Pubdate: Fri, 29 Jul 2005
Source: Tennessean, The (TN)
Copyright: 2005 The Tennessean
Contact:  http://www.tennessean.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/447
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

GOOD START ON METH LABS

Tennessee can't get complacent with initial reports that its 
anti-methamphetamine program is off to an excellent start. Statistics 
released this week by the Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse 
show remarkable progress. Meth labs in Tennessee decreased by nearly 50% 
during May and June over last year at the same time. July appears to show 
more of the same reduction.

Credit goes to the stringent anti-meth laws promoted by Gov. Phil Bredesen 
and passed by the Tennessee General Assembly which went into effect May 1. 
Among other things, the law puts strict caps on the amount of cold medicine 
that can be sold to an individual. Some cold medicines contain the main 
ingredient used in meth production.

State law enforcement officials and state departments have greater 
authority to identify convicted meth offenders and quarantine places where 
the highly toxic meth production has taken place.

All that puts Tennessee in the vanguard of states fighting this insidious 
drug threat. But as officials concede, the meth epidemic is far from over. 
Meth users can go across state lines to North Carolina, for example, to 
purchase materials. Foreign countries, like Mexico, could become a threat 
as meth moves across borders, just as cocaine and heroin can. Even so, 
Tennessee has positioned itself to handle larger issues, by tackling the 
problem at its most basic level. The horror of meth labs is their mobility 
and isolation. They can be set up anywhere out of the prying eyes of 
police. The only way to shut them down is through public diligence and 
reducing the supply of their most important ingredient. Aggressive law 
enforcement helps, too, as the initial reports show. Tennessee officials 
should be proud of what they've accomplished in a short time, but the state 
can't let its guard down for a long time to come.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom