Pubdate: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) Copyright: 2003 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. Contact: http://www.knoxnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/226 METHAMPHETAMINE: A SCOURGE ON THE AREA The back-breaking news is that the current debilitating scourge known as methamphetamine has invaded East Tennessee like fire ants with the immediate danger to human lives, even young lives, not agriculture or animals. The silver lining in that cloud is the progress made against the meth problem that exploded in rural counties of Middle and East Tennessee during the last decade. That progress offers hope that a combination of tough law enforcement and public awareness can stem this awful tide. This week, a series of stories in the News Sentinel and broadcast reports on WBIR-TV, Channel 10, examined the growing methamphetamine problem in East Tennessee and the issues raised by the increased use and production of the drug. The reports brought to light a number of features about meth, and citizens should be aware of them. In fiscal 1999, for example, there were 81 meth lab seizures in East Tennessee, including 18 in Grundy County and 27 in Marion County. Statewide there were 128 seizures. In fiscal 2003, by contrast, there were 493 meth lab seizures in East Tennessee and 752 statewide. Saying methamphetamine is a dangerous drug vastly understates the case. It is manufactured largely in fly-by-night situations, the contents carried in small suitcases, duffel bags or backpacks. The rural parts of the region, with twisting roads through mountainous areas, serve as a shield against law enforcement, too often understaffed to take on massive searches for the dreaded meth labs. The drug is made by mixing over-the-counter cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine with other potentially dangerous chemicals. Authorities say the illegal labs are set up for the most part by people who manufacture the drug for themselves. There apparently is no large-scale manufacturing for selling the drug on the street. The need to make the drug on the run by those who are unfamiliar with its deadly potential is lethal enough. But there are several clear illustrations of the danger the meth labs present. One of those occurred last year when two men were killed and another critically injured when their meth lab exploded in a trailer. In another incident, a Clinton man sustained serious burns in March during a meth-related flash fire. Another is the cost of cleaning up a meth lab site. The average cleanup bill for a lab is estimated at $3,300, which is paid for by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. A lab site is a hazardous area, special equipment is required to investigate and clean a site, and the cleanup takes time and personnel from other duties. There also is a heart-wrenching toll on children, with approximately 500 pulled from homes where methamphetamine was manufactured between January 2002 and July of this year. A new provision in state law allows authorities to remove children from homes where meth production is discovered because such activity is defined as child abuse, which it most certainly is. Then, there is the danger to the user - irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain, respiratory problems, extreme anorexia and possibility of cardiovascular collapse and death. On the positive side, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies have begun to get a handle on the problem. The number of labs broken up has increased, an indication of the scope of the problem on the one hand but also a statement about the extent to which authorities are working to deal with it. A combination of strict law enforcement, public awareness and training programs have helped blunt the pervasiveness of the meth scourge. More of these three elements are needed if it is to brought under control. The leadership in the fight against methamphetamine is the South/East Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force, a joint effort involving state, local and federal agencies working together. The group has two goals: do everything possible to stop the spread of the drug and educate the public about its dangers. Like other thorny challenges to law enforcement in East Tennessee, the methamphetamine scourge will diminish if not disappear in time. The horrors identified in the reports from our stories and the broadcasts of WBIR-TV should compel law enforcement agencies to make that time as soon as possible. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens