ABSTRACT
Organizations ranging from the Drug Enforcement Administration to the National Association of Counties and the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University released studies showing that methamphetamine was having a disproportionate impact on rural areas. The later half of the twentieth century saw the local economy in Oelwein decimated by significant changes in the agriculture sector. The majority of methamphetamine consumed in the US is produced outside its borders. In the regard, meth resembles other illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin. For instance, one of the most highly acclaimed US television shows of the past decade, Breaking Bad, centers around domestic methamphetamine production. The early association between methamphetamine and biker gangs has also shaped meth's racialization, particularly as it intersects with the romantic 'outlaw' identity. Workers on the 'live hang' floor, where live chickens were attached to an overhead conveyer belt, which then carried the birds to be slaughtered, used meth to enhance their performance.
