The illegal drug methamphetamine is so destructive, say those who have experienced its impact firsthand, Maine’s current problems with OxyContin and heroin will look like the “good old days” if it gets established here.

Hoping to derail the anticipated spread of the stimulant’s production and use here and in other Northeastern states, Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe was in Boston on Thursday, presiding over a meeting of states’ law enforcement and substance abuse officials. Rowe’s purpose in convening the group was to identify regional strategies for preventing a dramatic increase in the impact of methamphetamine. The drug is a scourge in many other parts of the country, according to spokesman Chuck Dow of the Attorney General’s Office.

“There’s nothing that makes Maine special or unique in this matter,” Dow said Thursday afternoon. “Our remoteness won’t save us, and our rural nature won’t save us. We believe it’s just a matter of time.”

Dow said Maine already is one small step ahead of the expected epidemic since introducing legislation to regulate the sale of over-the-counter cold and sinus medications that contain the decongestant pseudoephedrine, which is used to manufacture methamphetamine in home labs. Pending legislation also would increase educational outreach to pharmacists and the general public. If other Northeastern states passed similar laws, Dow said, it would create a potent obstacle to the use and manufacture of the drug.

Officials from New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware and Pennsylvania attended the regional summit.

Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant. Smoked, snorted, injected or swallowed, it produces an intense feeling of well-being – a “rush” – followed by a prolonged high that enhances normal sensations and activities, including sex. Users may experience strong physical and psychological cravings after just one use. After prolonged use, they need more of the drug to feel good or even normal. Permanent changes in brain chemistry can drive addicted users to high-risk, criminal measures to support their habits.

Methamphetamine’s impact in a community extends far beyond the user. The drug often causes paranoia and delusions, and users can become unpredictable and prone to sudden violence. Communities where methamphetamine has taken hold experience increased rates of violent crime. The makeshift labs where the drug is made use highly flammable materials and pose a significant fire danger. Other toxic substances produced are environmental hazards.

Children of users and makers are at risk for harm and neglect. Said Dow, “Their parents just forget about them.”

Officials from areas where methamphetamine is well-established, including largely rural Midwestern states such as Minnesota and Iowa, have issued dire warnings, Dow said.

“They tell us, ‘If meth takes hold in your state, you will long for the days when prescription narcotics and heroin were the drugs of choice.'”

Kim Johnson, director of Maine’s Office of Substance Abuse, called Thursday from the Boston summit to explain why Maine officials are so concerned.

“We’ve watched this sweep across the country from west to east. New England is the only part of the country that hasn’t been hit in epidemic proportions,” she said.

Johnson said that although the amount of methamphetamine in Maine is still relatively low, signs point to an increase in the illicit use of all stimulants, including cocaine as well as prescription drugs. And since methamphetamine is powerful, inexpensive and easy to make, it is the predictable drug of choice for stimulant users once it becomes widely available.

At Acadia Hospital in Bangor, Scott Farnum, director of substance abuse treatment services, said there has been a small but significant change in methamphetamine’s visibility in the area. Until a few weeks ago, he said, none of Acadia’s clients had mentioned using the drug.

“But in the last month, three or four people have told me it’s their drug of choice,” Farnum said. Though the number is small, it worries him. Because of their familiarity with illicit narcotics, Maine substance abusers are prone to experiment with other “hard” drugs, including stimulants such as methamphetamine, he said.

“It’s a very difficult problem to treat, but people do get better,” Farnum stressed, “But, as with all substances, the sooner they come in for help, the greater their chances for recovery.”