A former deputy sheriff spoke at Armuchee High about the dangers of meth.

A decade of alerting Northwest Georgians to the dangers of methamphetamines has given Jesse W. Hambrick a rare insight into the dangers surrounding the highly addictive drug.

“I would consider it an epidemic,” he said, adding that it is likely that by the end of the year every Georgian will know someone affected by meth use. “I think it’s one of the greatest community concerns that we face right now.”

Hambrick spoke to a group of about 50 students, parents and educators about the growing meth problem at a special Monday evening program at Armuchee High School.

This was Hambrick’s second visit to the Armuchee school system. After a smaller session last spring, Armuchee Middle School Principal William Gilbert decided the message was important enough to bring him back.

“We all know that this area of Northwest Georgia is a high meth use area.” Gilbert said. “People need to be aware.”

Kay Hames, who attended with sons Zach, 13, and Chris, 10, said she’d heard of the drug but didn’t know how widespread the problem has become. “I knew it was around, but I never realized it was right under our noses.”

Hames said she wished more people had attended Monday’s lecture. “It’s something that everyone should know about,” she said.

Hambrick said parents are often unaware there’s a problem. “People don’t realize that there’s a need for them to be at an event like this,” he said.

Pansy Huston, who has grandchildren in Armuchee schools, said she knows all too well of the meth problem. “I just think it’s the worst thing that has ever happened to our young people,” she said.

Huston came out Monday because she wanted “to know all I can about it so I can help with the problem that we have, because it’s getting out of hand.”

Hambrick first started lecturing on meth as a deputy sheriff in Bartow County. He noticed a lack of community education on the problem and put together a presentation. “The demand was just there, and it took off,” he said.

In addition to his current position as a special investigator for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Hambrick now runs Georgia Drug Education and Consulting.

He estimates through lectures to churches, schools and civic groups, he’s helped educate more than 30,000 law enforcement officers and community members about the dangers and signs of meth use.