Pubdate: Sat, 12 Mar 2005
Source: Kingsport Times-News (TN)
Copyright: 2005 Kingsport Publishing Corporation
Contact: 
http://gotricities.net/domains/timesnews.net/lettertoEditor.dna?action=new
Website: http://www.timesnews.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1437
Author: Hank Hayes
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

GIVENS ON ENVIRONMENT: 'METH IS DEATH'

KINGSPORT - Index card number four on Tennessee Agricultural Commissioner 
Ken Givens' list of topics to talk about Friday at an East Tennessee 
Environmental Conference was about a crime with environmental implications.

The headline text at the top of the card said "Meth Problem."

Givens told conference attendees during his luncheon keynote speech at the 
Eastman Lodge that methamphetamine manufacturing is having an adverse 
effect on the environment.

"It impacts everybody here," Givens said of meth lab start-ups. "Meth 
creates environmental problems. When you make one pound of meth, you make 
several pounds of toxic waste that will end up in the environment 
somewhere. .. It may end up in carpet. It may end up in drywall."

In April 2004, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen named Givens to chair the 
Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse to develop a comprehensive 
strategy for addressing the manufacture, trafficking and abuse of the drug.

In all, the task force delivered more than 30 recommendations falling under 
seven fundamental "cornerstones" for an effective strategy to attack meth 
abuse. The cornerstones included:

.Increasing funding for methamphetamine treatment with an eye toward 
long-term initiatives.

.Educating communities about the dangers of methamphetamine abuse.

.Creating new penalties and strengthening existing penalties for 
methamphetamine-related crimes.

.Committing resources to help children harmed by methamphetamine 
manufacturing and abuse.

.Limiting the availability of precursor materials used to illegally 
manufacture methamphetamine. Legislation has been introduced to put 
products like Sudafed behind pharmacists' counters.

.Addressing contamination caused by clandestine methamphetamine laboratories.

"Meth is a real bad thing. Meth is death," Givens said. "We kept hearing 
the same things over and over again to get ahold of the meth problem. ... 
We're going to say that if you produce it, it's going to be assumed that 
you're distributing it. We're going to put more people in jail. We know 
that putting people in jail is not all the answer. . We also will keep a 
registry of (meth lab) contaminated properties with TDEC (Tennessee 
Department of Environment and Conservation)."

But Givens noted that getting a strong hold on Tennessee's meth problem - 
and just about every other state program - is contingent upon controlling 
the growth of TennCare, the state's troubled $8 billion-plus expanded 
Medicaid health care program for 1.3 million Tennesseans. Reforms in 
TennCare - including the possibility that more than 300,000 adult enrollees 
will be cut from the program - are currently tied up in federal court.

"You can't really talk about anything in state government anymore without 
mentioning a word that I get a little bit tired of talking about, but you 
have to talk about it, and that's the TennCare word," Givens said. "We have 
to get our state budget under control before we can do anything - whether 
it be education, economic development, protecting our environment or 
anything else. ... There is absolutely nothing wrong with anyone on 
TennCare. I guarantee you there are people here today who have relatives 
who are on TennCare."

Givens predicted that TennCare's "Mercedes or Lexus type benefit package" 
will be scaled back one way or another.

"Whatever happens, it's not going to be good," he said. "It is not good 
when 300,000 some people lose their coverage. I know people today whose 
lives have been saved (by TennCare). I know folks who pay $2,000 a month 
for TennCare coverage."

Givens also informed conference attendees that tobacco growing in Tennessee 
continues to die.

"It's on life support," Givens said of the state's tobacco production. 
"That will impact every community throughout East and Middle Tennessee. 
Tobacco farm sales have gone from about $305 million in 1982. ... We'll be 
lucky to hit $100 million this year."

For more about Givens and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture go to 
www.state.tn.us/agriculture.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom