Pubdate: Sun, 18 Jun 2006
Source: Vindicator, The (Youngstown, OH)
Copyright: 2006 The Vindicator
Contact:  http://www.vindy.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3298
Author: Patricia Meade , Vindicator Crime Reporter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH IS ON THE RISE IN OHIO AND IN THE VALLEY

In 05, The State Spent About $700,000 To Clean Up Messes From A 
Record Number Of Meth Labs

A year ago, thefts of anhydrous ammonia, the farm fertilizer also 
used to make methamphetamine, were prevalent in Beaver Township.

Thieves would bring along containers and siphon the ammonia from 
farmers' tanks, said Beaver Chief Carl N. Frost.

Once township farmers added a pinkish liquid fluorescent dye called 
GloTell to their supplies of anhydrous ammonia, the thefts stopped, Frost said.

GloTell stains whatever it touches and even if washed off can be 
detected by ultraviolet light, according to Agrium, its manufacturer. 
Police like the product because anhydrous ammonia thieves with pink 
hands are easy to spot.

Users who snort the meth end up with a fluorescent pink nose, and 
those who inject it will see a pink mark on their skin.

GloTell is marketed as a leak detector, marking agent and theft 
deterrent, Agrium spokesman Lisa Parker said from her Alaska office. 
A survey conducted in February 2005 showed that some retailers who 
sell to growers said it appeared to reduce ammonia thefts, she said.

"We started working closely with the farmers and encouraged them to 
add GloTell to the [ammonia] product," Frost said. "Their vigilance worked."

Unlike cocaine, distilled from plants grown outside the U.S., 
methamphetamine is manufactured in clandestine labs from readily 
available household products. The ingredients needed for synthesis, 
ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, are found in over-the-counter cold medicines.

To curb production of meth, a new law (effective May 17) restricts 
the sale of products such as Sudafed. Products must be placed behind 
the counter, and purchase is limited to 9 grams (three 24-tablet 
packages, for example) within a 30-day period. Consumers must be 18, 
and retailers must keep log books tracking sales.

For the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, meth is a priority 
nationwide, said DEA Special Agent Erik Kochanowski. Typically, labs 
are often set up in rural areas, but no locale is immune.

Kochanowski said the DEA has found meth labs in motel rooms, 
recreational vehicles, apartments, houses and camping trailers.

"You cook where you sell," Kochanowski said of labs found mostly in 
outlying areas. "Cooks teach others the process; it's not a difficult 
process, but it's extremely dangerous. Being your own drug supplier 
is part of the draw."

The Drug

Meth -- smoked, injected or snorted -- wreaks havoc with the central 
nervous system. Users stay up for days and then crash.

"Meth is the equivalent of cocaine but with a higher high and a 
longer lasting high," Kochanowski said. "There's definitely a market for it."

Short-term effects of meth include decreased appetite, fatigue, 
paranoia and aggressive behavior. Long-term effects include tooth 
decay (so-called "meth mouth"), memory problems, addiction, insomnia 
and reduced levels of dopamine, which regulates emotions and motivation.

"Meth crosses all socio-economic boundaries," Kochanowski said. "It's 
not much different from the way marijuana and cocaine cross boundaries."

Kochanowski said manufacture of the drug is simple and it's no secret 
that recipes are readily available online. Web sites devoted to meth abound.

Hazardous waste materials are the byproducts of meth production. 
Dismantling meth labs requires specialized training and protective 
gear -- white biohazard suits, gloves, boots and masks.

"The chemicals produce very deadly gases," Kochanowski said. "We have 
to be protected so we don't contaminate others."

The DEA, after processing a meth lab crime scene -- collection of 
evidence samples and photos for court -- calls in specialists who 
take away the hazardous materials for disposal.

He said the cleanups must meet Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration and federal Environmental Protection Agency standards.

A Bad Year

Last year, 429 meth labs were discovered in Ohio, the most in any 
year, and the state spent $700,000 for cleanup of the messes left by 
"criminal chemists," according to Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro.

Kochanowski said law enforcement hasn't seen much meth production in 
this area, but labs have been found in Ashtabula, Stark and Summit 
counties. The agent said he won't be surprised if more meth labs pop 
up in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.

In July 2003, a clandestine meth lab was discovered after a trailer 
fire at Lakeside Campground on Bedell Road, just 200 yards north of 
U.S. Route 224 in Berlin Township. Fire destroyed the trailer but not 
the attached lab.

In February, the first meth lab in Youngstown was found at 561 W. 
Delason Ave. on the South Side. A DEA clandestine lab team had to 
break the screwed-shut windows to enter the 21/2 story house. Because 
of the volatile nature of meth labs, Youngstown firefighters were on hand.

About two weeks ago, a small meth lab was found in a house in Craig 
Beach, said Lt. Robin Lees, commander of the Mahoning Valley Law 
Enforcement Task Force.

Last Thursday, a small meth lab was found inside a camper at Green 
Acres Lake Park on Creed Road in Milton Township. A concerned 
resident suspicious about activity at the trailer called police.

Frost said the Mahoning Valley Chiefs of Police Association will soon 
hold a meth awareness class for police. The DEA is trying to get 
state and local police trained to process meth labs.

The drug has steadily been making its way east since California biker 
gangs began manufacturing it more than 30 years ago. Kochanowski said 
the meth made today is more potent.

Preventive Measures

Concerns over meth prompted United Methodist Community Center and 
Ohio Parents for Drug Free Youth to hold an awareness program in late March.

"We know that meth is not a big problem in the inner city at this 
point," Lenore Moore, outreach supervisor for the center on North 
Pearl Street, said at the program. "This is a preventive measure."

Guest speaker Amy Klumpp, a social worker with the Mahoning County 
Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board, said other states are 
overrun by meth labs and it's fast becoming a problem in Ohio. 
Education about the highly addictive stimulant is the best 
prevention, she said.

Klumpp said studies have shown that 91 percent of meth users are 
white and 76 percent are age 21 to 40. She said 12.4 million 
Americans have tried meth at least once.

She called the impact on kids who live in a place where meth is 
manufactured "enormous."

Because adult users are "up" for three to five days and then "down" 
for three to five days, their children are neglected and exposed to 
dangerous chemicals, she said.

Klumpp said meth cooks dispose of the hazardous waste byproducts down 
toilets, into sewers and backyards.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman