"It's become more mainstream," he said, adding that meth has moved from being the nasty drug used by people on the fringes of society.

Garcia said many people think that the drug is not an issue in their communities.

"That's the biggest misconception," he said. "It's everywhere." Even in Saratoga.

Garcia should know. Of the 24 years he has spent in the sheriff's department, 12 have been as a narcotics officer.

He is not even surprised by the figures of a recent survey by the National Association of Counties that found meth has replaced cocaine as the country's biggest drug problem.

The crime log in the West Valley Substation of the Sheriff's Department shows an average of two to three meth-related incidents every week.

On July 2, for example, deputies found a person near Saratoga and Cox avenues who displayed all the symptoms of being under the influence of the drug. Barely an hour later, deputies found another person walking in a disoriented manner on Sara Glen Drive. That person too was in a meth-induced haze.

Capt. John Hirokawa of the Sheriff's Department said that many of the people caught in Saratoga are outsiders driving through town. But there have been instances where people in the Los Gatos or Santa Cruz mountains have been found with the drug. "Just the other day, we busted a meth lab In Cupertino. It was located in a quiet residential area," Hirokawa said.

Garcia said that everyone should be concerned because younger people are attracted to the drug. "Housewives use it to lose weight," he said.

Deputies said that if anyone wants to buy the drug in Saratoga, they can. Some years ago, the area near a bowling alley on Prospect Road was a popular destination for those who wanted to buy the drug.

Meth is also very easy to manufacture.

"The recipes are getting easier and easier. You can go on the Internet and find out how you can make it in your own kitchen," Garcia said.

People who work long, strenuous hours in the construction industry sometimes take the drug to keep awake, according to the sergeant. So do a lot of truck drivers.

The results of using the drug can be devastating. Users are disoriented and need to sleep for hours after the effects of the drug wear off. The long-term effects include damage to the body's central nervous system.

Garcia has often taught deputies at the West Valley Substation about the drug.

"I want them to be emotionally involved. I want them to have empathy," he said.

Garcia worries that the meth problem is on its way to becoming a full-blown epidemic. "It is readily available and the price of the drug is going down," he said.

Robert Garner, director of Santa Clara County's Department of Drug and Alcohol Services, said the meth problem started in California and spread to the East Coast.

"In the last year, we've had 8,300 people in our treatment system. I'm guessing that nearly 40 percent or even more are there because of methamphetamine," Garner said. "The only way to solve the problem is through education."

Last year, Oklahoma became the first state to ban over-the-counter sales of cold medicines that can be used to make meth. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California is also trying to pass legislation so that some cold medicines cannot be sold over-the-counter.