Methamphetamine use is spreading from rural Western areas toward Eastern communities, bringing with it increased crime and stretched resources, according to a survey results from the National Association of Counties, the Mercury News reported on July 18.

'The Methamphetamine Epidemic: The Criminal Effect of Meth on Communities,' the survey commissioned in June, included 500 participating sheriffs from 44 states.

Nearly half of survey respondents named methamphetamine use as their primary problem, and more than 40 percent said that crimes such as domestic violence, robbery and assault were increasing as a result of the drug.

Sheriffs said the increasing restrictions on the sale of pseudoephedrine, one of the ingredients in meth when it is created in clandestine labs, have caused a rapid rise in imported crystallized meth.