Pubdate: Mon, 22 Apr 2002
Source: Kingsport Times-News (TN)
Copyright: 2002 Kingsport Publishing Corporation
Contact:  http://www.timesnews.net/index.cgi
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1437
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Note:  Will not publish letters in print editions from online users 
who do not reside in print circulation area, unless they are former 
residents or have some current connection to Southwest Virginia and 
Northeast Tennessee.

METH POSES POTENT HAZARD TO TENNESSEANS

While the misuse of the painkiller OxyContin has dominated media 
reports for the past couple of years, Sullivan County Sheriff Wayne 
Anderson says a new drug scourge is rapidly advancing toward our 
area. And, says Sheriff Anderson, "It will make OxyContin look like 
candy.''

The drug is methamphetamine - "meth'' in street parlance. And 
Tennessee is shaping up as the latest battleground for its use.

Last year, the sheriff says, more than 800 methamphetamine labs were 
discovered and destroyed in the state - more than in any other. Why 
so many? The answer, unfortunately, is that making meth is easy, 
albeit dangerous. And it's inexpensive.

Ironically, federal attempts to end illegal methamphetamine 
production by restricting access to the necessary chemicals in 1989 
and 1994 have resulted in clandestine manufacturers finding easier, 
cheaper methods. Today, bootleg meth labs commonly use ephedrine or 
pseudephedrine tablets, a common, over-the-counter decongestant not 
controlled by the Chemical Diversion Trafficking Act (CDTA).

How easy is it to make methamphetamine? Quite literally, a child 
could do it. And, worse yet, step-by-step instructions a child can 
follow are readily available all over the Internet.

One of the most popular methods of such drug manufacture is known 
popularly as "Nazi Meth.'' This method derives its name from the 
first known publication of the recipe in a German journal from the 
1930s. German soldiers were given low doses of the drug to relieve 
fatigue and boost endurance.

The Nazi method, utilizing pseudephedrine, produces relatively pure 
meth very quickly - in about three hours.

The process - which we won't go into here for obvious reasons - is 
distressingly simple. Suffice it to say, it takes almost no technical 
knowledge to make methamphetamine, and so-called kitchen labs are 
popping up in neighborhoods across the state.

The odor from such labs is pungent and easily recognized. Most 
describe the smell as "urine-like." The explosive combination of 
chemicals used in "cooking'' the methamphetamine is extremely harmful 
and can cause serious injury or death.

Sheriff Anderson is right to be worried about methamphetamine. Meth 
has ruined countless lives, continues to fill jails and prisons, 
floods the courts and frustrates law enforcement.

Because most people may be unaware that they're living near a meth 
lab, here are some things to be aware of:

Strong odors similar to that of fingernail polish remover or urine.

Residences with windows blacked out.

Renters who pay their landlords in cash. (Most drug dealers trade 
exclusively in cash.)

Lots of traffic - people coming and going at unusual times. There may 
be little traffic during the day, but at night, the activity 
increases dramatically.

Purchases of large amounts of products, especially cold medicines.

Excessive trash, including large amounts of items such as antifreeze 
containers, drain cleaner, lantern fuel cans, red chemically stained 
coffee filters, batteries, drain cleaner and duct tape.

If you observe any of these tell-tale signs, report it immediately to 
your nearest law enforcement agency. Ending the scourge of "Nazi 
meth'' begins with each of us.
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MAP posted-by: Josh