heard of that happening?

http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=3754343&\1nav=0jshddh6
AUGUST 23, 2005 - Posted at 7:34 a.m. CDT

SEARCY, AR - The White County sheriff says the time-consuming and 
methodical task of searching for arrowheads on farmland and in river beds 
seems to appeal to methamphetamine addicts.  Sheriff Pat Garrett says that 
after more than 100 search warrants, he has come to expect arrowheads, 
many thousands of years old, when he storms the homes of suspected meth 
makers.

Tony Young of Velvet Ridge says the sheriff is on to something.  Young is 
in jail awaiting trial on a meth charge.  He says looking for arrowheads 
gives people wired on meth something to do.  To pay for his legal defense, 
Young sold his arrowhead collection to a local dealer.

Young says that many nights he found himself in fields full of fellow 
arrowhead hunters and many of them were high on meth.

Arkansas State archeologist Ann Early says she's seen meth users 
collecting arrowheads in the Ozarks.  She says it is troubling that they 
have taken to collecting Indian artifacts.