Pubdate: Fri, 26 Apr 2002
Source: Courier-Journal, The (KY)
Copyright: 2002 The Courier-Journal
Contact:  http://www.courier-journal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/97
Author: Charles Wilson, Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/walters.htm (Walters, John)

DEA HEAD HIGHLIGHTS THE DANGERS OF METH

INDIANAPOLIS -- The head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began 
a cross-country tour focusing on methamphetamine abuse yesterday in 
Indianapolis, which authorities say is a hub for transportation of the 
illegal drug across the nation.

Meth production is a booming cottage industry -- Indiana State Police 
reported dismantling 681 meth labs last year. But as much as 70 percent of 
the drug sold in the state is cooked in "super labs," mostly in California, 
DEA Director Asa Hutchinson said at a statewide conference.

Whether made on the West Coast or cooked in someone's garage in Indiana, "I 
believe in rural America, it is the number one drug problem," Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson spoke to about 500 police officers, prosecutors, and school and 
health officials from around Indiana. He was beginning a three-month, 
32-state tour focusing on the meth problem.

Methamphetamine -- a stimulant dubbed "speed," "crank," "crystal meth" and 
"glass" on the streets -- has surpassed cocaine in popularity in rural 
areas and is gaining use in cities, experts say. It produces a euphoria 
similar to that of cocaine but lasts longer and is more addictive. It can 
be snorted, smoked or injected.

Compared with other drugs, meth is easy to make, and the price has come 
down -- from an estimated $1,420 per ounce in 1995 to $1,265 in 1999.

Those who attended the daylong conference heard presentations on meth's 
effects, how it is made, the hazards posed by the drug's production and 
ways to treat those addicted.

Authorities suspect Indianapolis, where four interstate highways converge, 
is a hub for distribution of the drug, State Police Superintendent Mel 
Carraway said.

As quickly as large-scale meth dealers are prosecuted, smaller, homegrown 
labs seem to pop up to replace them, said Susan Brooks, the U.S. attorney 
for Southern Indiana. State police estimate they will dismantle 800 meth 
labs this year.

The solution, Hutchinson said, is to attack the demand as well as the supply.

Courts should offer treatment as an alternative to prison for nonviolent 
drug offenders, and businesses' drugtesting policies must also include 
remedial treatment for employees who test positive, Hutchinson said.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager