Montana Fights Meth, and Pulls No Punches

March 17, 2007 — -- Montana is one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to methamphetamine addiction, and it's one of the best at coping with it.

But the solution is not pretty. One of the most effective tools has been a series of cringe-inducing public service ads. produced by a group called The Montana Meth Project.

They show a young girl prostituting herself for drugs, and the physical ravages of this very ugly drug, nicknamed "Jenny Crank" for its rapid weight loss effects.

State officials say the drug is responsible for 80 percent of the prison population, and about half the foster care population.

The state's attorney general, Mike McGrath, credits the ads for Montana's success in cutting meth-related crime in half and cutting positive test results at work by 70 percent.

"We think it's really turning things around," McGrath said.

The Montana Meth Project is also co-producer of a gritty documentary that airs Sunday night on HBO. Like the ads, it pulls no punches, showing a father getting high with his son and a pregnant woman getting high.

Young people who screened the film this week in Billings agreed these were images that need to be seen.

"I mean, I realize it's shocking to see someone put a needle in their neck," said one young woman, "but they need to see how bad this really is."

Crystal is the woman who is seen in the film putting a needle in her neck. Now 23, she said she has been clean for a year. After the screening, she told ABC News it was making the film that got her back on track.

"I took such a hard look at myself because the last day of filming was the last day I ever used," she said.

Meth does not have the sex appeal of cocaine or heroin, which primarily afflict urban areas. Meth is a rural scourge, in part because large, open spaces make meth labs less detectable.

Meth is manufactured with ingredients found in over-the-counter cold medication. For each pound of meth created, five pounds of toxic waste are left behind.

A survey of 12-24 year-olds found that methamphetamine was readily available, and 26 percent said they had been offered the drug in the last year. Some experts say that users are hooked after just one use.

ABC News' Felicia Biberica, Juju Chang and Patricia Martell contributed to this report.