Pubdate: Thu, 29 Dec 2005
Source: Leaf-Chronicle, The (US TN)
Copyright: 2005, The Leaf-Chronicle
Contact:  http://www.theleafchronicle.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1601
Author: Heather Donahoe
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

DA INTENSIFIES FIGHT AGAINST METH

Chief Prosecutor, Law Enforcement Educating Public About Grisly Drug

Tell-tale signs of methamphetamine addiction, indicators of 
production labs and appropriate responses to both were were among 
information presented Wednesday during Clarksville Civitan's weekly 
meeting. Montgomery County District Attorney John Carney discussed 
the dangers of methamphetamine before screening an informational 
video, "Meth Destroys," which was created by the Tennessee District 
Attorneys General Conference. Carney, along with Sheriff Norman Lewis 
and other members of the local law enforcement community, have made 
similar presentations at high schools in Montgomery County.

As Civitan members watched the video, eyes widened and heads shook 
while experts and former meth addicts talked about the grisly effects 
of the drug -- from frightening photos of people with blackened gums, 
rotten teeth and withering hair, to the harrowing story of Tennessee 
man, David Parnell, who shot himself in the head during a 
meth-induced suicide attempt. Every bone in Parnell's face, except 
his left eye socket, was shattered by the bullet.

Miraculously, Parnell survived after being declared dead shortly 
after the shooting and is committed to educating teens and adults 
about the risks of the drug that nearly killed him.

"That was a wonderful presentation," said Civitan member Ernie 
Woodward. "I'm involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters 
organization, and I think this would be a great thing for them to see."

Those who survive a meth addiction are frequently stricken with 
diminished mental ability, paranoia, memory loss, weight loss, 
internal bleeding and a increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

"I've been in law enforcement and prosecution for 34 years, and I've 
never seen anything like this," Carney said about meth, which is also 
known by names like, "crank," "fire," "glass," "ice" and "yaba." Meth 
is often a cocktail of ingredients, including everything from rubbing 
alcohol, battery acid and farm fertilizer to medicines containing 
pseudoephedrine.

Thanks to the Meth-Free Tennessee Act of 2005, pharmacies now require 
customers to present a government-issued ID before they can buy drugs 
containing pseudoephedrine. The legislation, which Carney helped 
write, also stiffened the manufacture of meth from a Class E felony 
to a Class B or D felony. The highly addictive properties of meth -- 
coupled with chemical ingredients not quickly metabolized in the body 
- -- are what make the drug so hazardous. According to the state 
Attorneys General Conference Web site, many meth users become 
addicted after their first use and the habit is extremely difficult to break.

"As a group, we're able to spread the word about the dangers of 
meth," said Civitan President Debbie Hutchinson. "That's why these 
presentations are so important."

In Montgomery County, one meth-related arrest has been made during 
the last 12 months. An investigation under way by the Sheriff's 
Office could yield between 25 and 30 arrests, said Sheriff's 
spokesman Ted Denny, who added meth in Montgomery County has not been 
"a really bad problem." "We attribute the low numbers to our drug 
task force and our aggressive patrol division," Denny said.

"We maintain a very visible presence throughout the county." In 2004, 
law enforcement agencies across the state, seized 1,188 meth labs in 
Tennessee, which is second only to Missouri for meth manufacturing.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom